Lower Ballona Creek - arrivals

First of fall Pelagic Cormorant (rocks along creek) and Ring-billed Gull (Del Rey Lagoon) today. Pretty windy and cool out there, at least right along coast.

A couple days ago I had 6 Rose-ringed Parakeets wheeling around over Playa del Rey in front of Gordon's Market, where they've nested in the past.

L.A. State Historical Park (aka "Cornfields")

Brief stop here late yesterday afternoon produced a streaky juv. Chipping Sparrow (probably uncommon along LA River) and 6 Savannah Sparrows. A Band-tailed Pigeon flew north overhead. Weedy field here is pretty sparse, but could be productive later this fall.

Swainson's Thrushes back!

After their 1-day stay back in May, two Swainson's Thrushes were giving their "whrreee?" calls from the Ficus trees on the patio late this afternoon. Totally invisible though; hopefully they'll come down for a drink in the birdbath/fish pond tomorrow morning.

Malibu Lagoon

Did a quick walk at Malibu Lagoon at midday today. The overcast skies and sprinkles of rain made for excellent migrant conditions, with several Wilson's Warblers and single Bullock's Oriole and Ash-throated Flycatcher in the scrub along the lagoon edge, and many more spp. calling from the riparian scrub. Bird numbers were similar to those posted by Kimball Garrett to LACoBirds, with the addition of a worn Bonaparte's Gull.

Cooper's Hawk in front yard

The yardlist ticked upward today with a Cooper's Hawk swooping up into the sycamore/plane tree in the front yard of the building today. It was clutching what appeared to be a mockingbird (missing a head). A warbler - probably a Yellow - was giving light flight calls overhead.

Butterflies (western tiger-swallowtail, Gulf frittilary, skipper sp.) still at the Bougainvillea next to the back patio, but birdlife still sparse, with hummingbirds, House Sparrows and the occasional Bushtit flock and Mourning Dove the only birds.

Lower Ballona Creek

Took a late afternoon walk out the middle jetty at the mouth of Ballona Creek yesterday. Most surprising thing was a basic-plumage/1st-year Black Tern that called as it flew overhead to the south. This is the 3rd record this month so far (possibly pertaining to the same bird, all in similar plumage). This is the first year since 1980 this species has turned up at Ballona. Historical accounts mention large flocks in midsummer, apparently post-breeding concentrations similar to what occur now at the Salton Sea.

Notable observations yesterday include a large number of summering Western (c. 30) and Clark's (4) grebes at the mouth of the channel, between the ends of the jetties. These birds have apparently been here all summer, along with 20+ Surf Scoters (according to Kevin Larson).

Shorebirds included about 4 Black Oystercatchers flying from jetty to jetty and calling, a single Wandering Tattler, and a handful of Surfbirds and turnstones (both). I walked upstream along the channel a bit, and found little groups of Willets and godwits, but more were probably farther upstream. A few dozen Black-bellied Plovers were flying high upstream, probably roosting up there.

At last 200 Elegant Terns were wheeling out by the main breakwater, incl. dozens perched atop the breakwater with the pelicans (several hundred) and gulls. Just two cormorants, both Double-crested. Three Caspian Terns (2 adults and a calling juv.) were the only other terns - the Leasts have apparently left - and Forster's are so irregular now at Playa del Rey that I didn't expect to see any.

Del Rey Lagoon was, fortunately, draining (unlike my July visit), and there were a few shorebirds and nothing that interesting. No waders (the tide probably has to be lower).

Eurasian Collared-Dove in L.A.

There was an ECD sitting on a wire above the eastboard I-10 onramp at Robertson Blvd. in West L.A. this morning. I went right under it and could see the undertail pattern (big white spots on the retrices, darkish band closer in toward vent, pale grayish plumage).

Elsewhere in L.A., I've seen this species a couple times in 2005 at the Ballona Wetlands and in Highland Park (in with a few Spotted Doves), and there have been a few seen with Spotted Doves southeast of downtown, but we're still awaiting the real invasion.

Yard list correction, pt. II

I left off Bushtit. A little group is resident in the vegetation around the buildings. I'm waiting to see if some warblers join them later in the season.

The Orange-crowned Warbler from Saturday didn't stick around.

Parrots helping parrots

A couple days ago (8/12), I saw a small (8) group of Red-crowned Parrots in South Pasadena that included an adult feeding a begging juvenile. I imagine they don't nest in the area, but just move around the area with semi-dependent young. These were near the Mission St. Gold Line station toward the library park.

Out at the Puente Hills this morning, migrants are just starting to come through. There were small numbers of warblers (Nashville, Orange-crowned, Yellow, 1 MacGillivray's) along Skyline Trail west of Hacienda Blvd., and a couple Black-headed Grosbeak and a Western Tanager in the same area. These birds seem to favor vegetation along ridges in spring, and they were certainly concentrated up at the ridge in this area.

1st fall migrant passerine: Orange-crowned Warbler!

Heard chipping this afternoon in the trees in front of the apt...

Nuttall's Woodpecker

I was surprised to hear the whinny call of a Nuttall's Woodpecker outside my apt. yesterday afternoon. I'd heard a distant call a couple days ago that I thought was this species, but given how few birds actually live in the area, I couldn't believe it.

But there it was, working the dead upper limbs of a London plane tree. We'll see if it sticks around.

There was a family of Black Phoebe on the block as well, and one was calling from the side of the building in the middle of the night two nights ago.

Other nature in the patio includes two species of dragonflies a few days ago, a glider (Pantala sp.) and a black saddlebags (Tramea lacerata). They were flying above the bougainvillea, which was filled with insects. A small, orange-winged Pepsis wasp cruised by the flowers yesterday afternoon, the first I've seen in the neighborhood.

Ballona Freshwater Marsh

Took a brief walk around the marsh today (Lincoln Ave. @ Jefferson Blvd.). It was late morning, so pretty slow and warm.

There were c. 20 Snowy Egrets fishing in the shallow area of cut cattails, mainly at the far west end. Only notable bird was a female/imm. American Goldfinch that flew in, calling near the Jefferson inlet. An Ash-throated Flycatcher was the only paserine migrant.

There were several dozen Mallards, mostly in the southern extension pond - they're coming in as post-breeders this week, and their numbers should keep increasing for a few more weeks.

The biggest surprise was on the way down La Brea, where 4 Band-tailed Pigeons were perched on streetlights just south of Rodeo Dr. - the 1st I've seen them in the Baldwin Hills.

These pigeons seem particularly common this summer, probably because of the huge crop of Mexican Elderberry - they're all over the Whittier Hills, and I even had a bird tee-ed up on an elderberry along the Rio Hondo just south of the 60 Fwy. a couple weeks ago (they're scarce normally in the Whittier Narrows area).

Whittier peregrine

Doing site visits in the Whittier hills yesterday, I was surprised to see a first-year Peregrine Falcon circling over the Hellman Park trailhead. Thickly-streaked below. Lots of Black-headed Grosbeaks calling here and there, probably local birds dispersing.

Rufous-type hummingbirds (2-3) still on the patio.

Yard list correction

Substitute "Anna's Hummingbird" for House Finch - I still need House Finch for the yard - there's almost always an Anna's out back.

1st fall migrant

Two Selasphorus hummingbirds appeared at the bouganvillea this afternoon. The call notes sounded shorter and more clipped than the usual Allen's in the neighborhood (which have yet to visit the "yard" - maybe the first migrant Rufous??

Yard list currently stands at 5:

Mourning Dove
Rufous-type Hummingbird
Swainson's Thrush (2 singing one day in late May, night-roosting in large ficus trees!)
House Finch
House Sparrow