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Monthly Archives: March 2025

Hot Spots – First week of April – Tuesday April 1 – Monday April 7

1:19 pm

Greeting

Finishing up a pretty good week. 21 out of 25 Hot Spots were visited and checklists submitted. 
This coming week is another light week, but has locations located throughout the county. A great week to visit a new Hot Spot.
For the week:
Agua Hedionda Lagoon–east end
Buena Vista Lagoon–west basin
Cardiff SB – lagoon mouth
Collier Park (Ramona)
Dinwiddie Preserve, Fallbrook
H street Viewpoint
La Jolla Farms Rd. Tipus
Lawrence Welk Village
Little Italy (San Diego)
Los Penasquitos Ranch House
Mission Trails Regional Park–Cowles Mtn Trail
North El Portal Seawatch
Ocean St. Overlook
Questhaven Road Nature Trail
San Carlos Community Park
San Diego Bay–bait barges
San Dieguito Reservoir
San Felipe Valley Wildlife Area–North
San Onofre Creek mouth
Sweetwater County Park–Quarry Trail
Tide Beach Park
Tijuana River Valley–campground
Upper Nine Mile Bank (SD Co.)

Map showing their location: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1YFjXigVK4KxjQq8ertHslh9aKBPelmg&usp=sharing
Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

John Bruin
Bay Park

Dave Povey memorial services onshore and offshore

10:15 am

An onshore memorial service for Dave Povey will be held on Monday, April 28, at Glen Abby Cemetery in Bonita from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM at the Chapel of the Roses. Following the ceremony, there will be a motorcade north to Miramar National Cemetery for military honors committal services for 30 minutes starting at 1:30 PM. A website will soon be set up by Glen Abby where, among other things, people can post their photos of Dave. We do not yet know the web address.
In addition, all birding and other friends of Dave are invited on a 2-3/4-hour offshore memorial boat trip aboard “Legacy” from Seaforth Sportfishing at Mission Bay on Sunday, April 13. The trip will depart at 6:45 AM and return at 9:30 AM. This trip is very generously being offered gratis to all by Dustin Hackman and Seaforth Sportfishing, in recognition of Dave’s longtime working relationship and friendship with the Seaforth staff. During this trip, some of Dave’s ashes will be spread, and we will bring a large supply of popcorn which we will invite each attendee to, in a private moment, take a handful and toss off the stern, as Dave did for decades.
 
We must promptly be back at the dock as scheduled so that Legacy may go out on its scheduled 10 AM whale-watch trip. As such, our 6:45 AM departure time will be prompt. Please arrive at the dock no later than 6:15 AM to sign the manifest, get organized, and hear a very short logistical briefing before boarding. And yes, of course bring your binoculars and camera. Dave would want it that way. We hope to get offshore about six miles to the 100 fathom drop-off, perhaps slightly farther. And while this is not an organized pelagic trip, we will certainly call out all interesting species seen. The fact that this trip is only 2-3/4 hours long we hope will entice Dave’s landlubber friends to attend as well. If you have any questions about this memorial boat trip, please contact Paul Lehman or Bruce Rideout privately. The dock’s location (1717 Quivira Road), parking, and boat are all the same as for our usual pelagic trips.
Legacy is a large boat with a large passenger load. But given that we do not know exactly how many people will attend, we wish to keep attendees to those who knew Dave at any level, or knew of and appreciated his many selfless contributions. He will indeed be sorely missed.
Dave’s immediate family and loved one’s ask that in lieu of flowers they encourage that donations be made to a scholarship fund that will be established in Dave’s name to allow young people to go on some of our pelagic trips. Details will be provided in the future, when known.
We hope to see you at one or both of these events.
–Paul Lehman, Bruce Rideout, and Dave Povey’s family, San Diego
 

Jacumba, Sweetwater, black-and-white oystercatcher

1:41 pm

This morning, March 29, at La Jolla seawatch, I again saw the black-and-white oystercatcher present off-and-on since at least January 19 (eBird). Today I gave it a “Jehl Score” of 30, the minimum for a countable American, which is the same score I gave it when I last saw it here back on February 25; but when we all rated it based on a series of excellent photos during Rick Grove’s presentation for SDFO earlier this month I gave it only a 28–worthy of hybrid status. It flew in from the south a little before 9AM with a group of 6 Blacks (in addition to the resident pair of Blacks that doesn’t leave the general area), remained for about 15 minutes, and then they flew back south. Over near Goldfinch Point, the incubating Pelagic Cormorant nesting pair initially found by Matt Sadowski continues (the overdue first documented nesting record for San Diego County).
Yesterday, there was a flock of 9 Surf Scoters at Sweetwater Reservoir, which almost certainly represent overland migrants from the Gulf of California heading west toward the coast. And indeed, after being present for an hour, they got up and flew west. Also a spring migrant Greater Scaup. Also had an overland migrant Common Loon at Lake Morena on the 27th, where Margaret Brown had a migrant flock of Brant (from the Gulf of California) on the 28th.
On March 27, a visit to Jacumba found Harris’s Hawks building a nest at a new site different from last year’s location. Also a pair of American Crows building a nest, the first record of nesting there (a bit east of normal). Also a returning Least Bittern, and the usual colony of Tricolored Blackbirds numbered about 70 birds. A wintering Golden-crowned Sparrow continues and is slightly east of normal.
Paul Lehman, San Diego

Short-billed Gull at San Dieguito Sports Fields

12:52 pm

There is a very faded Short-billed Gull spotted by Michelle H in the field area of the sports fields. They are laying new sod, and rototilling the soil. Gulls are following the tractor around.

We also briefly had a Solitary Sandpiper in the ponds, but never refound it.

Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Sent from Proton Mail Android

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Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Black-and-White Warbler Silvergate neighborhood in alley between Dudley and Warner, Weds 26 Mar

3:35 pm

A small group of us saw  this female B&W Warbler first along the western part of the alley between Dudley and Warner at this location 32°43’00.7″N 117°14’46.9″W around 8:30 am  today 3/26.  It then moved eastward at least to half way along the alley before we lost sight of it, watching it climb along tree trunks and branches and along a long fence line looking for insects and possibly spiders. It was a female type, possibly first winter. Boldly black and white striped with white throat, whitish cheeks, and white tertial bar.  I think this is probably a different bird than found earlier this month near Famosa Slough, and it did not vocalize. 

 Best Spring Birding to all,    Sue
Susan Smith 
Seiurus Biological Consulting

Del Mar, CA 
seiurus@…

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Susan Smith
Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA

Swainson’s Hawk Migration in Borrego Springs

8:06 pm

Today, March 24 over 200 Swainson’s Hawks migrated north. This evening at least 125 or more hawks descended into two locations. For assistance in finding the best observation spot come to the day count site 2.8 north of Palm Canyon Drive on DiGiorgio Rd for instructions. The hawks will kettle up and migrate between 8:30 and 10am with a very light breeze. It will be in the upper 90’s tomorrow!
Hal Cohen
Borrego Springs

Re: Sad news – Dave Povey

5:06 pm

I am so sorry, Bruce and Paul, and others, at the loss of your longtime friend and our fellow birder, Dave. He was such a wonderful person and so generous with his time and knowledge. It won’t be the same going on a pelagic trip without him there. Please keep us informed as to remembrances.

Martha Wild

Sad news – Dave Povey

4:53 pm

Dave Povey passed away peacefully at 2:30 PM today, surrounded by his loved ones. Needless to say, those of us who were close to him are devastated. We don’t have word yet on plans for a memorial service or how to send condolences, but we will pass along any information as it becomes available. We will also be planning some kind of remembrance within the birding community and we’ll share those details in the coming days. Take a moment to remember Dave, it’s hard to imagine a nicer guy or a better friend.

Bruce Rideout and Paul Lehman
San Diego

New? Summer Tanager in Solana Beach

11:23 am

Adult male in tall trees along edge of golf course at the end of Camino Santa Barbara, off Sun Valley Rd. Maybe someone needs for 5MR.  No pkg along this short neighborhood street except for two spaces at north end, but if full you can park along Sun Valley. 
    Location:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=33.00179616,-117.2412477

 
Sue Smith
Del Mar, CA

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

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Susan Smith
Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA

Swainson’s Hawks in Borrego Valley

8:01 pm

Today, Sunday March 23, 222 Swainson’s migrated from Borrego Springs This evening between 150-200 Swainson’s Hawks arrived late in the evening. Tomorrow, Monday with a light wind the hawks will kettle up between 9-10am. Check in at the count site 2.8 miles north of Palm Canyon Drive on DiGiorgio Rd for the location of the hawks. Today we captured and banded 3 hawks and added radio telemetry to 2 of them. We’ll be tracking them as they migrate north. We are now approaching 2,000 migrant hawks. 
Hal Cohen
Borrego Springs
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