Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - December 5, 2025

Eurasian Wigeon | Surf Scoter | Pacific Golden-Plover | Mountain Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | American Bittern | Western Cattle-Egret | Manx Shearwater | Swainson’s Hawk | Short-eared Owl | Williamson’s Sapsucker | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond’s Flycatcher | Western Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin’s Vireo | Lapland Longspur | Thick-billed Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | Dark-eyed “Pink-sided” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Sagebrush Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Hooded Oriole | Baltimore Oriole | Ovenbird | Black-and-white Warbler | MacGillivray’s Warbler | American Redstart | Cape May Warbler | Northern Parula | Blackburnian Warbler | Chestnut-sided Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager | Black-headed Grosbeak | Indigo Bunting 

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - November 22, 2025

Pacific Golden-Plover | Red Phalarope | Lesser Black-backed Gull | American Bittern | Western Cattle-Egret | White-headed Woodpecker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Western Warbling-Vireo | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Hooded Oriole | Black-and-white Warbler | Nashville Warbler | Cape May Warbler | Blackburnian Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Scarlet Tanager

BIRDS OF THE SEASON
Susan Castor
Birds of the Season — November 2025

Following a comparatively mild summer on the coastal slope, mid-October brought some unusually early substantial rainfall to the county. November added significantly to that total. That’s a definite plus for bird habitats and should also greatly reduce the potential for wildfires.

Los Angeles County’s active birders found a remarkable number and diversity of vagrants this fall. The deserts, mountains, coastal slope and offshore waters and islands were all productive for notable birds. In large part, increased coverage is responsible for an increase in the rare birds detected, especially since the populations of many of these birds are in decline.

Inaccessible to the public, San Clemente Island has long been the envy of southern California birders due its impressive annual list of fall vagrants, including some mega-rarities. But increasing coverage of nearby Santa Catalina Island in fall has proved very worthwhile. By contrast, this island has easy public access and hosted a long list of rare birds this October and November.

Many parks and natural areas on the coastal slope held interesting passerines. The Piute Ponds, though coverage suffered due to closure during the government shutdown, still managed a number of good birds.

Birds of the Season — November 2025
Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - November 15, 2025

Pacific Golden-Plover | Mountain Plover | Red Phalarope | Leach’s Storm-Petrel | Western Cattle-Egret | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Pacific Wren | Red-throated Pipit | Lapland Longspur | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Tennessee Warbler | American Redstart | Palm Warbler | Grace’s Warbler | Back-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager

Rare Bird Alert
Jon Fisher
Rare Bird Alert - November 7, 2025

Surf Scoter | Pacific Golden-Plover | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Northern “Yellow-shafted” Flicker | Tropical Kingbird | THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD | Eastern Phoebe | Lapland Longspur | Chestnut-collared Longspur | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed “Gray-headed” Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Tennessee Warbler | American Redstart | Cape May Warbler | Palm Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager | Painted Bunting

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INTERPRETING NATURE: Snowy Plover Retrospective

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INTERPRETING NATURE: Snowy Plover Retrospective

SNPL, you ask? The Western Snowy Plover has been federally listed as threatened since the 1990s, and various agencies have been monitoring it along the Pacific Coast for decades. LA Audubon has been conducting surveys since 2007. It’s estimated that just 2500 snowy plovers currently breed along the Pacific Coast.

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Birds of the Season–April 2021

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Birds of the Season–April 2021

With the onset of spring, rainfall remained sparse, though this was hardly unexpected. With precipitation at about twenty-five percent of normal, we are now past any chance to make up the deficit. Much of the western United States is in the same situation, or worse. Thankfully, plants and animals are fairly well-adapted to deal with these conditions- at least in the short term. Humans, with their voracious appetite for water, are less so.

Rare Bird Alert - April 9, 2021

Long-tailed Duck | Common Goldeneye | Common Ground Dove | Solitary Sandpiper | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Broad-winged Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Black-and-white Warbler | Lucy's Warbler | Plam Warbler | Black-throated Green Warbler | Summer Tanager

Rare Bird Alert - April 3, 2021

Common Ground Dove | Solitary Sandpiper | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | GREATER PEWEE | Tropical Kingbird | Olive-sided Flycatcher | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Purple Martin | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler | Summer Tanager


Rare Bird Alert - March 26, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | White-winged Dove | Common Ground Dove | Lesser Black-backed Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | American Bittern | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron |Zone-tailed Hawk | Northern "Yellow-shafted" Flicker | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | Tropical Kingbird | GREATER PEWEE | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | WHITE WAGTAIL | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Yellow-headed Blackbird | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler

Rare Bird Alert - March 19, 2021

"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal | Spotted Dove | Common Ground Dove | White-winged Dove | Pacific Golden-Plover | Franklin's Gull | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Swainson's Hawk | Zone-tailed Hawk | Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Ash-throated Flycatcher | GREATER PEWEE | Tropical Kingbird | Hammond's Flycatcher | Dusky Flycatcher | Eastern Phoebe | Cassin's Vireo | Bank Swallow | WHITE WAGTAIL | Clay-colored Sparrow | Dark-eyed "Gray-headed" Junco | Dark-eyed "Pink-sided" Junco | White-throated Sparrow | Swamp Sparrow | Green-tailed Towhee | Scott's Oriole | RUSTY BLACKBIRD | Black-and-white Warbler | Palm Warbler | Painted Redstart | Summer Tanager

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