Join/Renew (2023 Dues)

Monthly Archives: February 2019

Very Early Rock Wren Family at Coachwhip Canyon

My wife and I were finishing a hike into Coachwhip Canyon yesterday morning and were approaching our car when we heard a great deal of troglodytic commotion nearby.  We'd been seeing and hearing individual Rock Wrens frequently during our two day stay in the area, but we counted six in this wrangle of wrens.  I'd been photographing flowers to this point, but had the presence of mind to grab the long lens from the car and check the situation out.  We saw two adults and two juveniles (capable of at least short flights) for sure.  We're not sure of the ages of the other two.  Examination of photographs shows the juveniles to be very recently fledged, sporting very stubby tails and bills for the species.  I observed both begging and feeding behavior.

I wouldn't mention this here but for the time of year.  As I understand it, this is exceptionally early for Rock Wrens to be feeding young.  The earliest reported eggs being February 5th (Bent 1948).   Given that incubation is about two weeks, and the young had fledged, the eggs must have been laid in early February.  Such early broods are known to occur when food sources are good, so here's an indicator that this will be a good year for desert birds.  Perhaps paradoxically, it may not be as good for birders, as the birds can be more dispersed when food isn't concentrated in a few locations.

Regardless, it was fun to watch, and I may never again see so many Rock Wrens in one place.

Incidental checklist with some pictures here: Rock Wren Family Photo Album

Tuck Russell
Hillcrest
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

60-75 Swainson'a Hawks in Borrego Springs

This evening, around 60-75 Swainson's Hawks descended into town. We believe that they are roosting at the Roadrunner Club or at the rear of the Date Farm. Unfortunately we may have a windy morning with a very early lift-off. If you are in town and would like to take a chance to see the hawks leaving the valley, I suggest you drive just north of The Springs RV Park to view the liftoff. I will probably be searching for the hawks before 7am. Normally lift-off takes place around 9am but tomorrow I wouldn't count on it. You can watch the youtube of the hawks from this evening: https://youtu.be/bVeHMtxzCjc
Hal Cohen
Borrego Springs

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

guajome Yellow biellied sapsucker folluwup

as i mentioned in the earlier post bird was ween near entrance to day use parking lot     there is a flag pole there        bird last seen flying down into the gully where the oak grove forest is along Guajome lake road
Steve Shunk,who found the bird and is  author of Peterson`s Guide to Woodpeckers, is the Key note speaker Saturday night  at the Sd bird fest gives a  nice description of the bird in my ebird report below which also contains some pretty lousy photos 

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53226408
  
good birding 

steve brad
leucadia
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

American Redstart

Hi folks…we are three eastern birders visiting San Diego. This morning all three of us spotted a male American Redstart in the Bernardo Bay Trails area near Lake Hodges, approximately 300-400yds from the lake. Approximate GPS coordinates. 33.053389, -117.082245. We assume this is a relatively rare bird here in SD county, but we are extremely familiar with them from birding back home. We don’t have good photos because it was feeding actively in a rather thick bush….all that is visible is a black-and-orange blur. Sorry for bothering you if this bird is not rare here.

Greg Prelich
Jeanine Apgar
Peter Mooney
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

YB Sapsucker continues at Lindo Lake

Wednesday 27 February: PresumedYellow-bellied sapsucker continues in SE corner of park. Currently drilling new wells in a Live Oak on the grassy slope southwest of the large Peruvian pepper it is oft reported in. Well seen at < 10m. Diagnostic aid for YBSA of completely black outlines around small red throat and head patches easily visible along with sapsucker white bars on front edge of folded wings. No red on nape or lower breast, however back does show numerous gold spots in somewhat symmetrical pairs and less white barring, more like a Red-Breasted sp.
Acorns remain in area as well.
CK Staurovsky
El Cajon
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

misc. continuing rarities

Here are some continuing rarities that have been around much of the winter. More specific directions for each, if needed, should be gotten from earlier SanDiegoRegionBirding posts or from eBird reports.  On Feb 25, the wintering Sage Thrasher continued along the fence at Crown Point (north side Mission Bay), from Crown Point Dr. X Roosevelt south 100+ yards to the entrance road down to Mission Bay Park. On Feb 27, the Clay-colored Sparrow continued at Torrey Hills Neighborhood Park in Sorrento Hills (access off Calle Mejilones X Mariposa), seen early in the morning along north edge of playing field(s) with flock of White-crowneds; the Grace's Warbler continues at 1282 Crest Drive in Encinitas, where it also periodically would fly across to the smaller pines and large eucalyptus tree directly across the street; and the Chestnut-sided Warbler continues in the lerpy eucs at marker 17 along the Lagoon Trail along the north shore of Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad–be aware that by far the easiest way to access this site is to park at the Aviara golf course parking lot along Batiquitos Drive, just slightly to the east, and walk past the "starter's shed" on the signed PUBLIC walkway to the Lagoon Trail and then walk west to marker 17–the entire walk from car to the warbler is ONE minute, rather than having a much longer (but pleasant birding!) walk from a small parking area well to the west that also was the site of multiple car break-ins a while back. Off Poinsettia, there is a continuing Mountain Chickadee. The only new bird of any note that I've seen in the past couple days is a very lowly Western Tanager in residential Point Loma.

–Paul Lehman,  San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Lindo Lake Sapsucker…

Thanks to Eric I was able to go out and relocate the male Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. It appears to me there are two? So at first I was a little confused and thought the male was a red-naped. However, there is no red nape on this bird!! I could not locate the female, but the male was hanging out for about 1 hour in the same spot.

Present while I was there 2 pm – 3 pm, 02/26/19
 Here is the link to a video that shows the bird and where I located it…. Enjoy and good luck!!!

https://youtu.be/eqmCJn5xeiM

Anthony “TooFly”

La Mesa, Ca
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

1234567