North County miscellanea (Redstart, Hood Oriole, R-n Grebe)

A more complete report summarizing the Oceanside/Carlsbad CBC held yesterday, 30 Dec, is undoubtedly on its way from the compilers, but I thought I would mention just a few birds here in more detail:

The female American Redstart has returned for its third winter to Chase Field in Carlsbad, which is simply a set of ball fields just west of I-5 between Tamarack Ave. and Carlsbad Village Drive. The bird frequents the fringing trees (e.g., carrotwoods) bordering the outfields, and yesterday it was at the southwest corner of the fields, near the two cement picnic benches. A female Hooded Oriole was at the Omni La Costa Resort, which is actually the SOLE Hooded/Orchard type oriole reported in the entire county this month. And the boat party on the count (Dave Povey et al.) found a Red-necked Grebe in a flock of Western Grebes approximately a mile south of the Oceanside Pier. Given that the Agua Hedionda bird disappeared after early December, it is quite possible that this is the same individual which has relocated to this new location back to the north.

–Paul Lehman, San Diego