Painted/Lazuli Bunting non-report
Headed down to the Dairy Mart Ponds to check out the overgrown southernmost pond and general area. I saw tons of Scaly Breasted Munia, Lesser Goldfinch, more than 1 Cooper's hawk, a Juvenile Peregrine falcon, house finches, red-winged blackbirds, Western Kingbirds, Allen's and Anna's Hummingbirds but no Buntings of any kind. There were constant Cooper's / Peregrine flyovers of the area, and a Cooper's perched in the middle most of the time..that may have kept a lot of birds in the brush.
I was really hoping to see a male Lazuli, I still don't have a photo of a male Lazuli Bunting in 2018, and I've seen the Indigo Bunting near Lake Cuyamaca and even went to the Tucson area, yet to see a single Lazuli this year.
I then went to the community gardens. I didn't see any sort of buntings there either. I didn't arrive until 10 AM or so, so I was a bit late. It was pretty active with Lesser Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, the greater roadrunner was up on the fences, many Western Kingbirds, an Ash-Throated Flycatcher and Blue Grosbeaks (female types).
I ended the morning in the ballfields off sunset where I saw a male Vermilion and a Juvenile both actively hunting in the eastern ballfields. The Male in the eastern most and in the center yellow flowering trees, the immature in the next field west of him.
Lots of activity but no rare birds.
-Roger Uzun
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports