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