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Monthly Archives: December 2020

Long-eared owls Borrego

Tuck Russell and I had at least 13 Long-eared owls at two different roost locations in the thick wind row tree lines at Bowen Ranch. Borrego CBC mesquite bosque area
Cheers
CK Staurovsky
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Swamp Sparrow continues in National City 12/20/2020

This morning, December 20, 2020, the Swamp Sparrow found by Matt Sadowskl yesterday continued at the 19th St Slough in National City. The bird freqents an area of the slough about a block north of 22nd St, and flies to the west side to feed in the darker vegetation at the top of the bank, then back to the east side to hide in the large shrubs. It was hanging around with a few Lincoln’s Sparrows as it did yesterday. I heard what sounded a few chips from the reported Northern Waterthrush but I was never able to see it.

Dan Jehl
San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Re: Eastern Phoebe-Hoover High School, City Heights

Nice one Knut. The bird was still present, and singing away, this morning just as described below. Unfortunately that’s two Eastern Phoebes just 0.25 mi or so outside our CBC circle, with both seen yesterday.  
Justyn Stahl
North Park 

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Eastern Phoebe-Hoover High School, City Heights

An Eastern Phoebe has been regular for some time by Hoover High School in City Heights (along Highland Ave). Today Saturday Dec. 19 I watched it on and off for some 20 minutes between 12:30 and 1 pm. Also seen in early afternoon on Dec. 12 and 13 as well as my first sighting on Nov. 24.
The last three sightings I parked directly across the street from 4430 Highland Ave facing high school building # 603 (just south of the school athletic grounds). All three times the Phoebe appeared within one minute (all while I was still sitting in my car).
I just joined the listserv this week so first chance to report the bird today.
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

San Diego Christmas Bird Count: 217 preliminary count

Wow!

Thanks so much to all ~110 locals who managed to safely pull-off a near-record total for the San Diego CBC despite the challenges of the COVID-19 protocol. If not for the closure of the San Diego Zoo and the Otay Landfill, and warm, breezy conditions, I think we would have had a real shot at breaking the 1969 record of 222, if my files are correct.
We tallied, as of 4pm, 217 species, third all-time!!!. Many thanks to all for putting in the extra effort of a longer day, and enduring numerous text messages and phone calls, and requests to check again for missed stake-outs (and there weren't many misses, but Alex A. and Eitan A. combined for 5+ checks to finally secure Scissor-tailed Flycatcher!). Big shout-out to Paul Lehman for lots of scouting in pretty much everyone's area in the weeks leading up to the count.
I'll get out a full summary in the next day or two, but for now, the highlights (write-ins) are as follows, new birds found on count day with location:
Cackling Goose
White-winged Scoter – San Diego Bay(?)
Red-necked Grebe
Pacific Golden-Plover (2)
Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Red-footed Booby (A first for our (any?) count, all 5 boobies known to occur in San Diego have now been recorded on our CBC.)
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Dusky-capped Flycatcher – Balboa Park
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird (3)
Thick-billed Kingbird
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Mountain Bluebird (2) – Naval Air Station North Island
Lawrence's Goldfinch – San Diego Country Club
Clay-colored Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow – National City
Orchard Oriole
Palm Warbler (Yellow) – presumably a first count record for this subspecies
Pine Warbler – San Diego Country Club
Hermit Warbler (3)
Black-headed Grosbeak – Emerald Hills Park (amazingly *not* at a feeder)
I'll leave area leaders to give more details for now, but I'll send out a more comprehensive survey in a day or two, with a final species count.
Stay safe and happy holidays/new year.
And yes, we got Great Horned Owl.
Justyn Stahl
North Park

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

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