miscellanea and Mount Soledad morning flight

The wintering Little Stint was still present today, April 29, just east of the middle of Pond 23 (off 11th) at the Salt Works, on the little salt-mud islands. At the limit of identifiability from the public edge. The latest this bird has ever remained in spring is 4 May (2021). The April total of migrant Purple Martins in the county now stands at 15, a very good total–likely at least partly the result of the fair amount of cool, inclement weather. Same reason it’s been a very good month for Vaux’s Swifts. Lazuli Buntings have been plentiful the past 10-14 days, highlighted by a SINGLE feeder in Ramona hosting 56+ birds yesterday (photo’d by feeder owner).

The weather looked promising today for a reasonable morning flight at Mount Soledad in La Jolla, where it had been pretty slow up until now due to mostly incorrect weather and relatively low number of migrants in general (until the past week). Three observers (Mulholland, Herzfeld, Lehman) were treated to a good (though not exceptional) flight from around 6-9AM, peak numbers between 6:30-8:15. Migrant totals were as follows:

218 Vaux’s Swift

1 Hammond’s Flycatcher

4 Western Flycatcher  (in mediocre numbers so far this spring)

19 Western Kingbird

19 Warbling Vireo

3 N. Rough-winged Swallow

10 Barn Swallow

10 Cliff Swallow

1 Swainson’s Thrush

40 Cedar Waxwing

11 Phainopepla  (single flock heading north–likely dispersers from well inland)

1 Chipping Sparrow

2 White-crowned Sparrow

2 Golden-crowned Sparrow

7 Hooded Oriole

3 Bullock’s Oriole

6 Orange-crowned Warbler

3 Yellow Warbler

5 Yellow-rumped Warbler

10 Black-thr. Gray Warbler

14 Townsend’s Warbler

8 Hermit Warbler

51 Wilson’s Warbler

7 Western Tanager

4 Black-headed Grosbeak

63 Lazuli Bunting

–Paul Lehman, San Diego