Escondido CBC

The Escondido CBC held on January 2 was the last of the six counts held

in San Diego County.  Participants recorded 155 species with several

additional species still under review.  A number of observers have

previously reported details of rarities that they observed, so at this time

I’ll just list locations of some of the highlights.  These include Common

Loon (Dixon Lake), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (east Ramona), Gray

Flycatcher (one in Pamo Valley, one in the San Pasqual Valley), Pacific-

slope Flycatcher (2 at Kit Carson Park), Green-tailed Towhee (Cloverdale 

Road), Clay-colored Sparrow (east Ramona), Brewer’s Sparrow (east

Ramona),  Yellow-headed Blackbird (30 on Rangeland Road), Bullock’s

Oriole (near the Safari Park), and American Redstart (Kit Carson Park).

We also recorded White-winged Dove for the fifth year in a row with five

noted near the Ramona Airport.

Other birds reported that are typical of this CBC but are generally rare at

coastal sites include Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Zone-tailed and

Ferruginous hawks, Western Screech-Owl, Mountain Bluebird, Bell’s and

Vesper sparrows, Scott’s Oriole, and Lawrence’s Goldfinch.

Ken Weaver

Fallbrook, CA