Bank Swallows, misc., Purple Martin follow-up

Today there were still 4 Bank Swallows around. Birds continue on the salt works power lines near the pump shack, well east of the end of 13th Street, for a couple weeks now, with a new high of 3 seen today (N. Christensen, D. Jehl), plus I had another one today at Sunset X Hollister with Barns and Trees. It has been a good fall for Banks in the county, and this is starting to get a bit late for them. The cooler overcast weather this morning made swallow watching better. The South Bay/TRV total of Barn Swallows today was around 300. Also the west Otay Mesa Blackpoll Warbler from 7 Oct continues today as well (fide NC), as do the Lucy's Warbler and Plumbeous Vireo since 3 Oct in the Lincoln Park section of San Diego. Yet two more new Vermilion Flycatchers mid-day today brings the coastal total in the county this fall to at least TWENTY birds. Doyle Park continues to host the long-staying Dickcissel and continuing Palm Warbler and Clay-colored Sparrow (fide B. Carlson).

As a follow-up to the record showing this fall of migrant Purple Martins in much of Southern California, especially in San Diego County, possibly correlated somehow has been the recent appearance of several martins in Alaska, where the species is normally just a casual late-spring/early-summer overshoot. Perhaps some sort of West Coast bumper crop of young birds?

–Paul Lehman, San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports