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