113th CBC California Regional Summary

By Kelli Levinson & John C. Wilson

During the 113th Christmas Bird Count period, 128 CBCs were conducted in California.  San Diego took top honors compiling 214 species. Santa Barbara was the count with the highest number of participants, 266.  For the most part, the state was relatively dry with roughly 20% of the CBCs reporting precipitation.  The highest temperature reported was 67 degrees at Rancho Santa Fe and Salton Sea North.  The lowest temperature reported was 13 degrees at Tejon Ranch and Sierra Valley.  Following are the highlights of the CBC season.

Only one Tufted Duck was reported, a lone, presumably returning bird, on the Oakland CBC.  A King Eider was photographed during count week within the Moss Landing CBC circle.  Four Harlequin Ducks were found on four different northern CBCs.  Black Scoters were recorded on 10 different CBCs including two relatively southern counts, Palos Verdes and Thousand Oaks.  Of the five Long-tailed Ducks reported, one was as far south as the Los Angeles CBC.  Red-throated Loons were seen inland on the Folsom and the Contra Costa County East counts.  A Red-necked Grebe was also found inland on the Santa Clarita CBC and another was found as far south as San Diego.  

In addition to the five Little Blue Herons found on the San Diego CBC, another was seen on the Rancho Santa Fe count.  Coastal Orange County recorded four Reddish Egrets, San Diego three, and Thousand Oaks one.  Three Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were found on the San Diego CBC and the Orange County Coastal count reported a single individual.  

California Condors made a very good showing this past season with eight individuals seen on the Tejon Ranch CBC.  Six birds were seen on the Big Sur CBC and another five were on the Pinnacles count.  The Gray Hawk, now an adult, was again found in the same location on the Carpentaria count.  Two well documented Zone-tailed Hawks were on the Orange County Northeastern CBC, and another well documented bird was on the Escondido count.  Individual wayward Sandhill Cranes were on the Manchester CBC and, during count week, on the Moss Landing CBC.

Two Ruddy Turnstones were inland at the Salton Sea South count.  An inland Red Knot was seen on that count as well.  A single Stilt Sandpiper on the Thousand Oaks Count was the only one seen away from the Salton Sea where they are regularly found in winter.  A Mountain Plover was photographed where seldom encountered on the China Lake count. Two Franklin’s Gulls were at the Salton Sea South CBC.  Two Mew Gulls were inland at the Salton Sea South CBC as was another well-described individual on the Bakersfield count.  A Herring Gull photographed on the China Lake CBC was well inland for this time of year.  The only documented inland Thayer’s Gull was on the Tule Lake CBC.  Two Western Gulls on the Salton Sea South CBC were inland as was a Glaucous-winged Gull on the same count.  

Two Marbled Murrelets were as far south as the Thousand Oaks CBC.  Four Spotted Doves on the Bakersfield CBC were the only ones reported in all of southern California.  Six Common Ground-Doves on the Bakersfield CBC is the farthest north this species has been recorded on any California counts. The Bakersfield population of Rose-ringed Parakeets remains viable with 930 individuals recorded during a roost count.  

Northern Pygmy-Owls were reported on 37 counts. Fifty-seven counts, or close to half, of all California counts recorded Burrowing Owl. Spotted Owls were counted on eight counts. Just two counts reported Barred Owl: American Valley and Fort Bragg. Short-eared and Northern Saw-whet owls were found on 26 counts.

Fifteen counts reported Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and about half included documentation that helped to rule out the likelihood if hybridization. Two Vaux’s Swift found far to the north on the Centerville Beach to King Salmon CBC were well described. Costa’s Hummingbirds were found in less the likely locales of Santa Barbara and Bishop.

An Olive-sided Flycatcher was recorded during the count week period in Santa Barbara. A Least Flycatcher was photographed on the Orange County Coastal count.  All western Empidonax flycatchers were recorded in the state. Only one Hammond’s Flycatcher was documented in the state, a bird found on the Bakersfield count.  A Gray Flycatcher was photographed in Malibu where they are seldom recorded in winter; a few more were found in the extreme southern part of the state where they are more expected. Two Dusky Flycatchers were well documented, one a stake out bird on the Los Angeles count, the other a photographed bird that was also new to the count for San Diego. Several Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatchers were recorded, most in the southern third of the state; the most northerly was one recorded on the Caswell-Westley count.  It was a particularly good year for Eastern Phoebes with 13 reported in the state. Point Reyes, Monterey, and Moss Landing each reported two. Other counts reporting this species were Caswell-Westley, San Jose, Palos Verde, Año Nuevo, Sonoma, Orange-County Coastal, and Los Angeles. A Say’s Phoebe wandered a little further north than usual and was detected on the Centerville Beach to King Salmon count.  Six Vermilion Flycatchers were recorded on each of two separate counts: Salton Sea south and Orange County Coastal. More northerly counts reporting Vermilion Flycatcher included Death Valley, Caswell-Westley, and Bishop which had both a male and a female.  The only Ash-throated Flycatcher reported in the state was one at San Diego.  Tropical Kingbirds were well documented in Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Oakland (during count week), and Pasadena. A Thick-billed Kingbird was photographed on the Rancho Santa Fe count and another was tallied for San Diego.  Western Kingbirds were reported on two counts but without supporting details are best left out.  

Fourteen Northern Shrikes were reported, most from the extreme northern part of the state; the southernmost was from Mono Lake. A Yellow-throated Vireo was photographed on the San Diego count. Eight Plumbeous Vireos were reported statewide on counts in Anza-Borrego, Rancho Santa Fe, Oceanside, San Diego, Palos Verde, Orange County Coastal, and South Fork. A Blue-headed/Cassin’s Vireo was seen on the Bishop count and though identity couldn’t be established one way or the other, either would be an outstanding record for their count.  

Good details were forthcoming from Los Baños for two Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Four other southern area counts reported small numbers of this species.  A single Bank Swallow was photographed on the Salton Sea South count and another three were reported from San Diego. A Cave Swallow was also photographed on the Salton Sea South count.  Barn Swallows were reported from 14 counts across the state and from as far north as Point Reyes.

A photographed Black-capped Chickadee in Redding and a Verdin in San Bernardino were both out of place.  Also wandering were Red-breasted Nuthatches found in East Contra Costa, Escondido, and Los Baños, White-breasted Nuthatches were found in Palos Verdes and San Jacinto, and a Pygmy Nuthatch was photographed on the Orange County Northeastern count.  Brown Creepers were also found where less expected in Anza-Borrego, Los Angeles, San Jacinto, and East Contra Costa County.
Winter Wrens were reported from two counts but no substantiating evidence was submitted for this California Birds Record Committee review species. Pacific Wrens at Wallace Bellota, Bishop, and Pasadena were in locations where less frequently encountered.  Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were found on many counts but were less expected from Caswell-Westley, La Grange, Los Baños, and Palo Alto. Sage Thrashers were recorded in Bear Valley, Carrizo Plain, Lancaster, Morongo, South Fork and one as far north as Tule Lake.  A Phainopepla photographed at Angwin was the only one reported in the state.

Nashville Warblers were reported on 18 coastal counts from San Diego to Centerville Beach-King Salmon. A Virginia’s Warbler was again photographed in Los Angeles and a Lucy’s Warbler was found on the Point Reyes count. Northern Parulas were photographed in Escondido, Palos Verdes, and Pasadena. Yellow Warblers were reported on 18 counts and included birds that were photographed in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Salton Sea South, and San Francisco; the editors would like to see more of these documented because many novice birders mistake bright lutescens Orange-crowned Warblers for this species. It would be nice to at least get a comment that this was not the case.  Two Chestnut-sided Warblers were recorded on the San Diego count and another was photographed on the Pasadena-San Gabriel Count.  Two Black-throated Blue Warblers were reported as well but details were not forthcoming from either of the counts.  Black-throated Gray Warblers on the Centerville Beach-King Salmon and San Jacinto counts were unexpected.  Hermit Warblers were photographed in Oakland, Moss Landing, Rancho Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, and Palos Verdes and another was a far north as Centerville Beach-King Salmon. A hybrid Townsend’s x Hermit Warbler was found on the San Diego count. Grace’s Warblers were reported from Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Ventura. Palm Warblers were reported on 16 counts.  Pine Warblers were recorded at San Diego, Palos Verdes, and Orange County Coastal.   A total of 26 Black-and white Warblers was reported throughout the state, most came from the southern half of the state. The most northerly reports came from Tall Trees and Centerville Beach to King Salmon with another five from bay area counts; there was also an inland report from Bishop.   The Salton Sea South count reported three American Redstarts: an adult male, a young male and a female plumaged bird. San Diego was the only other count to record this species and they had two.  The Orange County Coastal count added a photographed Ovenbird, the only one reported in the state.  Northern Waterthrush were detected in Santa Barbara, Centerville Beach to King Salmon, and San Diego.  Three counts reported MacGillivray’s Warbler but none included details that satisfied the reviewers. Eighty-eight Wilson’s Warblers were reported statewide.  Painted Redstarts were found in San Diego and Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley.

Two Hepatic Tanagers were again found on the San Diego count. Twenty-one Summer Tanagers were reported, all in southern count circles with the exception on one that was photographed in Marin County.  Forty-three Western Tanagers were counted in the state.

A Green-tailed Towhee was photographed on the Angwin count; seven others were recorded in five southern region count circles. Just two American Tree Sparrows were reported, one each at Honey Lake and Mono Lake. Clay-colored Sparrow was also only recorded on two counts, Oakland and Santa Barbara.  A Field Sparrow was photographed during the count week period in San Francisco.  Two Lark Buntings were photographed on counts, one in Bishop, the other in Malibu.  Fox Sparrows of the less expected iliaca subspecies were well-documented on the Morro Bay and Wallace-Bellota counts. Seventy-five Swamp Sparrows were tallied on twenty-seven counts.  Harris’s Sparrows were recorded on four counts: Benicia, Honey Lake, Bishop, and Salton Sea South; a fifth bird was noted during the count week for Anza–Borrego.  Several counts reported Pink-sided Junco but only one was substantiated from Bishop. A photographed Gray-headed Junco was a big surprise from Santa Cruz Island.  Longspurs continue to elude counters with a single McCown’s and three Chestnut-collared longspurs reported from the Cachuma count. Three counts reported Lapland Longspur but provided no details; Centerville Beach to King Salmon documented four on their count.

Two Black-headed Grosbeaks were detected on the Orange County Northeastern count. Thousand Oaks, Ukiah and San Diego also found this species on their counts.  A stakeout young male Indigo Bunting was photographed on the Rancho Santa Fe count.  Three Orchard Orioles were found on the Santa Barbara count and Rancho Santa Fe also recorded one. Hooded Orioles were found in Santa Barbara, East Contra Costa County, Oceanside-Vista (2), and San Diego (2).  Baltimore Orioles were found in San Diego (2), Santa Barbara (3), and Oceanside-Vista. Scott’s Orioles were reported from the expected count circles of Anza-Borrego (4) and Morongo Valley (7) and two were found further afield in Santa Barbara.  The only Pine Grosbeak reported in the state was one from Woodfords.  Red Crossbills were found in areas less expected including three from Folsom, two from Oceanside-Vista, 34 in Moss Landing, three in Rancho Santa Fe, three in San Bernardino, and 25 in Angwin. The only Common Redpolls reported in the state came from Tule Lake where 18 were counted.  San Francisco counters were surprised by one Evening Grosbeak. Other counts to record this species were Lost Lake (2), Marin, and Palo Alto (4).