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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Replay -- Bill Wilson: Birds & Beans Coffee

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Half of the people in the US have a cup of coffee every day but few understand the environmental impact of coffee. Even fewer prioritize origin and know how coffee farming affects people, farms, forests, and birds all over the world.

Bill Wilson is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Birds & Beans coffee. With the help of three other families and support from Scott Weidensaul, Bridget Stutchbury and Kenn Kaufman, they launched their company in 2008 to save the Smithsonian ‘Bird Friendly®’ shade grown coffee certification. Bill shares the story of Birds & Beans, which is not only Bird Friendly®, but also USDA Organic, and Fair Trade, and show how this approach helps to save birds, tropical forests, family farmers and their workers, local rural economies and the Earth we all share.

Note: We had some issues with an open mic and cross-talk early in the presentation but got them fixed about 10 minutes into the talk.

Rare Bird Alert - September 9, 2022

White-winged Dove | Red Knot | Semipalmated Sandpiper | Sabine’s Gull | Magnificent Frigatebird | Neotropic Cormorant | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Zone-tailed Hawk | Eastern Kingbird | Yellow-green Vireo | Purple Martin | “Large-billed” Savannah Sparrow | Northern Waterthrush | Black-and-white Warbler | Lucy’s Warbler | American Redstart | Summer Tanager

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Upcoming Bird Walks

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Upcoming Bird Walks

Open Wetlands at Ballona Salt Marsh — Bird Walk (1st Saturday)

Open Wetlands at Ballona Salt Marsh — Bird Walk (2nd Sunday)

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area — Bird Walk (3rd Saturday)

South Los Angeles Wetlands Park — Bilingual Bird Walk (Sat. Oct 15)

Will Rogers State Historic Park — Beginner's Bird Walk (Experienced birders welcome too!) (Oct. 16)

Franklin Canyon Bird Walk (SFVAS; 2nd Sunday)

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CONSERVATION CONVERSATION—Legislative Priorities to Protect Birds During Migration

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CONSERVATION CONVERSATION—Legislative Priorities to Protect Birds During Migration

The migration each year of nearly 5 billion birds from breeding grounds in North America to wintering grounds in Central and South America and the Caribbean (the “Neotropics”) is both one of the wonders of nature and what marks the season for birders. Some of those birds even stay and overwinter here in Los Angeles and other southern reaches of North America. A Western Tanager stopped under our oak tree as this column was going to press but it will be another month before the Yellow-rumped Warblers arrive for the winter.

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Birds of the Season- August 2022

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Birds of the Season- August 2022

In some respects, July represents the summer doldrums for birds and birding. Breeding activity is largely over and fall migration has yet to get into full swing. But nothing is static in the bird world. Shorebird migration was already well underway, and the first southbound passerines were not far behind. Though much of what migration has served up thus far has been standard fare, a handful of vagrants have already been recorded.

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