2021 San Diego CBC – 206, preliminary count

2021 San Diego CBC – 206, preliminary count
By – 8:09 pm
The 122nd Christmas Bird Count season is underway. For San Diego, our count on 18 December 2021 marked its 69th year. Over 140 participants (including at least 14 first-timers!) combined to put together a tentative total of 206 species, slightly below our 10-year average of ~212. Weather was sunny and calm, cool to start, with a low of 39F and a high of 66F. Results below are preliminary, as I haven’t received all of the data yet, and not all rarity locations were precisely known as of this writing. An updated/vetted summary will be announced sometime later.

Highlights for this year’s count: 

Seeing everyone in person again at the San Diego Audubon Society-sponsored lunch after no in-person compilation in 2020.

Snow Goose – 1 continuing at Sweetwater Reservoir

Ross’s Goose – 1 continuing in South San Diego Bay

Greater White-fronted Goose – a flock of 45 continuing at Sweetwater Reservoir, 4 at the San Diego Country Club

Cackling Goose – 1 at San Diego Country Club

Eurasian Wigeon – 1 in the Sweetwater River

Canvasback – continuing at Sweetwater Reservoir

Black Scoter – 2 females continuing off the Silver Strand north of Camp Surf, new male & 
female in San Diego Bay from G St.

Costa’s Hummingbirds – 3, various locations including City College

Black Oystercatcher – 2 at Cabrillo National Monument, 2 at Zuniga Jetty/Ballast Point 

Pacific Golden-Plover – 4 continuing at the Tijuana River Mouth

Little Stint – 1 continuing in Salt Works

Wandering Tattler – 1 at Cabrillo National Monument

Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1 continuing near the Hotel Del Coronado

Brown Booby – 5 off Imperial Beach and from boat

Reddish Egret – 1 continuing in South San Diego Bay

Bald Eagle – 1 continuing immature at Sweetwater Reservoir

Greater Pewee – 1 continuing in Balboa Park near Spreckles Organ

Hammond’s Flycatcher – 1 at Greg Rogers Park, 1 (returning?) at Marston House, 1 continuing on NASNI

Pacific-slope Flycatcher – 1 new bird at the San Diego Zoo

Eastern Phoebe – 1 continuing south of Morley Field

Vermilion Flycatcher – 1 continuing at NASNI, 1 at sunset ballfields, xxx

Tropical Kingbird – 1 continuing at Dairy Mart, 1 at NASNI

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher – 1 continuing (6th winter?) at Poggi Creek, 1 new bird in Juniper Canyon

Plumbeous Vireo – 3: 1 at Otay Park , 1 at Howard Lane Park, 1 continuing near Chula Vista Center

Mountain Bluebird – 2 at Hilltop Park

White-throated Sparrow – 1 continuing on NASNI

Green-tailed Towhee – 2: returning birds at Otay River restoration area and west of Bird & Butterfly Garden

Yellow-headed Blackbird – 2 at the Otay Landfill

Hooded Oriole – 1 continuing at Sunnyslope Park

Tennessee Warbler – 1 continuing in Nestor

Nashville Warbler – 3 at various locations

MacGillivray’s Warbler – Veteran’s Park in Imperial Beach

American Redstart- 1 new at Glorietta Bay Park, 1 new in Nestor, 1 returning in Coronado

Chestnut-sided Warbler – 1 at Hilltop Park

Palm Warbler – 1 continuing on NASNI

Pine Warbler – 1 at Friendship Park

Black-and-white Warbler – 1 continuing bird in Coronado

Hermit Warbler – 1 at San Diego Country Club, 1 continuing/returning at Heritage Park, 1 continuing at Friendship Park

Notable misses:

Red Phalarope – just not offshore this year?
Burrowing Owl – reliable location inaccessible this year
Red-naped Sapsucker
Thick-billed Kingbird – the bird that had been along Monument Rd. in the Tijuana River Valley appears to have relocated following Tuesday’s storm.
Tree Swallow – bright sunny day
Red-crowned Parrot – gone from count circle
Loggerhead Shrike – now rare along the coast

Justyn Stahl
North Park