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Monthly Archives: June 2024

late Western Wood-Pewee, early Common Tern, miscellaneous

7:28 am

On Saturday the 22nd, there’s a calling Western Wood-Pewee in Coronado which is one of the latest records of a spring migrant, although there are a couple comparable late June records from Point Loma way back in the 1980s or 1990s. Conversely, the first one-year-old Common Tern of the season is at one of that species’ favorite hangouts at Emory Cove this morning as well– perhaps a few days early but close to an average arrival date. Still a couple summering Ring-billed Gulls at J Street, but the South San Diego Bay Bonapartes Gull numbers seem to have dropped off to almost nothing. Over the past few days I’ve gone to La Jolla seawatch a couple times and the meager highlight yesterday was what’s probably a new all-time high county summer count of Pelagic Cormorants, with 12 birds counted as they went out to sea one by one.

Paul Lehman, San Diego 

San Diego County Avian Database, 2002-2024, Update

10:15 am

For the past five years I have been working on
a “San Diego County Avian Database 2002-2024.” With baseline
assistance provided by Guy McCaskie and Phil Unitt, and also with input from
many additional San Diego County birders, past and present, the latest version
of this missive has now been posted on-line. This updated database includes
avian records from late 2002 to mid-June 2024—essentially since the
pre-publication cut-off date of records for the San Diego County Bird Atlas
by Philip Unitt (2004). Also included are many pre-2002 records of interest not
found in, or data-corrected from, Unitt (2004) and Unitt (1984; The Birds of
San Diego County). The data include those involving rarities, unseasonal
records, high counts, early and late dates, specimens of interest, range
expansions and contractions, and some other significant population trends. Each
species entry is divided into four principal “sub-regions” of the
county—coast, inland, mountains, and desert–and these sub-regions are further
sub-divided into three seasons—migration, winter, and summer/breeding.

With much-appreciated assistance provided by Jane Mygatt and Natalie
Shapiro, the latest version of the database has been posted in a WORD version
on the Buena Vista Audubon Society website:

https://bvaudubon.org/birding-resources/

Once on the site’s Birding Resources page, you should be able to easily view
and download the document. Once downloaded, it should be SEARCHABLE, for ease
of finding particular species, observer names, locations, or whatever.
(Alongside the database on this website page there is also an electronic
version of the San Diego County Bird Atlas.)

I plan to continuously update this database, and to post updated versions
approximately every six months. If anyone is interested in the most current
version at any time between those intervals, feel free to contact me privately.

And please do let me know about any errors or omissions you might find. No
correction is too minor!

–Paul Lehman, San Diego

Re: Worm-eating Warbler at San Felipe Valley Wildlife Area

10:12 am

Hi,

Don’t know if I’ll go out there, but looked to see what day use pass
would be needed, and thought I’d share what I found. The area is run
by California Department of Fish and Wildlife and at least in my
experience the state’s web sites tend to be a confusing, convoluted
mess. This was no exception. I finally navigated to this page where
a day use Lands Pass, which is what it appears is needed,  can be
purchased online:

https://www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales/Sales/ItemSelection

Some passes requiring creating an account. Supposedly this doesn’t.

Here is the main page for the area, which does not mention the
required Lands Pass:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/San-Felipe-Valley-WA

This page is about Lands Passes, and has a link to a document
listing properties that require it. San Felipe Valley Wildlife Area
is listed:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Lands-Pass

Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

On 6/19/2024 9:14 AM, Steve Lima wrote:

Worm-eating Warbler at San Felipe Valley Wildlife Area

9:14 am

I was stunned to find this bird at about 33.157886,-116.556328, at the far southwestern end of the causeway across the riparian zone. I first heard an oddly familiar chip call which I did not immediately recognize. I finally found the bird in a small bush and managed to pish it into the open (briefly) for a few usable photos. It was present near me (audible) or in view, from 8:32 to about 8:38.

I have no idea whether this bird can be found again. I have lost track of it at present. I will note that this wildlife area technically is a fee area, and one can purchase single day passes online.

Steve Lima

Rancho Bernardo 

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