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Monthly Archives: November 2022

Verdin at Sunset Ball fields

Verdin at Sunset Ball fields
By {authorlink} – 11:14 am

There is currently a verdin at the intersection of International Road and Sunset Ave along the closed road. Here:  (32.5587, -117.0753). 

Brandon Stidum
Normal Heights

Brown thrasher

Brown thrasher
By {authorlink} – 7:28 am

At the main drip area of the Bird and Butterfly garden. Dashing amongst the toyon bushes.

Nancy Christensen
Ramona

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
Chinese Proverb

White-throated Sparrow at Old Mission Dam parking

White-throated Sparrow at Old Mission Dam parking
By {authorlink} – 12:24 pm

Hello all,

Just after noon today, Friday 11/18/22, I found a White-throated Sparrow by itself right at the entrance to the parking lot for the Old Mission Dam at Mission Trails. I don’t know if this is the same one that was found father north in the park a couple days ago.
At Kumeyaay/Hollis Lakes I saw the American Bittern around 9am or so. I didn’t find the Philadelphia Vireo, but apparently others did.
Aaron Polichar
Scripps Ranch

Baltimore Oriole, Cackling Geese ssp., lakes

Baltimore Oriole, Cackling Geese ssp., lakes
By {authorlink} – 10:21 am

Friday morning, just a little after dawn, there was a medium-bright female-type Baltimore Oriole in the blooming eucalyptus trees immediately on the east side of the main residence building at Rohr Park in Bonita. Also in the general area at least one Western Tanager and one or two wintering White-breasted Nuthatches which are annual there. At Sweetwater Reservoir there are now 10 Cackling Geese with the 150 Canadas and 110 White- frontends, of which six are minima Cacklings, which may be a new high count for the county for that subspecies, and then four are of the more expected Aleutian Cackling. Also 23 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 5 ibis, and three barn swallows with the Tree swallow flock. Uncommon or high late-season INLAND shorebirds included two Semipalmated Plovers, avocet, six Dunlin, and 350 Western Sandpipers. At Lower Otay Lake there were good counts of 38 Canvasbacks and 2,500 Coots!

Paul Lehman, San Diego

Re: 2 Lapland Longspur’s at Robb Field – very west field

Re: 2 Lapland Longspur’s at Robb Field – very west field

By {authorlink} – 3:25 pm

Minorly interesting addition to the Longspur mystery.

I was at Robb Field and Dusty Rhodes essentially all morning, 9am – 12:45pm (doh!). I checked all the fields, and saw no Longspurs. The only Horned Larks I found were adjacent to the westernmost field where John had them shortly after I left. There weren’t any Longspurs with them around 11:30 or so. I’m assuming these are the same Horned Larks that John saw the Longspurs with, which I believe means the Longspurs aren’t necessarily moving with that flock. The question is, where else are they going when they’re not at Robb Field?

Nick Thorpe
University Heights

2 Lapland Longspur’s at Robb Field – very west field

2 Lapland Longspur’s at Robb Field – very west field

By {authorlink} – 2:22 pm

This afternoon around 12:45 I located two Lapland Longspur’s seen together. So not sure if one of these is a continuing bird or if both are new. They were associating with Horned Larks. Today they were in the very west field near where Jim Pawlicki had one on November 6. Justyn and I had one on the 7th probably the same bird but it was in the fields directly behind the tennis courts, so obviously they move around. Today there was really no activity on the fields so no pressure for them to move. Not sure about tomorrow but I expect on Saturday and probably Sunday the fields will be used for games.

Photos included in my eBird report: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122576773
John Bruin
Bay Park

“glut” explained (White-thr Sparrow), Laplands

“glut” explained (White-thr Sparrow), Laplands

By {authorlink} – 2:21 pm

First off, there is still one Lapland Longspur at the Fiesta Island dog run today, Thursday, and it has an injured foot. Not sure if it is different from either of the previous two birds that were typically there together over the recent many days. Two other Lappies were seen today at Robb Field (fide John Bruin), and whether or not they are partly the same as the one bird present there earlier this month is also unknown. The 2 Snow Geese continue at Robb Field as well.
A couple folks asked me to please define the term “glut” as it relates to White-throated Sparrows. OK, the November 2022 total as of today is a whopping TWENTY birds county-wide, with three more back in October, bringing this fall’s total so far to 23, which is a new all-time record. The previous seasonal record for the county was the 18 birds present just this past winter, 2021-2022. Before that, the single-season high was perhaps 10 birds (Fall 2018).
–Paul Lehman, San Diego

Black-throated Green Warbler, MTRP Kumeyaay Lake

Black-throated Green Warbler, MTRP Kumeyaay Lake
By {authorlink} – 9:48 am

Thursday morning before 7 AM, a Black-throated Green Warbler was seen briefly along the Kumeyaay Lake loop trail at Mission Trails Regional Park.  The specific location was near a tall ash tree, west of the spot where the American Bittern is being seen. Lat/Long: 32.842342/-117.032809.  In addition to the warbler, the American Bittern continues on the floating vegetation at the usual spot, and the Philadelphia Vireo showed up a little before 9 AM and was seen and photographed by many.

Jeremiah Stock
Santee, CA
jeremiahstock278@…