2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 13

March 30

Snowy Plover

I spent the day birding with my wife looking for some newly arrived breeding species after making a long-shot attempt at a reported rare bird.  We started this morning by walking the beach about a mile to the Tijuana River mouth.  While spending some time there fruitlessly looking for plover Dave P called out,  “Booby in the feeding flock.” Quickly turning my scope in that direction I was able to get onto the bird as it made a pass through the other birds.  I snapped a few low quality photos for ID purposes and we all talked about how great it was to see this species from shore.  My wife and I then headed to a few other spots before coming home for a little bit of rest.

Western Screech-Owl

This evening I went out to find some owls with Shannon W and had Western Screech-Owls, Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls.  Of the Great Horned Owls we had a pair calling back and forth to each which was neat to listen to since we were able to hear the differences between the male and female.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Tijuana River mouth, Dairy Mart Pond, Mission Trails Regional Park

Brown Booby, Snowy Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Bell’s Vireo, Cliff Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow

Species to Date – 278

March 31

Sandwich-ish Tern among Elegant Terns

A rare gull was found and word went out too late for me to chase it yesterday so I headed over to the location first thing today.  After not finding it I headed out east to meet a friend and learn a bit of botany while looking for more easterly (county-wise) migrants and arriving breeders.  While there I received a text alerting me to the presence of another rare gull near the one that was found yesterday afternoon.  Upon arriving I was able to see it flying away.  The problem with this bird is that it doesn’t look right for a pure Sandwich Tern.  There is too much yellow on the bill tip and in fact it went all along the culmen.  But what is it mixed with?  If determined to be mixed with a Cayenne Tern (still treated as a subspecies of Sandwich Tern) then it could be counted on my Big Year List.  But it could have been partly Elegant Tern, a pairing that has happened here in Southern   Another thing about the bird is that the one found in the morning has much less yellow on the bill so there may be a second bird.  I spent the next 6 hours going back and forth between the two spots where yesterday’s bird was found and the location of today’s bird.  I was joined by Doug A and Eitan A at one point and Eitan hollered, “there it is.”  And this one didn’t have all the excessive yellow as the one from the afternoon.  Yes, maybe a pure Sandwich Tern.  I took a bunch of photos and added those to the debate of “what type of bird is this?” that is currently going on with many of us in the San Diego birding community.  Though there was much less yellow on this bird’s bill, it was still a bit too much for a classic Sandwich Tern.  But is it within reason for variability as some are thinking? 

Laughing Gull

California.

Making one last stop to look for yesterday’s bird paid off when I spotted it sitting on a mudflat.  I was able to take Jay K away from where he was searching onto the Laughing Gull and we watched it triumphantly for a while before I headed home.

Crestridge Ecological Reserve, San Diego River, Robb Field

Ash-throated Flycatcher, Laughing Gull

Species to Date - 280

For a full list of species seen to date click here

2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 12

March 23

Red Crossbills

My wife and I started today by leaving the county (yes, leaving the county during a Big Year) for a Cave Swallow out near the Salton Sea.  There are actually two to four of them out there and this is a state bird for me.  Plus it was an early morning bird and I had one bird on my target list today, Sage Thrasher, which I   To get it for the year I really need to find it before the end of the month to have any real shot.  Although they do show up along the coast in the fall that isn’t always a given.  The problem so far is that Sage Thrashers seem to be in small numbers this year.  Jacumba has had them in the past and so I hoped it would again today.   If not, I would to drop down to Borrego Springs yet again really soon.  The first couple of thrashers we found were California Thrashers, but then came a different call.  There it was, on top of some of the chapparal.  I kept trying to entice it closer when I heard something different, a two-note finch sound.  I looked up, saw a bunch of birds flying in toward us and called out to my wife, “Red Crossbills!”  Forget the thrasher, time to get some photos of these.  We headed home happy with the acquired target and an

Downy Woodpecker

unexpected bird, to boot.
really hoped to be able to get on the way home.

Jacumba

Sage Thrasher, Red Crossbill

Species to Date - 272

For a full list of species seen to date click here

2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 11

March 15

Swainson's Hawk

My wife and I went back out to the desert hoping for a couple of birds that had eluded me on my previous attempts.  I did find one of them but know that I will be heading back out there for others soon.  A few stops in the mountains on the way home didn’t yield what was hoped for, but that’s why they are rare birds.

Borrego Springs, Cuyamaca Mountains

Crissal Thrasher

Species to Date - 264

March 17

Phainopepla

After a couple of hours of sleep I joined jay K and Barbara C for some owling fun and a few hours of   The Spotted Owls near Julian were vocalizing when we stopped the car and opened the doors.  We listened for a while and heard the male and female calling back and forth.  What a great experience and probably the best and longest-lasting interaction between the pair that I have experienced.  We dropped down to the desert a bit and then came back through mountains making a few stops and finding migrants along the way
poking around for some migrants.

Julian, Cuyamaca Mountains, Borrego Springs, Volcan Mountain, Ramona 

Northern Saw-whet Owl, Spotted Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Western Kingbird, Scott’s Oriole, Hooded Oriole

Species to Date - 270

Hooded Oriole

For a full list of species seen to date

2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 10

March 4

Harris's Hawk

Swainson’s Hawks feeding on tops of bushes along the road near Borrego Springs were my only addition of the day.  Plenty of desired species including Verdin, Black-throated Sparrow, Lewis’s Woodpecker and California Thrasher had the attendees on today’s Target Birding Trip happy.

Jacumba, Borrego Springs, Yaqui Well, Ramona, Mission Trails Regional Park

Swainson’s Hawk

Species to Date - 259

Brandt's Cormorant on nest

March 9

A day out and about with my wife had us looking at a pair of Wandering Tattlers among the rocks and California Sea Lions at the Children’s Pool in La Jolla.

La Jolla, Mission Bay, Balboa Park

Wandering Tattler

Species to Date - 260

Hooded Merganser

March 10

I birded a few spots and added a few birds even though I didn’t push as hard as I might normally have   Though I really enjoy doing those trips it is very exhausting.  Luckily this rest time should be OK at this time of year since I’ve put in plenty of work to this point.
because I’m still tired from 5 days of leading trips for the bird festival.

Presidio Park, Mission Trails Regional Park, Linda Lake

Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, Violet-green Swallow

Species to Date - 263

For a full list of species seen to date click here

2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 9

Feb 28

Red-breasted Nuthatch

While co-leading a trip for the San Diego Bird Festival we found a Lesser Yellowlegs, which was my only add for the day.  On this trip, Birding 100, we found 127 species, which is a decent number of birds and close to a record day for the festival.  I met lots of nice people and we got the festival off on a great start.

Lindo Lake, Lake Murray, Tijuana River Valley, Imperial Beach, Silver Strand

Lesser Yellowlegs

Species to Date - 256

March 1 & 2

Manx Shearwater

Black-vented Sheatwater

San Diego Bird Festival Pelagic Trips were a great success with lots of fantastic birds, including a Manx Shearwater that I spotted coming across the stern of the boat.  It cooperated nicely for almost everyone onboard as it turned and went along the starboard side of the boat.  We did have multiple whale and plenty of dolphins too boot.  I didn't add any new birds for my personal year list, but I was on a boat for two straight days enjoying the sights none the less.

March 3

Fin Whale

Co-leading another trip for the San Diego Bird Festival (for the fourth of 5 straight days) I spent some time in the mountains.  Mountain Quail were heard all over the place but not seen as is par for the course with this   Rufous-crowned Sparrow was also an addition for the year.  Plenty of other nice birds for the attendees including Harris’s Hawk and Bell’s subspecies of Sage Sparrow but nothing else new for me.
elusive species.

Laguna Mountains, Jacumba, Pine Valley

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Mountain Quail, Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Species to Date - 258

For a full list of species seen to date click here