Date: 4/16/25 10:32 pm From: Craig Fosdick <craig.fosdick...> Subject: Re: [MBBIRDS] Very late spring migration this year
Very interesting - It is both reassuring and disturbing to know it is not
just me wondering why the regular and vocal Neotropical migrants have not
returned. I've seen only one BHGR in my yard so far this spring. Most years
(I've lived in Boulder Creek for a decade now) I have WAVI, BHGR, PSFL (now
back to WEFL), and WIWA back by now (most years, WIWA are usually here by
late March; typically 3/19-23 arrivals) and talking - a lot. BHGR are
usually here, in force, by now. PSFL (WEFL) returned a couple of days ago
and has been somewhat talkative.
The resident tyrant though, the local Allen's male, returned on time
(January 25), and as usual has evicted the Anna's male and has the yard on
complete lockdown. :)
Craig Fosdick
Boulder Creek, California
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 9:22 PM Don Roberson <creagrus...>
wrote:
> We are reposting Paul Lehman’s post from today on CalBirds. Some of you
> read CalBirds, but this post applies to every local birder. We’ve been out
> and about in southern Monterey the last two weekends, and what is stated by
> Paul for San Diego County applies broadly to local counties here on the
> central coast. It has been a very late migration. Many species are up to
> 2-3 weeks behind that “usual” first arrival date and also the “usual”
> standard arrival date. Western Kingbirds and Chipping Sparrows were in by
> last weekend, but all the species that Paul notes have not yet arrived in
> San Diego have also not arrived here in Monterey. Read Paul’s second
> paragraph carefully. We will be very strict in accepting “first arrivals”
> of those species that are usually “late” April birds, even in a “normal”
> migration. Note Paul’s call for caution and photos or tape-recordings for
> such “usually late arriving” species this year.
>
> We have had recent years when arrivals were 2-3 weeks early. This year is
> the opposite. Please take that into consideration.
>
> Thanks, Don & Rita
> on behalf of the Monterey eBird editing team
>
> > I think almost everyone in California would agree that the passerine
> migration so far this April is notably LATE and SLOW. Down here in parts of
> southern California, a number of folks (including myself) have commented on
> it being a good migration earlier in the season for Violet-green Swallow,
> and since then OK for Western Kingbird and Chipping Sparrow. But almost
> everything else.....late and slow! One very common refrain virtually
> statewide has been, "Where are all the Hooded Orioles?" Here in San Diego
> County, where common and widespread, they were remarkably scarce until just
> a little over a week ago. Still below average, but at least they have
> filled in a fair bit of their widespread range locally--but this is almost
> A FULL MONTH LATE. Bullock's Orioles and Black-headed Grosbeaks have also
> finally begun to increase, but still below normal and running 2-3 weeks
> late. And where are all the many Ash-throated Flycatchers that normally
> start appearing by late March? Anyway, the list goes on and on. So, what's
> happening? Major population declines? Inappropriate local weather
> conditions locally for migration? Or something odd going on farther to the
> south(east), either en route or closer to the wintering grounds? In support
> of the latter factor are reports that a fair chunk of southern Arizona had
> it driest winter on record, EVER, and--perhaps more important--one friend
> of mine reported that parts of Mexico had a cooler or colder than usual
> (relatively speaking) winter and early spring--which could well translate
> into a lot of stuff running late. We will certainly know a lot more once
> the next month plays out!
> >
> >
> > It's another first half of April, and yet another year of multiple
> reports of the following species that are way early and which in most cases
> likely reflect misidentifications. (And all of which could really use photo
> documentation.) Western Wood-Pewees are not expected to start arriving
> until after about 15 April, so any reports before that need to come with
> strong documentation, and need to be flagged by eBird filters. (For
> example, the all-time early arrival in San Diego County is around 8 April.)
> Most such early reports involve either heard-only birds (think vocalizing
> starlings or a number of other mimics) or are poorly documented and have no
> photos. Often these reports are from observers who do not at all appreciate
> how unusually early their bird would be. And a problem that I bet many
> birders don't realize is that the first Olive-sided Flycatchers actually
> arrive before wood-pewees do--and probably get misidentified. This month,
> there were several poorly documented early reports, but also one well
> photographed bird in Orange County on 10 April. The next species is
> Swainson's Thrush, which already has a bunch of reports in California
> during the first half of the month. This species is not reliable until
> around late the third week in the month, with a just a few documented
> records as early as the 12th-15th. A fair number of the earliest records
> are of birds at breeding sites, arriving even earlier than through-migrants
> do farther to the SOUTH, but such local breeders need to be heard SINGING.
> Unfortunately, almost all of the early reports this month have involved
> birds not seen and only heard calling, or heard calling and seen rather
> poorly, again mostly by folks who don't appreciate the true status of this
> species so early--and who report the bird giving the "wink" or "wheet" call
> only, but some other species (e.g., Song Sparrow) can give similar calls.
> Last but not least comes Black Swift. There are a small number of legit
> records for the last week or perhaps ten days of April in California (some
> associated with southern or lowland nesting areas), but of course this
> species is a notorious late arriver and typically doesn't show until into
> May. The problem here is the usual one of an observer not appreciating the
> true status and seasonal timing, and either seeing a White-throated or
> Vaux's Swift at a distance or in mediocre light and not properly assessing
> size and/or color. And the other recurring problem is misidentifying male
> Purple Martins. Heck, some especially early reports of Black Swift, if
> indeed of a large all-dark swift, might need to also consider either Common
> Swift or White-collared Swift. So far this year, there have already been
> one or two Black Swift reports. From previous years, there is an especially
> "egregious" report with very limited details coming from Butte County on 30
> March 2021 and apparently being validated by eBird.....
> >
> >
> > Anyway, I'd recommend all county ebird filters be tightened for these
> and several other migrants that are notoriously reported "too early" almost
> every spring (e.g., add Willow and Dusky Flycatchers to the list), and set
> to 0 until these species are truly known to occur REGULARLY in at least
> small numbers.
>
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