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Monthly Archives: November 2020

Re: Now three Vermillion Flycatcher s at the San Dieguito Rd. Horse Pastures, Nov 30, 2020

Male and female still there at 3:30 PM today. Male is still far out along the fence that separates the golf course from the horse pastures. Female came very close, landing on the fence directly out from the pullout / overlook where the fruit stand is on San Dieguito Rd. (for those not familiar with this spot). GPS of where I stood when scoping west: 32.984284,-117.204152

NOTE: While there, a flock of five Canada Geese and one Snow Goose flew over. They seemed to be circling the horse pastures, so I’m guessing they are still around but farther east.
David Trissel
San Diego, CA

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Now three Vermillion Flycatcher s at the San Dieguito Rd. Horse Pastures, Nov 30, 2020

Today there were 3 Vermillion Flycatchers at the San Dieguito Rd pullout overlooking the horse pastures (Del Mar/Fairbanks Ranch area).  I went there looking for the bright male VEFL that Sara Heinz reported and photographed yesterday at that spot.  I soon found the bright adult male, perched on and making forays from the chickenwire-covered fenceline bordering the far golf course as scoped from west end of the San Dieguito road pullout. Later, what looked to be female type (pale breast and head but bright red undercoverts and vent area) was a little further east perched atop an L shaped pipe near a kestrel (which made a pass at the flycatcher, but tho it flew off, returned to the same spot adjacent to the kestrel).  Then while scanning both birds, I found a third bird with more extensive white below, and was able to confirm all three birds in a single scan.   Justyn Stahl was the first to locate a VEFL here (imm. male)  last fall on 5 Oct 2019.

Susan Smith 

Seiurus Biological  Consulting 
Del Mar, CA 
seiurus@…

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Susan Smith
Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Cape May Warbler returns

I've heard from Brennan Mulrooney that the Cape May Warbler returned to its favorite eucalyptus tree at around 11:50 this morning after being MIA for almost two and a half hours. This tree is still lerpy, which is why it is attractive, but it does not have any blossoms. Given that the Cape May has matted face feathers means that it is sipping nectar in other trees, but checks of the nearby blooming eucalyptus trees has only found the bird there once. So it is still most uncertain as to where the bird goes when it's not in the one favored lerpy tree. Yesterday, the bird stayed in its favorite tree virtually all morning and then disappeared sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 PM and was essentially never seen again the rest of the day. Thus, a clear pattern has yet to be established.

Paul Lehman, San Diego

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Mostly negative updates on the common grackle and Cape May and Prairie warblers, plus news of orchard oriole

Monday morning, a bunch of birders tried for the Common Grackle near the Del Mar public works building and did see an appropriate size flock of cowbirds and red wingeds for much of the early and mid-morning but no sign of the common grackle with them. As has been posted by others, the Cape May Warbler was present again today in its favorite eucalyptus tree at Lake Murray, from at least around 8:30 to 9:30 AM, but then it disappeared when a slug of grackles landed in the tree and as of 11:30 it has not been seen again. And the Prairie Warbler park in Coronado today has a chain across it strongly suggesting one is not supposed to enter. Perhaps they're doing some sort of construction down along the edge of the water, so it may be open only very late in the day or even just only on weekends and holidays.

In more positive news, Bridget Spencer and group had brief looks and photos on Saturday afternoon of a yellow oriole at Nestor Park which almost certainly is the female Orchard Oriole back for its third winter, but which can be a real pain to get good looks at.

Paul Lehman, San Diego

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Clay-colored Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow – Carmel Valley

At the Ocean Air Recreation Center this morning (Nov. 29), in addition to the Brewer's Sparrow reported earlier this week by Eve Martin and Max Leibowitz, there was a Clay-colored Sparrow mixed in with the large flock of White-crowed Sparrows.  The birds were feeding in the grass below the tipu trees at the southwest edge of the park. 

Dan King
Carmel Valley
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Pacific Wren in Palomar SP

A group of us found the returning Pacific Wren along the nature trail in Palomar State Park. It was closer to the beginning of the trail than last year. Marker 5 down to where a fallen tree crosses the trail. Found by the distinctive double chip it makes.

At Observatory Campground, campsite 39 is hosting a Green-tailed Towhee.

Nancy Christensen
Ramona

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Chinese Proverb
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Common Grackle p.s.

For what it's worth, I looked at the photos of the common grackle that Sean took again in better light and the head does look quite glossy blue purple and contrasts pretty strongly with the browner body, so it it might be a young male and not a female.

Paul Lehman, San Diego

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Re: Common Grackle in Del Mar

Common Grackle location was exactly as Paul guessed – on utility wires just west of the Del Mar public works building.
(and I have no evidence that it was a male, that was just an inadvertent typo!)
Sean 

Sean G. Buchanan
+1-858-945-0595

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Common Grackle in Del Mar

I was just sent photos by Sean Buchanan of a Common Grackle mixed in with a flock of cowbirds and Red wingeds at the Del Mar public works building in Del Mar, immediately south of the fairgrounds. Looks like a probable female. Don't know exactly where the flock was but perhaps on the west side of the building where there's the dried up pond with lots of weeds and some cattails or possibly just west of that on the west side of the railroad tracks is a house with feeders that often attracts good numbers of red winged blackbirds so the birds could go there. The photos were up on utility wires and taken around 8:00 a.m. today. This area is immediately south of the San Dieguito Lagoon outflow channel. Obviously the blackbirds could easily wander into the nearby residential areas as well.

Paul Lehman, San Diego

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

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