Semipalmated Sandpiper, mountain miscellanea

On Weds the 6th, there was a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (alternate adult, of course) on South San Diego Bay, slightly surprisingly only the second spring record ever for the county. In other recent coastal news, 3 Cattle Egrets remained in the Tijuana River Valley through 5 May, and there was a Gray Flycatcher hanging around on Mount Soledad on 2-3 May. Still a few Red-breasted Nuthatches hanging around, mostly on Point Loma. The dominant passerine migrants the past few days have been Yellow and Wilson's Warblers, Warbling Vireos, and Western Tanagers, with also fair numbers of Townsend's Warblers.

For those venturing up the mountains for Whip-looking, or other reasons, there were still a few scattered Red Crossbills seen or heard yesterday (5th) at several sites along Sunshine Highway, including Mile 19, the top end of kitchen Creek Road, and the wooded Hill area. The breeding site for Purple Martins north of Mount Laguna had 8 birds (5 males, 3 females) yesterday. It is just a half mile north of the turnoff for Pine Creek Road (the Whip spot), on the west side of Sunshine Hwy is a wooded platform with currently blank information signs. The birds come and go, off an on, during the day, overhead and anywhere in the sky, and there appears to be at least one pair investigating a cavity in a large dead pine well to the west.

–Paul Lehman, San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports