Southern California Spring 2025

Sub-regional Compilers

David M. Compton (Santa Barbara), Sammy Cowell (Ventura), Tom M. Edell (San Luis Obispo), Kimball L. Garrett (Los Angeles), Kelli K. Heindel (Kern), Chris B. and Rosie Howard (Inyo), Alexander E. Koonce (San Bernardino), Guy McCaskie (San Diego and Imperial), David Rankin (Riverside), Larry Sansone (photo editor), Justyn T. Stahl (San Clemente Island), Ryan S. Winkleman (Orange).

Abbreviations: N.E.S.S. (north end of the Salton Sea, Riverside); S.E.S.S. (south end of the Salton Sea, Imperial). Museum collections abbreviated in the text are: LACM (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) and SDNHM (San Diego Natural History Museum). 

Because most rarities in s. California are seen by multiple observers, only the observer(s) initially finding and/or identifying the bird are included. Documentation for species on the California Bird Records Committee (C.B.R.C.) review list (see www.californiabirds.org) is forwarded to the C.B.R.C. and archived at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology in Camarillo. The symbol # indicates that a specimen has been deposited in the indicated collection.

Waterfowl through Grebes

Forty Brant near Calipatria, Imperial Co 12 Apr (Justyn T. Stahl), 25 on the southwest corner of the Salton Sea 23 Apr (Jim Tietz), 234 at N.E.S.S. (Whitewater River mouth) 29 Mar (Loren Wright), 180 at N.E.S.S. (Whitewater River mouth) 25 Apr (Ron Hirst), 11 at N.E.S.S. (84^th Ave) 23 Apr (Robert L. McKernan), eight on Lake Morena, San Diego Co 28 Mar–2 Apr (Margaret Brown), 11 on Lake Elsinore, Riverside Co 13 Mar (Julie Szabo), and one on Quail Lake, Los Angeles Co 22 Mar–2 Apr (Kevin Bock) are all believed to be birds that wintered in the Gulf of California migrating northward overland to the Pacific, but “downed” by inclement weather.

A Mexican Duck was reported from Rancho Jurupa Park near Riverside, Riverside Co 27–28 Mar (Kathryn McGiffen). A Eurasian Green-winged Teal, rare in Southern California, was on Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo Co 3 Mar–5 Apr (Jim S. Royer). A Surf Scoter at N.E.S.S. (North Shore) 5 Mar (Robert L. McKernan), another at Agua Caliente Park in the Amza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego Co 22 Mar (Christina Kidd), nine on Sweetwater Reservoir, San Diego Co 28 Mar (Paul E. Lehman), and 110 on Lake Elsinore, Riverside Co 13 Mar (Julie Szabo) were believed to have wintered in the Gulf of California, and “downed” by inclement weather when migrating northward. A Long-tailed Duck at the S.E.S.S. (Hazard Unit) 22 Mar (Jeremiah Stock) was inland where rare; one at Cabrillo Beach, Los Angeles Co 12 Apr (Merryl Edelstein) was the latest staying of the nine known wintering along the coast.

Single Red-necked Grebes were well inland on Big Bear Lake, San Bernardino Co 21 Apr (Alla Shumko) and at Tinemaha Reservoir, Inyo Co 22 Apr (Eric A. Smith Jr).

Doves through Hummingbirds

A White-winged Dove in San Simeon, San Luis Obispo Co 14 May (W. Fran) was the northernmost of the 13 reported along the coast.

Single northbound Black Swifts at Mission Trails Regional Park and south San Diego Bay, San Diego Co on the early date of 28 Apr (Nathan Goldberg and Geoff Veith) were followed by close to 200 along the coast 7 May–5 Jun that included 113 counted over Refugio Canyon, Santa Barbara Co on 13 May (Nick Lethaby). A Vaux’s Swift over Lake Los Carneros Park, Santa Barbara Co 4 Mar (Steve Colwell) was either an exceptionally early spring migrant or a bird that had wintered locally undetected; a count of 4060 Vaux’s Swifts going to roost in downtown San Diego 19 Apr (Lesley Handa) was impressive.

A male Allen’s Hummingbird photographed in Vallecito, San Diego Co 11 Mar (Britta Lee Shain) and another near El Centro, Imperial Co 27 Mar (Kenneth Z. Kurland) were two of a very few ever documented in the southeastern part of California east of the mountains. A Broad-tailed Hummingbird at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, San Bernardino Co 15–18 May (Jon Fisher) was a little to the west of the species’ range. A female Broad-billed Hummingbird frequented a feeder in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo Co 7–16 Mar (Christine M. Hogue).

Cranes through Sandpipers

A Sandhill Crane over Bishop, Inyo Co 25 Apr (Chris B. Howard) was unexpected.

The American Oystercatcher first seen at Dana Point, Orange Co 28 Oct remained through 13 Mar (Tyler Greenly).

An American Golden-Plover, a scarce migrant in Southern California, remained at the Ventura River Estuary, Ventura Co 30 Apr–3 May (Adrian Hinkle). A Pacific Golden-Plover on south San Diego Bay (saltworks) 14 Apr (Beverly Reynolds) was the latest of the wintering birds along the coast; one photographed on San Diego Bay (Delta Beach) 21–23 Apr (Bridget Spencer) was believed to be a spring migrant.

An Upland Sandpiper, a casual stray to California, was in the open grassland east of Lake Henshaw, San Diego Co 13 May (Philip Unitt). The number of migrant Red Knots at the Salton Sea was far below counts in recent years (Robert L. McKernan). A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper photographed at the S.E.S.S. (Garst Road) 5 May (Jodhan Fine) is one of a very few ever during spring in California, and only the second in Imperial Co. The number of migrant Sanderlings at the Salton Sea peaked at 102 on 15 May (Robert L. McKernan); however, one in Boron, Kern Co 25 Apr (Steve N. Ritt) and another on Owens Lake, Inyo Co 22 Apr (Barbara J. Kelley) were the only two reported inland away from the Salton Sea. A Baird’s Sandpiper, very rare in spring, was at Malibu Lagoon, Los Angeles Co 6 Apr (Femi Faminu). The wintering Little Stint on south San Diego Bay was last reported on 29 Apr (Matt Sadowski).

The wintering Solitary Sandpiper in Long Beach remained through 23 Apr (Becky Turley) and the one at Hansen Dam, Los Angeles Co remained through 13 Apr (Nathan Barkley). At least 36 migrant Solitary Sandpipers were reported from locations scattered throughout the Region between 27 Mar and 4 May.

Murrelets through Tropicbirds

A Guadalupe Murrelet was over the Continental Shelf west of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra). A Craveri’s Murrelet over the 10-Mile Bank off San Diego 24 Mar was early to be on California’s oceanic waters. A Tufted Puffin, rare off Southern California, was 6.6 km off Morro Bay 9 Apr (Tom Knight) and another farther south was photographed 8 km west of La Jolla, San Diego Co 1 Mar (Manolo Mendieta).

An impressive 160 Sabine’s Gulls were encountered off Orange Co 3 May (Thomas A. Benson). A Laughing Gull in Oceano, San Luis Obispo Co 12 Mar–22 Apr (Kevin J. Zimmer) and another at Bataquitos Lagoon, San Diego Co 21 Apr (Jimmy McMorran) were the only two reported from along the coast. Only 44 Franklin’s Gulls were reported, with twelve on the coast and the rest in the eastern half of the Region. An adult Heermann’s Gull at the IID Wetlands near Niland, Imperial Co 18 Mar (Dan Stoebel) was well inland, where very rare. A badly worn Short-billed Gull inland on Lake Elsinore, Riverside Co 25 May (Charity Hagen) was likely summering locally. A Yellow-footed Gull, casual to accidental anywhere in California away from the Salton Sink, was photographed in La Jolla, San Diego Co 1 Apr (Charley Herzfeld). A first-cycle Vega Gull, recently split by the A.O.S. from the Herring Gull, was along the Los Angeles River in Cudahy, Los Angeles Co 26 Mar–2 Apr (Chris A. Dean). A Lesser Black-backed Gull was at Mystic Lake, Riverside Co 4 Mar (Bob Packard).

Eight Elegant Terns on south San Diego Bay 22 Feb (Bob Packard) established the earliest date ever for the arrival of the spring migrants/summering birds in California. Two Least Terns at S.E.S.S. (Morton Bay) 23 Apr (Guy McCaskie), one there 13 May (Chuck Dresel), another at Piute Ponds, Los Angeles Co 13 May (Chris A. Dean) and one at the Mojave Narrows Regional Park, San Bernardino Co 20 May (Bryan Baker) were all far inland where very rare. A Black Skimmer at Lake Elsinore, Riverside Co 22 May (Greg Cross) was unexpected.

Two Red-billed Tropicbirds over the Continental Shelf southwest of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra) were in an area where believed regular, and one was farther north about 90 km off southern San Luis Obispo Co 1 May (Curtis A. Marantz): one found dying on the beach in Coronado, San Diego Co 16 Apr (Christina Wolf) was taken to a rehab facility.

Albatrosses through Shearwaters

A Chatham Albatross, normally confined to the southern Pacific well south of the equator, was photographed over the Tanner Bank far off Ventura Co 25 Mar (Richard Yoder); remarkably, this is the second off California and North America, the other photographed over the Bodega Canyon northwest of Point Reyes, Marin Co 27 Jul 2001. An impressive 31 Laysan Albatross were counted over the Continental Shelf west of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra). A Short-tailed Albatross, an endangered species with increasing numbers being reported off California, was southwest of San Miguel Island 7 May (fide David M. Compton).

At least three Townsend’s Storm-Petrels were identified southwest of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra). A storm-petrel thought possibly to be an Ainley’s Storm-Petrel based on the condition of molt and feather wear, was photographed southwest of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra); although there is only one California Bird Records Committee endorsed record of this cryptic storm-petrel off California, tracking individuals fitted with GPS loggers suggests small numbers may be of annual occurrence well off Southern California, at least during the nesting season. A Least Storm-Petrel over the Continental Shelf southwest of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra) was much earlier in the year than previously recorded.

Two Hawaiian Petrels over the Continental Shelf southwest of San Clemente Island 10 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra) were probably only the fourth and fifth reported over Los Angeles Co oceanic waters; one about 80 km off San Luis Obispo Co 4 May (Ben Lucking) and four more well off Santa Barbara Co between 27 Apr and 4 May (Brian E. Daniels, Joseph Trezza, Ed Corey) were in an area where small numbers are probably regular.

A Cory’s Shearwater photographed over the Santa Barbara Channel off Ventura 18 May (Dave Pereksta) was only the fifth known off California. A Short-tailed Shearwater photographed 6 km off Camp Pendleton, San Diego Co 12 May (eBird) was much later than expected. A Flesh-footed Shearwater, rare over Southern California’s oceanic waters, was photographed 5 km off Camp Pendleton 12 May (eBird). A Manx Shearwater at Point La Jolla, San Diego Co 18 May (Paul E. Lehman) was the only one reported this spring.

Storks through Herons

The long staying and widely wandering Wood Stork was in the Riverside Co portion of the Prado Basin 17 Mar–7 Apr (James E. Pike).

A Neotropic Cormorant in California City 15 Apr–31 May+ (Kelli K. Heindel) was the first in the Kern Co desert region; however two during the winter farther north, and east of the Sierras, remained in Bishop, Inyo Co through 24 Apr (Janet Carle); this species is now regular in small numbers in the southern San Joaquin Valley and along the coast into Ventura County.

A Little Blue Heron on the lower Santa Ana River, Orange Co 1 Dec–6 Apr (James E. Pike) was the only one reported away from coastal southern San Diego Co. Two wintering Tricolored Herons remained at the mouth of the San Diego River through 31 May (m.ob.). A Glossy Ibis, rare in California, was photographed in the Riverside Co portion of the Prado Basin 30 Apr (James E. Pike).

Vultures through Falcons

A Black Vulture photographed at a dairy 12 km north-northwest of Seeley 1 May (Marty Lewis) was the first in Imperial Co and the Salton Sink.

A Swallow-tailed Kite at Birdsong Ranch south of Ojai, Ventura Co late in the day on 25 Apr (Joel Mulder) was relocated there on 26 Apr (Sammy Cowell), after which it drifted south along Milling Road, and was last seen 17 km south southeast of Birdsong Ranch over the Santa Clara River a short distance upriver from the estuary (Steve and Becky Turley). What may have been this same kite was photographed near Murrieta, Riverside Co at mid-morning on 10 May (Dubi Shapiro), then 110 km south over the Tijuana River Valley, San Diego Co that same afternoon (Carl Poldrack). In addition, one was over Central Park in Huntington Beach, Orange Co 25 May (Iris Magboo) and what may be the same bird was at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City/San Pedro, Los Angeles Co 3 Jun+ (Gina DiPietro). A Mississippi Kite, a rare straggler west to California, was at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley National Park 27 May (Caitlin Chock). Harris Hawks remained in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at Shelter Valley, and in Jacumba, San Diego Co through the period, with evidence of nesting at both locations (m.ob.). Single Broad-winged Hawks over Valyermo, Los Angeles Co 19 Apr (Taylor Paez) and 29 Palms, San Bernardino Co 18 Apr (Robert Theriault) were the only two migrants reported. The long staying Broad-winged Hawk on San Clemente Island, present at least since January 2024, was still present 21 May (Nicole Desnoyers). Migrant Swainson’s Hawks appeared to be more numerous than expected over the coastal lowlands as indicated by at least 22 in Orange Co, flocks of 250 at Bonelli Regional Park 5 Mar (Keith Condon), 200 over Pasadena 12 Mar (Alex Coffey), and 175 over Glendora 25 Mar (Patrick Gavit) in Los Angeles Co, and more than thirty in Ventura Co 16 Mar–17 May. A Zone-tailed Hawk at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, San Diego Co 18 Apr (Max Leibowitz) was the latest staying of those wintering in the coastal lowlands. A Zone-tailed Hawk at Borrego Springs, San Diego Co 8–9 Apr (Jonathan Berman) and another at the nearby Tamarisk Grove Campground 13 Apr (Carl Ebeling) were moving northward along the eastern base of the mountains with migrating Swainson’s Hawks. In addition, a Zone-tailed Hawk was at Dos Palmas near N.E.S.S. 13 May (Jeff Manker), one was at the Palos Verdes Ecological Reserve, Riverside Co 11 May (Steven Lima), and another was well to the north in Independence, Inyo Co 4 Apr (R. Lawrence). A somewhat late wintering Ferruginous Hawk was still present near Buttonwillow, Kern Co on 17 Apr (Todd Easterla).

A Crested Caracara in Goleta 22 Apr (Ryan Seppala) was only the second known in Santa Barbara Co.

Flycatchers through Swallows

The last date of the wintering Dusky-capped Flycatcher at Vincent Lugo Park in San Gabriel, Los Angeles Co was 28 Mar (Noah Gaines, Kimball L. Garrett); one at DeForest Park in Long Beach, Los Angeles Co 10 May (Paul Weers) was at a location with no sightings during the winter. Two Brown-crested Flycatchers at Granite Pass along Kelbaker Rd., San Bernardino Co 27 May–6 Jun (Jim Tietz) established a new locality for this species on the eastern Mojave Desert. Tropical Kingbirds not reported during the winter period were in a Ventura residential area 7 Apr (Antal Szijj) and the Pt. Mugu Naval Base, Ventura Co 1 May (John Mueller). The only Eastern Kingbird reported during the period was at Zzyzx, San Bernardino Co 28 May (Sherri Graves). A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher put in a typically brief appearance at Mojave Narrows Regional Park, San Bernardino Co 29 May (Bryan Baker). The earliest documented reports of Willow Flycatcher, typically a late spring arrival, were 4 May at Pasadena (Darren Dowell), 6 May at Balboa Park in San Diego (Stephanie Schoenberger), and 7 May at Huntington Beach (Jasmine C. Kay). Eastern Phoebes not known to have wintered locally were at Hansen Dam, Los Angeles Co 30 Mar (Dessi Sieburth), Dana Point, Orange Co. 11 Apr (Robert B. McNab), and Vallecito, San Diego Co 13 Apr (Britta Lee Shain); one at Point Loma 12 May (Paul E. Lehman) was clearly a spring vagrant.

A migrant Gray Vireo away from breeding habitat was at Agua Caliente County Park, San Diego Co 15 Apr (Rick Grove). Red-eyed Vireos are annual at the end of May and through June, but the only one during the period was at Huntington Central Park 29–31 May (Lam-Son Vinh).

Thirty Bank Swallows among thousands of migrant swallows at Mystic Lake, Riverside Co 4 May (David Rankin) was an exceptionally high count for the region. Migrant Purple Martins appeared early and in better than average numbers this spring, with early arrivals including birds at Sweetwater Reservoir, San Diego Co 14 Mar (Barbara Wise), Atascadero Lake, San Luis Obispo Co 16 Mar (Steve and Janny Tillmann), and San Jacinto Wildlife Area 18 Mar (Elijah Foote); a healthy count of 18 migrants was noted in San Diego Co in April, at least 14 were in Orange Co 4 Apr–4 May, and one at Furnace Creek Ranch 25–28 May (Nicole Desnoyers) was in an area where the species is rarely recorded.

Mimids through Icterids

A Gray Catbird was at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve 4 May (Jose Leon Merino). A Curve-billed Thrasher at Baker, San Bernardino Co continued from winter to 5 Apr (m.ob.). The Brown Thrasher that wintered at Furnace Creek Ranch was present to 6 Apr (Chris B. Howard, Rosie Howard), with a late spring vagrant also there 27–29 May (Logan Kahle); another was at Carpinteria, Santa Barbara Co 17 Apr (Laurel Luby). A Bendire’s Thrasher at Cottonwood Canyon in Death Valley N. P. 19 May (Chris B. Howard, Rosie Howard) was only the second in Inyo Co in a decade. Notably late for the Santa Barbara Co coast were Sage Thrashers at Lompoc 6 May (Elena Oey, Daniel Farrar) and at Goleta 7 May (David and Linda Blue et al.).

Late coastal slope Mountain Bluebirds included two at Goleta 26 Apr (Dean Wrench) and one in the Ramona grasslands, San Diego Co 7 May (Brennan Mulrooney). A Swainson’s Thrush at San Simeon S. P. 1 Apr (Kevin J. Zimmer) was a notably early arrival for San Luis Obispo Co.

A White Wagtail of the black-backed subspecies lugens was along the Santa Ana R. in Anaheim, Orange Co 25 Apr (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/273408713). A

Chestnut-collared Longspur was near Blythe, Riverside Co 17 Mar (John Yerger).

A Lark Bunting was along Bitterwater Rd. in eastern San Luis Obispo Co 4 Mar (Kevin J. Zimmer) and up to three were west of Lancaster, Los Angeles Co 5–25 Mar (Peter Gaede, Luke Tiller); a late bird was found at Mojave, Kern Co 3 May (Matt Gould). Unusual on the immediate coast was a Black-throated Sparrow at White Point in San Pedro, Los Angeles Co 29 Mar (Joan Campbell). Two spring migrant Clay-colored Sparrows were at Balboa Park in San Diego 5 Apr–11 May (Justyn T. Stahl). An exceptional total of nine dark-lored (presumed oriantha) White-crowned Sparrows were found in Orange Co 18 Apr–11 May. Late spring migrant White-throated Sparrows were on the Kern Co desert at Jawbone Canyon 14 May (Dessi Sieburth) and Butterbredt Spring 23 May (Amy Patten). A spring migrant Nelson’s Sparrow was at the San Diego R. mouth 1–9 May (Clarissa Chipman). Two migrant Swamp Sparrows were in different Long Beach neighborhoods 31 Mar–5 Apr (Paul Weers) and 5–6 Apr (Tracy Drake), and another, possibly wintering locally, was at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, Riverside Co 9–16 Mar (David Pryor).

A Bobolink at the Kern Water Bank 7 May (John C. Sterling) was quite early for the region; up to six were at Furnace Creek Ranch 23–31 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra) and another was at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley N. P. 25 May (Justyn T. Stahl). Orchard Orioles not known to have wintered were at Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo 18 Apr (Nick L. Belardes), Carpinteria 17 Apr–2 May (two birds; John Callender), the U. C. Santa Barbara campus 24 Apr (Alex Castelein), Encinitas, San Diego Co 4 May (Michell Thitathan), Furnace Creek Ranch 16 May (Dessi Sieburth), and nearby Furnace Creek Inn 18–20 May (Chris B. Howard, Rosie Howard). Baltimore Orioles were found at Santa Monica, Los Angeles Co 6 Mar (Rich Freese, Karen Kreiger), U. C. Santa Barbara 14 Mar–15 Apr (Toby Fowler et al.), Emery Park in Fullerton, Orange Co 24 Mar (Jonathan Rowley), Los Huecos Rd. in the Laguna Mts., San Diego Co 7 May (Nancy Christensen), Tijuana River Valley, San Diego Co 10 May (Susan Bond), and Furnace Creek Ranch 27 May (second-year male; Emmet Iverson) and 31 May (female; Scott B. Terrill). The earliest Bronzed Cowbird reported this spring was at the Rio Bend Golf Course in the Imperial Valley 7 Apr (Logan Kahle).

Wood-Warblers

It was a generally lackluster spring for vagrant wood-warblers, though there was a fairly good showing of Black-and-white and Tennessee Warblers, American Redstarts, and Palm Warblers. The season’s two Ovenbirds were in Inyo Co at Shoshone 24–26 May (Jonathan S. Feenstra) and Furnace Creek Ranch 29 May (Eric Heisey). Northern Waterthrushes were in Huntington Beach at Bartlett Park 17–25 Apr (Brian Bleecker) and Harriet Wieder Regional Park 29 Apr (Brian E. Daniels), Echo Park in Los Angeles 31 May (Andrew Birch), and on the desert at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve 26 Apr (Matthew A. Grube, Betsy Miller), Shoshone, Inyo Co 28 May (m.ob.), and Furnace Creek Ranch CR 31 May (m.ob). Twelve Black-and-white Warblers were on the coastal slope during the period and another 11 were on the deserts 29 Mar–24 May, with another at Independence 7 Apr (Chris B. Howard, Rosie Howard) representing the earliest spring record for Inyo Co by eight days. Prothonotary Warblers were on the San Bernardino Co desert at Barstow 18 May (Adrian Hinkle) and Big Morongo Canyon Preserve 23 May (Jessica Greenberg, Yoni Kaplan). Ten Tennessee Warblers were on the coastal slope 4–30 May, with four others on the northern deserts 15–28 May and one at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area, Riverside Co 5 May (Curtis A. Marantz). Lucy’s Warblers were on the coastal slope at Dana Point, Orange Co 9 Mar–6 Apr (Diane Etchison) and Hahamongna Watershed Park in Pasadena, Los Angeles Co 21 Apr (Graham Hamby); birds in Riverside Co at Palm Desert 24 Apr (Scott Aaronson) and north of Desert Center 7 May (Sean Rowe) were away from known breeding areas.

The only two Hooded Warblers of the spring were at Coso Junction, Inyo Co 9–10 May (Russell D. Kokx) and the Serra Mesa suburb of San Diego 21 May (Roger Smith). Half a dozen

American Redstarts on the coastal slope during the period included some lingering wintering birds, and one at Pismo State Beach Oceano Campground 30 May (Herb D. Elliiott) was possibly a returning summering bird present annually since 2021; one at Palo Verde Ecological Reserve 29 Mar (Adrian Hinkle, Eric Heisey) may have wintered there, but seven others were on the deserts 14 May–9 Jun. The only Northern Parulas were at South Coast Botanic Garden, Palos Verdes, Los Angeles Co 3 Mar–24 Apr (Manuel Duran), Towsley Canyon in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles Co 25 Apr (Judy Matsuoka), Nojoqui Falls County Park, Santa Barbara Co 28 Apr (Wes T. Fritz), La Jolla, San Diego Co 6–7 May (Paul E. Lehman), San Simeon Creek, San Luis Obispo Co 14 May–4 Jun (Herb D. Elliott), and Furnace Creek Ranch 24 May (Frank Fabbro). A Magnolia Warbler at the Palo Verde Ecological Reserve, Riverside Co 8 Mar (Adrian Hinkle) had likely wintered in the area, as might also have been the case with one at N.E.S.S. (Whitewater River mouth) 20–30 Mar (Dessi Sieburth). Likewise, a Blackburnian Warbler at West Covina, Los Angeles Co 20 Mar–17 Apr (Ken Burgdorff) was early for a spring vagrant and might have wintered there. Also likely wintering locally was a Chestnut-sided Warbler at Ocean Beach, San Diego Co 19 Mar (Cindy P.); a spring vagrant was at Agua Caliente County Park 20 May (Mark Wittmer). As always it is difficult to tease apart early spring migrant Palm Warblers from the tiny but regular wintering population; this spring ten birds were found on the coastal slope 16 Mar–7 May, with another at Agua Caliente County Park, San Diego Co 1 May (David Trissel); all of these preceded the “expected” window for eastern wood warbler vagrants from mid-May into early June.

This spring’s migration of warblers and other Neotropical landbird migrants began with a trickle and ended with a record late push of many species that have normally completed their passage by about 20 May. Most illustrative of this phenomenon was the Black-throated Gray/Townsend’s/Hermit warbler complex, each of those species with exceptional records at the end of May. E.g. a Black-throated Gray Warbler at Santa Barbara (Natural History Museum) 26 May (Rebecca Coulter) which was record-late by four days, a Townsend’s Warbler at Montana de Oro State Park 30 May (Jay C. Carroll), and a Hermit Warbler there 26 May (Nick L. Belardes). Because this late passage continued into the month of June, we will provide more details in the Summer season report.

Cardinalids

A Hepatic Tanager at Jamul, San Diego Co 22 Mar (John Martin) was either an exceptionally early migrant or had wintered in the area. The expected scattering of Summer Tanagers this spring included the northernmost birds at Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo 12 May (Nick L. Belardes), Shoshone, Inyo Co 26–31 May (m.ob.), and China Ranch, Inyo Co 29 May (m.ob.). Over 40 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were found during the period (nearly all in May) with some 23 on the coastal slope and another 18 on the deserts. Nine Indigo Buntings were on the coastal slope 29 Apr–1 Jun, another 15 were on the deserts 2–31 May, and four more were in the Kern R. drainage, Kern Co 2–24 May. That the floodgates of spring migration had finally opened was perhaps best exemplified by the Lazuli Bunting, with a record push of migrants at the end of April and very beginning of May; in Santa Barbara Co there was a record single day high count of 218 at Refugio Creek Canyon 28 Apr (Nick Lethaby, Rebecca Coulter), and a major movement in San Diego Co in late April included a group of 56 birds visible in a single photo at a feeder in Ramona 28 Apr (Linda Kelly). Female-plumaged Painted Buntings were in a yard at Cerritos, Los Angeles Co 10 Apr (Joyce Brady) and at Palo Verde Ecological Reserve 27 Apr (Bob Packard).

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 26 Jul 2025.