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Monthly Archives: November 2025

Hot Spots for eBird 1st week of Dec: Monday Dec 1 thru Sunday Dec 7

6:51 pm

Greetings

Sorry for the late post but a crazy day with a Black-throated Green Warbler and a Blue-headed Vireo in Azalea Park. The interesting aspect is that I was only there because a nearby hot spot needed a checklist this week. So filling out the bar charts does bring in some interesting birds sometimes.
So this past week is the first week I believe where all identified hot spots were visited and checklist submitted. Great group accomplishment. Here’s the map and list for this upcoming week starting tomorrow. 6 Hot spots only need a checklist this week and they will have a full bar chart.
Hot Spots:
Birch Aquarium -1
Camino Ruiz Park – 1
Carroll Creek -west (Sorrento Valley Rd. Business parks)
Chollas Creek–Euclid Ave to 54th St
Escondido Creek at El Camino del Norte – 1
Legoland California
Lower Otay Reservoir–east arm pullouts (including North Pt.)
Ocean St. Overlook
Otay Lakes County Park
Paradise Canyon Open Space
Pottery Canyon Natural Park – 1
Rancho La Costa Preserve–Denk Mountain and Copper Canyon
San Diego Bay—northwest – 1
San Diego NWR–Proctor Valley
SDSU Mission Valley River Park
Siempre Viva Rd. pond – 1
Sweetwater County Park–Quarry Trail
Sycamore Canyon County Preserve–Hwy 67 entrance
Torrey Hills Mesa
West Hills Park

John Bruin
Bay Park

Azalea Park “Solitary” Vireo ID

6:12 pm

As has been posted earlier today, in Azalea Park (near where highways 15 and 805 cross) in addition to a briefly seen/photo’d AM Black-thr Green Warbler (John Bruin), a Solitary-type Vireo was present off and on (more off than on) for a bunch of hours in the park as well. Both birds were in the northeast part of the park (bordering a “garden” area) in the AM and again for the vireo mid-day, but then the vireo went MIA for a solid couple hours until being re-found quite a ways lower in the park, beyond the rec center building and kiddie playground–lat-long coordinates for all these sightings given in posts to the listserv earlier today by Bruin and Ruby. I was there for several hours, with a bunch of other folks, finally getting to study the vireo, and I went back and forth on what species I thought it probably was (ditto when looking at the first set of photos) depending on whether the bird is in shade (good head/throat contrast and darker blue-gray head) or in brighter, direct sun (somewhat more washed-out gray head and less contrast). In all cases, there was extensive bright yellow and some olive on the entire sides, and with close inspection it was shown that there is extensive white to the edge of the outer tail feather (visible in good photos on the underside of the tail)–two characters favoring Blue-headed. I then sent multiple series of photos taken by several folks to several vireo experts for additional opinions. Ageing the bird is also important, and so far one authority (Pyle) has aged it as an adult. Three additional folks (Bevier, Dunn, and Marantz) all believe the bird is a BLUE-HEADED VIREO, mostly based on outer tail feather pattern and, secondarily, on the brightness of the sides. Head color and head/throat contrast seems probably to be in the overlap zone between female Blue-headed and male Cassin’s, and, again, can vary depending on the lighting.
–Paul Lehman, San Diego

Vireo at Azalea Community Park

2:02 pm

Michelle refound John’s Vireo at Azalea Community Park.  It’s moving around a lot down past the playground. Paul is here. Still not sure on the ID. This area.

32.73259,-117.10912
No Black-throated Green Warbler so far. 
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Sent from Proton Mail for Android.

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Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Cassin’s/Blue-headed Vireo at Azalea Community Park

12:05 pm

So after Paul has looked at my photos (not the best as the bird was always moving and behind leaves) he says it’s one of those challenging solitary Vireos. A few of the photos seem to indicate Cassin’s and a few others indicate a possible Blue-headed.

So if you are headed out there, see if you can pick up on the Vireo and take lots of photos. When I was there it didn’t vocalize but maybe it will for you.

Again the coordinates are; 32.7327417, -117.1070906

John Bruin
Bay Park

Kentucky and Magnolia warblers, but new behaviors

11:15 am

Both the Kentucky and Magnolia warblers continue on Saturday morning at Paradise Point but both are doing new things. The Kentucky warbler has spent the entire morning still as of 11:00 a.m. along the entrance road mostly on the left side but occasionally on the right side where there is the small center Island in the middle of the roadway just before the first left turn into the first area of bungalows and well before the public parking lots. Very thick here. So it’s been tough to get looks at it for long periods of time and it’s not calling nearly as much as it did the first few days. The Magnolia warbler has made two or three brief appearances also along the entrance road in its usual area near mini golf hole number 13, but it also went well to the west to the eastern edge of the first of the two public parking lots, on the left side Of the entrance road, which is quite a distance away and after being there for a while returned to the mini golf area. But it’s hard to find although it did call a few times. 

Paul Lehman, San Diego 

White-throated Sparrow Sabre Springs, by creek

3:32 pm

Just had a White-throated Sparrow near the start of the Penasquitos Creek trail off of Springhurst Drive in Sabre Springs South. Just east of the Spinghurst Dr bridge along both sides of the trail. It was doing a high pitched vocalization I wasn’t sure about, similar to what Song and White-crowned Sparrows do. Merlin got the ID right and I found it. It was very skulky moving and foraging under bushes and an oak tree. My GPS has been off lately so not providing coordinates. The trailhead is across Springhurst from Creekside Elementary School. 

Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Sent from Proton Mail for Android.

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Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Berry Park (Nestor) male Orchard Oriole, Hammonds, Tennessee, Summer, Western, Bullocks

8:37 am

A very productive hour was spent Friday morning between around 7:15 and 8:15 AM at Berry Park and adjoining properties on Leon Avenue in Nestor. When the dust had settled, there had been an adult male Orchard Oriole, presumably returning from last winter when seen mostly farther east on Leon Avenue later in the season, a Tennessee Warbler, a Hammond’s Flycatcher, a female-plumaged Summer Tanager that is continuing but was also in full song. Plus one female Bullocks Oriole and a Western tanager and a female Vermilion flycatcher. Most birds were in the line of trees that form the east edge of the park and in the melaleucas that are blooming more toward the north side of the park. A number of these birds were quite sneaky and would only be in view for 20 or 30 seconds and then disappear for half an hour.

Paul Lehman, San Diego
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