Date: 6/2/26 6:00 pm From: Ron Cyger via groups.io <ron...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Pelagic trip report: 5/31/26
Hey Jon,
We're a..org,.not com on the email...
Ron
www.LABirders.org
On Tue, Jun 2, 2026, 5:20 PM Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra=
<alumni.caltech.edu...> wrote:
> LA Birders,
>
> Los Angeles Birders ran a 5 hour pelagic trip out of Redondo Beach last
> Sunday. Singular highlights were a Black-footed Albatross on the 270 Bank
> and a Cocos Booby off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We also had multiple
> Black Storm-Petrels, several quite close to the boat, and many Common
> Murres.
>
> There were birds to look at throughout the trip, mostly Sooty Shearwaters,
> a steady stream going northwest, but also a few hundred rafted up off the
> west end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
>
> Non-bird things included a couple of mola mola, a Guadalupe Fur Seal, and
> some Common Dolphin.
>
> The eBird trip report is here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/533102 >
> We don't yet have a date for the next one, but it will be this fall. 5
> hours in our nearshore waters is not only pretty decent birding, but great
> for those of you not sure if you want to spend a whole day on a boat. Keep
> an eye on www.losangelesbirders.com
>
> Jon Feenstra
> Pasadena
>
>
Date: 6/2/26 5:26 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Closure of Angeles Forest Highway this month
Birders,
With the California Bird Atlas "Big Weekend" coming up this Thursday through Sunday (4-7 June), it is possible that many of you would be exploring portions of the San Gabriel Mtns. to fill in data gaps or to reach blocks that have yet to have any coverage. You should be aware, then, that there is still a major road closure along the Angeles Crest Hwy., from Cedar Springs (about 3+ miles past Newcomb's Ranch) to Vincent Gap.
Now I have learned that Angeles Forest Highway will be closed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 to June 26 from Mount Emma Road to Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. [Access will be maintained for residents, camps and emergency vehicles.] This complicates access to/from Palmdale and the Antelope Valley via this route (Hwy 14 is open of course). And if you planned to cover the Monte Cristo Campground area, or the Pacifico Mtn. or Mt. Gleason areas off Mill Creek Summit you'll have to keep in mind the road closure times. Also, Aliso Canyon would have to be accessed from the bottom end in Acton (the uppermost couple of miles of Aliso Canyon is ground zero for* Artemisiospiza belli belli,* the chaparral subspecies of Bell's Sparrow).
Date: 6/2/26 5:20 pm From: Jonathan Feenstra via groups.io <feenstra...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Pelagic trip report: 5/31/26
LA Birders,
Los Angeles Birders ran a 5 hour pelagic trip out of Redondo Beach last Sunday. Singular highlights were a Black-footed Albatross on the 270 Bank and a Cocos Booby off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. We also had multiple Black Storm-Petrels, several quite close to the boat, and many Common Murres.
There were birds to look at throughout the trip, mostly Sooty Shearwaters, a steady stream going northwest, but also a few hundred rafted up off the west end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Non-bird things included a couple of mola mola, a Guadalupe Fur Seal, and some Common Dolphin.
We don't yet have a date for the next one, but it will be this fall. 5 hours in our nearshore waters is not only pretty decent birding, but great for those of you not sure if you want to spend a whole day on a boat. Keep an eye on www.losangelesbirders.com
Date: 5/31/26 5:22 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] The glut of Hooded Warblers
Birders,
Andy Birch noted that his Hooded Warbler along the Los Angeles River in Frogtown yesterday was the fifth one for Los Angeles County this spring. Hooded Warblers, like some other species with which they share a breeding range mainly in the southeastern USA, vary year to year in their occurrence in California, and many of these southeastern species (also including Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos, Kentucky Warblers, and Northern Parulas) demonstrate a pattern of appearance here that is often correlated with Hoodeds.
I looked through eBird data for "spring" (April through June) records of Hooded Warblers in Los Angeles County and 2026 does indeed stand out. But first many caveats, e.g.: (1) the eBird database is far from a complete record of vagrant occurrences. Many records (especially prior to about 2005 and certainly prior to 2000) have not been entered. Any search of records beyond a "back of cocktail napkin" estimate must also look at North American Birds reports (and NAB progenitors, like Field Notes, American Birds and Audubon Field Notes), specimen databases, and numerous regional bird books and journals [as well as records committee reports, but Hooded Warbler records in California were not reviewed by the CBRC after 1978.] (2) Many older records lack publicly available details, so their acceptance must rely on confidence in whatever review they received from county/regional compilers, journal/newsletter editors, etc. at the time. (3) The eBird database is fairly informative about year to year variation, but analysis of longer term trends must somehow take into account two opposing factors -- the explosion of birders and birding effort (and the ease with which birders can now report sightings), and the declines in populations of many (though not all) migratory songbirds.
Required reading on the subject of annual variation in the occurrence of Hooded Warblers and their cohorts on the West Coast is "Implications of vagrant southeastern vireos and warblers in California" by Michael A. Patten and Curtis A. Marantz, published in The Auk 113(4):911-923. [available through various research archives, including SORA: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/auk/ ] This paper analyzes the amazing spring/summer of 1992 when unprecedented numbers of many of these species occurred in California (including the first California breeding record of Hooded Warblers, at Descanso Gardens). The most likely explanations the authors suggested were westerly breeding range expansions of these species and anomalous winds and high pressure systems.
So how does 2026 stack up for Hooded Warblers in Los Angeles County? The five individuals recorded (and we still have the month of June to go) is the second highest total ever, exceeded only by the six individuals (not counting fledged young, but including two records not in eBird) in 1992. The only other years this century (2000-2026) with more than one Hooded Warbler in spring in the county were 2016, 2009, and 2006 (two birds each of those years). A single bird was recorded in eight years this century, and zero birds were found in 14 years.
As a rough measure of "co-occurrence" of Hooded Warbler and the other most numerous "southeastern" warbler, I note that 3.9 Northern Parulas were found in L. A. County in springs that also had records of Hooded Warbler, but only 2.1 Northern Parulas were found in springs with no Hooded Warblers. [Obviously there are more sophisticated ways of analyzing this.]
Date: 5/30/26 10:39 pm From: Andrew Birch via groups.io <andyrbirch...> Subject: [LACoBirds] male HOODED WARBLER, Frogtown
To add to the growing tally of male HOODED WARBLERS this spring in the county, the 5th of the spring was along the river in Frogtown this evening. Of potential interest is that it seemed to be paired with a nest-building female Yellow Warbler. This male was not singing and mostly silent but it stayed in very close proximity to a female Yellow that was actively building a nest in a small cottonwood next to the bike path.Â
If you do look for this bird, please exercise restraint and be patient, cautious and mindful that it may be attempting to breed, so please avoid playback or pressure it too much for photos.
34.10796613735554, -118.25616981148437
This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for May 30, 2026.
A COMMON LOON was at the Hollywood Reservoir on May 26.
An OVENBIRD was at Descanso Gardens in La Canada on May 24.
A TENNESSEE WARBLER and a NORTHERN PARULA were at Piute Ponds on Edwards AFB (letter of permission required for access) by the gazebo on May 30. An AMERICAN REDSTART was there on May 23.
A male HOODED WARBLER and a male SUMMER TANAGER were along the San Gabriel River West Fork (north of Azusa off Highway 39 about two miles up the road) from May 23-30.
A GRACE’S WARBLER was at the Peter Strauss Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains on May 25.
A SUMMER TANAGER was in Signal Hill (North Side Trails) on May 23.
-end transcript
Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
<JonF60...>
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org
Date: 5/28/26 10:09 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: LA County Blocks that need coverage
Hi Everyone, This will be the first of two emails this weekend about LA County results for the California Bird Atlas. About three weeks ago I highlighted atlas blocks that haven't received very much attention and encouraged observers to go to them and find birds. This email will provide an update on results and describe five more blocks that are effectively unsurveyed so far. Here are quick results for the ten blocks discussed last time:
Sunland NW
May 9: Only 4 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species.
May 28 update: 30 species coded with zero confirmed. Significant increase in the number of species coded.
Sunland CE
May 9: Only 10 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero.
May 28 update: 13 species coded with breeding confirmed for two.
Canoga Park SE
May 9: No species have been reported.
May 28 update: 11 species coded and breeding confirmed for five.
Topanga NE
May 9: No data.
May 28 update: 12 species coded with five confirmed breeding.
Malibu Beach NE
May 9: Only two species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species.
May 28 Update: No additional species have been recorded here! Eek!
Point Dume CE
May 9: No coverage.
May 28 update: Still zero coverage.
South Gate CW
May 9: No coverage This is a block in the urban core that has zero species coded or confirmed.
May 28 updte: Three species coded and breeding confirmed for one.
Glendora NE
May 9: This block hasn't received any attention yet.
May 28 update: 27 species coded and breeding confirmed for 10. Significant progress!
Glendora CE
May 9: No coverage.
May 28 update: 9 species coded with zero confirmed.
This is a block that includes a chunk of the San Dimas Experimental Forest.
Mescal Creek CW
May 9: Zero coverage.
May 28 update: No additional species yet.
El Mirage CW
May 9: This block has zero species coded or confirmed.
May 28 update: No additional species yet.
Naturally, people keep returning to their favorite spots and are boosting totals in many of those areas, but to complete the atlas, we need to branch out and survey places that aren't getting much (if any) attention.
In addition to the blocks mentioned above, here are five more that have little or no coverage. All are easy to access by car:
Azusa SE
This block has only 16 species coded with breeding confirmed for four. It covers most of Azusa but also a wide stretch of the San Gabriel River near Encanto Park with alluvial scrub, which usually has lesser nighthawks, barn owls, great horned owl, and numerous other things. There's a bike path along the east side of the river and large ponds near the NW corner of the block. This also includes the western end of Glendora Ridge, grasslands, chaparral, freeway bridges, residential areas, a golf course, parks, and a section of historic Route 66.
Baldwin Park CW
This block as 2.3 hours of effort but ZERO species with breeding codes! It's mostly residential but includes small parks, numerous fields at schools, a high-voltage power line corridor, numerous freeway bridges (good for swallows and swifts), and a vegetated section of Walnut Creek east of 605.
Perhaps its most notable attraction is the Original In-N-Out Burger Museum.
Los Angeles CE
This block has received 4.65 hours of effort but only 5 coded species, one of which has confirmed breeding. The block is east of downtown LA, includes Cal State Los Angeles, several parks, a golf course, freeway bridges, open space on some hills, and extensive residential areas.
Oat Mountain SW
This block has 0.2 hours of effort with zero species coded. It includes parts of the northwestern San Fernando Valley and Chatsworth. This area has a lot of residential neighborhoods, hillsides with chaparral and many large boulders, freeway bridges, and a large cemetery.
Sleepy Valley NE
This block has zero effort. It's west of Palmdale. It includes part of Elizabeth Lake Road through Leona Valley, the northeastern end of Boquet Canyon Road, and a lot of open space and chaparral.
So, if anyone could visit these blocks and report birds, we would really appreciate it!
Thank you for your help,
Lance
Lance Benner
Pasadena, CA
One of your friendly LA County Bird Atlas Regional Coordinators
This is a 5-hour trip, giving us the opportunity to explore more areas and
find more birds. We will depart in the early morning from King Harbor in
Redondo Beach and return around noon.
We will explore the areas around Redondo Canyon, an underwater canyon that
tends to have upwellings of food that attract birds. We will be on the
lookout for shearwaters, alcids, terns, gulls, phalaropes, jaegers, and
storm-petrels.
The trip will cost $100 per person, which includes a gratuity for the boat
crew. Note that we will be on a 65-foot boat on the open ocean, and that
there is a bit of a walk from the parking area to the boat. After making a
reservation below, you will receive a confirmation and you will be emailed
the meeting location.
Cancellations/refunds: LAB doesn’t make a profit on the trip, so we take a
loss if there are unfilled spots on the boat. So no refunds UNLESS (1) you
cancel more than 72 hours in advance, and (2) we can find someone to take
your spot. To cancel after you have signed up, please email
<info...> and we will contact people on the wait list on a
first-come-first-served basis to try to fill your spot. Please don’t try to
bypass the wait list by offering your spot to someone else.
All individuals under the age of 18 participating in a LAB sponsored event
must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult designated as
responsible for their well-being including their safety, behavior, and
compliance with all applicable rules and regulations during the course of
the event, program, activity, etc.
Birding Location Guides!
We are excited to announce our new series of birding location guide videos,
which you can find both on our website
<https://www.labirders.org/locations.html> and our YouTube page
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3bMyFnQcPeMEseHFEcg25cXiD17x8Nn>.
As we all know, sometimes visiting a new-to-you birding hotspot can be a
bit confusing and intimidating - how do you know where to park, where to
go, and what the landmarks within these places are? Hopefully these guides
will help to demystify these locations. Featuring birders from around LA,
these guides offer overviews and introductions about how to visit these
spots and how best to bird them.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and
available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live
webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority
sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To
learn more about membership, please see our website
<https://www.labirders.org/>!
Looking for a past webinar? Don’t forget that a list of all of our
previously recorded webinars <https://www.labirders.org/webinars.html> is
available on our website – which might come in handy if you want to study
up before a field trip, or if you're looking to build your birding skills
from home! Just scroll all the way down, past our upcoming and most recent
online programs and you'll find a list of webinars sorted by category.
These recordings are all viewable via our YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbAhQTFVaeowMCl-sD2e0g> page.
Upcoming Events
6/7 First Sundays at the Huntington (member-only field trip)
6/9 Listen Up: From Recordings to Restoration with Adrian Wolf and Carrie
Clendaniel (webinar)
6/13 San Bernardino Mountains with Brad Singer (member-priority field trip)
Date: 5/23/26 1:00 pm From: Jon Fisher via groups.io <JonF60...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles RBA- May 23 2026
- RBA
* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 23, 2026
* CALA2605.23
-Birds mentioned
Common Goldeneye
Inca Dove
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Purple Martin
Baltimore Oriole
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Summer Tanager
Indigo Bunting
California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/
Date: 5/20/26 3:32 pm From: golfbirdie25 via groups.io <turlslb...> Subject: [LACoBirds] No. Parula in Long Beach
A Northern Parula was discovered today in El Dorado Natue Center by Erin Kellogg, the manager. I just observed it in the area between the entrance and the first bridge.
The Nature Center is open 8 to 5, no entry after 4:30.
Becky Turley
Long Beach
Date: 5/19/26 5:01 pm From: Luke Tiller via groups.io <luke.tiller...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Pasadena Audubon Society Movie Night at Deb's Park
Hi all,
Come and join PAS for a screening of the movie Hawk Watch (about the Anza Borrego raptor monitoring project) under the stars at Debs Park tomorrow night. It looks like being a lovely evening for it.
Date: 5/17/26 12:55 pm From: Jon Fisher via groups.io <JonF60...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles RBA- May 17 2026
- RBA
* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 17, 2026
* CALA2605.17
-Birds mentioned
Greater Scaup
White-winged Dove
Black Swift
Solitary Sandpiper
Broad-winged Hawk
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Purple Martin
Tennessee Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Summer Tanager
California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/
Date: 5/11/26 9:19 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] ABC Wrap-up: 255 Species
Hi Everyone,
This is the final summary for America's Birdiest County in Los Angeles on April 24-26, 2026.
The total this year was 255 species.
There weren't any additional species added (or subtracted) after the last update.
How does our total compare with results from previous years?
Here are America's Birdiest County totals for Los Angeles County since 2003:
Year Total
2026 255 Apr 24-26
2025 267 Apr 25-27
2024 276 Apr 26-28
2023 268 Apr 28-30
2022 265 Apr 22-24
2021 277 Apr 23-25
2020 No count due to covid 19
2019 257 Apr 26-28
2018 263 Apr 27-29
2017 264 Apr 28-30
2016 270 Apr 29-May 1
2015 275 Apr 25-27
2014 272 Apr 25-27
2013 265 Apr 26-28
2012 262 Apr 29-30
2011 277 Apr 22-24
2010 271 Apr 23-25
2009 264 Apr 24-26
2008 255 Apr 25-27
2007 271 Apr 26-28
2006 263 Apr 28-30 Format changed from one day to three days; more organization
2005 246
2004 239
2003 239
Average from 2003-present: 263.5 +- 11.0
Our total this year was about eight species above our long-term average, so clearly the total can't be above average every year. It turns out that there were about 20 species that we missed by less than one week either before or after the count.
Finding this many species takes a lot of effort, and we got that many because a lot of dedicated and knowledgeable people went into the field and covered the most important locations for birds across the county. This resulted in excellent coverage at the Piute Ponds, Apollo Park, the San Gabriel Mountains (despite the closures), Bonelli Park, Quail Lake, Malibu Lagoon, parks in and near Long Beach, Bear Divide, and the Ballona/Playa de Rey area.
Nevertheless, we struggled to find some rarities and seasonal birds that had apparently left within a few days of the count, or were somehow missed,
We also struggled with a late winter storm that caused difficult conditons in the mountains. Despite this, we actually had decent coverage with multiple teams of observers in the mountains, but struck out with high-elevation species we often find such as Williamson's Sapsucker, Clark's Nutcracker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Golden Eagle. We had observers in suitable locations for most of these except for the sapsucker, which is usually at elevations above 8000 feet in late April. None of the observers went that high due to the weather and road and trail closures.
It's much easier to exceed 260 species than it was only several years ago because numerous introduced species have been added to the state list in recent years: Nanday parakeet, yellow-chevroned parakeet, Lilac-crowned parrot, mitred parakeet, red-masked parakeet, red-whiskered bulbul, and scaly-breasted munia. Our total this year would have been less than 250 if we didn't count these species.
Previous America's Birdiest County winners:
...discontinued after 2011...
2011 277 Los Angeles
2010 271 Los Angeles
2009 264 Los Angeles
2008 255 Los Angeles
2007 271 Los Angeles
2006 263 Los Angeles
2005 250 Monterey and San Diego (tie)
2004 266 San Diego
2003 248 Monterey
America's Birdiest County was a one-day event during its first three years. Starting in 2006, the format changed to three days. 2006 is also the first year that we really got organized in Los Angeles County and that accounts for the distinct uptick in the number of species relative to the first three years.
We added one new species this year:
American Golden-Plover
How does one new species compare with results from previous years?
Here are the number of new species that we've added since 2010:
2026 1
2025 1
2024 6
2023 4 (two were introduced)
2022 3 (two were introduced)
2021 5 (two were introduced)
2020 No count due to covid 19
2019 3
2018 0 Only year we didn't add any species
2017 1
2016 5
2015 4
2014 5
2013 3
2012 5
2011 7
2010 5
Our recent history of adding a few species annually indicates that there are still new species to find in future years. Given the near misses we have every year, it may be several years before we run out of new ones, even without introduced species newly accepted by the California Bird Records Committee.
For example, on several occasions in the last decade we have just missed broad-winged hawk. Cocos Booby (formerly known as Brown Booby) seems inevitable. We keep missing Sage Thrasher by less than two weeks.
Here are the species we FOUND this year:
* Snow Goose
* Ross's Goose
* Brant
* Cackling Goose
* Canada Goose
* Wood Duck
* Blue-winged Teal
* Cinnamon Teal
* Northern Shoveler
* Gadwall
* American Wigeon
* Mallard
* Northern Pintail
* Green-winged Teal
* Canvasback
* Redhead
* Ring-necked Duck
* Lesser Scaup
* Surf Scoter
* White-winged Scoter
* Bufflehead
* Common Goldeneye
* Common Merganser
* Red-breasted Merganser
* Ruddy Duck
* Mountain Quail
* California Quail
* Pied-billed Grebe
* Eared Grebe
* Western Grebe
* Clark's Grebe
* Rock Pigeon
* Band-tailed Pigeon
* Eurasian Collared-Dove
* Spotted Dove
* White-winged Dove
* Mourning Dove
* Greater Roadrunner
* Lesser Nighthawk
* Common Poorwill
* Vaux's Swift
* White-throated Swift
* Black-chinned Hummingbird
* Anna's Hummingbird
* Costa's Hummingbird
* Rufous Hummingbird
* Allen's Hummingbird
* Calliope Hummingbird
* Virginia Rail
* Sora
* Common Gallinule
* American Coot
* Black-necked Stilt
* American Avocet
* Black Oystercatcher
* Black-bellied Plover
* American Golden-Plover
* Snowy Plover
* Semipalmated Plover
* Killdeer
* Hudsonian Whimbrel
* Long-billed Curlew
* Ruddy Turnstone
* Black Turnstone
* Sanderling
* Dunlin
* Least Sandpiper
* Western Sandpiper
* Long-billed Dowitcher
* Red-necked Phalarope
* Spotted Sandpiper
* Solitary Sandpiper
* Wandering Tattler
* Greater Yellowlegs
* Willet
* Lesser Yellowlegs
* Parasitic Jaeger
* Common Murre
* Bonaparte's Gull
* Franklin's Gull
* Heermann's Gull
* Ring-billed Gull
* Western Gull
* California Gull
* American Herring Gull
* Least Tern
* Caspian Tern
* Forster's Tern
* Royal Tern
* Elegant Tern
* Black Skimmer
* Red-throated Loon
* Pacific Loon
* Common Loon
* Brandt's Cormorant
* Pelagic Cormorant
* Neotropic Cormorant
* Double-crested Cormorant
* Brown Pelican
* Least Bittern
* Great Blue Heron
* Great Egret
* Snowy Egret
* Western Cattle Egret
* Green Heron
* Black-crowned Night-Heron
* Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
* White-faced Ibis
* Turkey Vulture
* Osprey
* White-tailed Kite
* Northern Harrier
* Sharp-shinned Hawk
* Cooper's Hawk
* Bald Eagle
* Red-shouldered Hawk
* Swainson's Hawk
* Zone-tailed Hawk
* Red-tailed Hawk
* American Barn Owl
* Flammulated Owl
* Western Screech-Owl
* Great Horned Owl
* Northern Pygmy-Owl
* Northern Saw-whet Owl
* Belted Kingfisher
* Red-breasted Sapsucker
* Lewis's Woodpecker
* Acorn Woodpecker
* Downy Woodpecker
* Nuttall's Woodpecker
* Ladder-backed Woodpecker
* Hairy Woodpecker
* White-headed Woodpecker
* Northern Flicker
* American Kestrel
* Merlin
* Peregrine Falcon
* Yellow-chevroned Parakeet
* Red-Crowned Amazon
* Lilac-Crowned Parrot
* Nanday Parakeet
* Mitred Parakeet
* Red-masked Parakeet
* Olive-sided Flycatcher
* Western Wood-Pewee
* Hammond's Flycatcher
* Gray Flycatcher
* Dusky Flycatcher
* Western Flycatcher
* Black Phoebe
* Say's Phoebe
* Vermilion Flycatcher
* Ash-throated Flycatcher
* Tropical Kingbird
* Cassin's Kingbird
* Western Kingbird
* Bell's Vireo
* Hutton's Vireo
* Cassin's Vireo
* Western Warbling Vireo
* Loggerhead Shrike
* Steller's Jay
* California Scrub-Jay
* American Crow
* Common Raven
* Mountain Chickadee
* Oak Titmouse
* Verdin
* Horned Lark
* Northern Rough-winged Swallow
* Purple Martin
* Tree Swallow
* Violet-green Swallow
* Bank Swallow
* Barn Swallow
* Cliff Swallow
* Red-Whiskered Bulbul
* Bushtit
* Wrentit
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet
* Red-breasted Nuthatch
* White-breasted Nuthatch
* Pygmy Nuthatch
* Brown Creeper
* Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
* California Gnatcatcher
* Rock Wren
* Canyon Wren
* Northern House Wren
* Marsh Wren
* Bewick's Wren
* Cactus Wren
* American Dipper
* European Starling
* California Thrasher
* Northern Mockingbird
* Western Bluebird
* Townsend's Solitaire
* Swainson's Thrush
* Hermit Thrush
* American Robin
* Cedar Waxwing
* Phainopepla
* House Sparrow
* Scaly-breasted Munia
* American Pipit
* House Finch
* Purple Finch
* Cassin's Finch
* Lesser Goldfinch
* Lawrence's Goldfinch
* American Goldfinch
* Chipping Sparrow
* Black-chinned Sparrow
* Black-throated Sparrow
* Lark Sparrow
* Fox Sparrow
* Dark-eyed Junco
* White-crowned Sparrow
* Golden-crowned Sparrow
* Bell's Sparrow
* Savannah Sparrow
* Song Sparrow
* Lincoln's Sparrow
* California Towhee
* Rufous-crowned Sparrow
* Green-tailed Towhee
* Spotted Towhee
* Yellow-breasted Chat
* Yellow-headed Blackbird
* Western Meadowlark
* Hooded Oriole
* Bullock's Oriole
* Scott's Oriole
* Red-winged Blackbird
* Tricolored Blackbird
* Brown-headed Cowbird
* Brewer's Blackbird
* Great-tailed Grackle
* Orange-crowned Warbler
* Nashville Warbler
* MacGillivray's Warbler
* Common Yellowthroat
* Northern Yellow Warbler
* Yellow-rumped Warbler
* Black-throated Gray Warbler
* Townsend's Warbler
* Hermit Warbler
* Wilson's Warbler
* Western Tanager
* Black-headed Grosbeak
* Blue Grosbeak
* Lazuli Bunting
Here are the species found in previous years that we MISSED in 2026:
# Greater White-fronted Goose
# Tundra Bean-Goose
# Greater Scaup
# Black Scoter
# Long-tailed Duck
# Hooded Merganser
# Gambel's Quail
# Chukar
# Horned Grebe
# Inca Dove
# Common Ground-Dove
# Black Swift NEW in 2024. Needs outstanding documentation
# Ridgway's Rail
# Sandhill Crane
# Pacific Golden-Plover
# Marbled Godwit
# Red Knot
# Surfbird
# Ruff
# Stilt Sandpiper
# Baird's Sandpiper
# Pectoral Sandpiper
# Semipalmated Sandpiper
# Short-billed Dowitcher
# Wilson's Snipe
# Wilson's Phalarope
# Red Phalarope
# Pomarine Jaeger
# Scripps's Murrelet
# Cassin's Auklet
# Pigeon Guillemot NEW in 2025
# Rhinoceros Auklet
# Sabine's Gull
# Laughing Gull
# Short-billed Gull
# Yellow-footed Gull
# Lesser Black-backed Gull
# Iceland Gull (Thayer's Gull)
# Glaucous-winged Gull
# Glaucous Gull
# Black Tern
# Common Tern
# Yellow-billed Loon
# Black-footed Albatross
# Leach's Storm-Petrel
# Black Storm-Petrel
# Northern Fulmar
# Pink-footed Shearwater
# Sooty Shearwater
# Black-vented Shearwater
# Red-footed Booby
# American White Pelican
# American Bittern
# California Condor
# Golden Eagle
# Ferruginous Hawk
# Burrowing Owl
# Spotted Owl
# Long-eared Owl
# Williamson's Sapsucker
# Red-naped Sapsucker
# Crested Caracara
# Prairie Falcon
# Least Flycatcher
# Dusky-capped Flycatcher
# Thick-billed Kingbird
# Plumbeous Vireo
# Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay
# Clark's Nutcracker
# Golden-crowned Kinglet
# LeConte's Thrasher
# Mountain Bluebird
# Varied Thrush
# Red-throated Pipit
# Evening Grosbeak
# Red Crossbill
# Pine Siskin
# Grasshopper Sparrow
# Clay-colored Sparrow
# Field Sparrow
# Brewer's Sparrow
# Harris's Sparrow
# White-throated Sparrow
# Vesper Sparrow
# Swamp Sparrow
# Orchard Oriole
# Baltimore Oriole
# Northern Waterthrush
# Black-and-white Warbler
# Tennessee Warbler
# Hooded Warbler
# American Redstart
# Northern Parula
# Blackburnian Warbler
# Chestnut-sided Warbler
# Palm Warbler
# Red-faced Warbler
# Painted Redstart
# Summer Tanager
# Indigo Bunting
# Painted Bunting
The table below lists every species we've recorded during the ABC weekend since 2004 and the number of years in which we've found each one. "11" indicates that we found a species in a given year and "00" indicates that we didn't.
The alignment of the columns works best if you use the Courier font in your email.
Of the species we've found to date, we have found the same ~200 every year, accounting for about 3/4 of our annual average.
Species Found Only Once:
We have found 34 species only once indicating that just under 10% are "one-hit wonders." Examples from previous years include Ridgeway's rail, yellow-billed loon, field sparrow, ruff, red throated pipit, evening grosbeak, and red-faced warbler.
There are also numerous species that we find about 1/2 of the time, probably a consequence of the fact that we schedule the event in late April when wintering birds are leaving and when many spring migrants are just arriving.
Even though some species are reported nearly every year, there are a number that we struggle to find, and it's often through the dedicated efforts of a few people that we find them. Typical examples include Prairie falcon, Golden-crowned kinglet, LeConte's thrasher, Clark's nutcracker, Williamson's sapsucker, and flammulated owl. Of these, this year the only one we got was flammulated owl. There were people in suitable habitat for most of them, though.
Best finds in 2026: (Found less than 10 times previously, and not introduced).
06 Canvasback
04 White-winged Scoter
05 Common Goldeneye
04 White-winged Dove
01 American Golden-Plover NEW!
08 Common Murre
02 Zone-tailed Hawk
09 Tropical Kingbird
Once again, the number in the first two columns gives the number of years when we have found this species since 2004 (including this year).
What were our worst misses?
Here's a list of species we missed that were found at least 12 times previously:
20 Greater White-fronted Goose
17 Gambel's Quail
15 Chukar
15 Inca Dove
15 Common Ground-Dove
21 Marbled Godwit
21 Surfbird
16 Short-billed Dowitcher
15 Wilson's Snipe
21 Glaucous-winged Gull
14 Pink-footed Shearwater
19 Sooty Shearwater
20 American White Pelican
19 Golden Eagle
14 Burrowing Owl
16 Williamson's Sapsucker
19 Prairie Falcon
12 Plumbeous Vireo
17 Clark's Nutcracker
14 LeConte's Thrasher
15 Red Crossbill
17 Pine Siskin
16 White-throated Sparrow
Our worst misses were Marbled Godwit, Surfbird, and Glaucous-winged Gull: we had always found them previously. American White Pelican was another surprising miss. It's also surprising that we missed Golden Eagle: One was reported one day before the count and there were many teams in suitable habitat all weekend.
Here's a list of species reported within +/- one week of the count that we missed:
21 Marbled Godwit Never missed it before
21 Surfbird Never missed it before
16 Wilson's Phalarope
21 Glaucous-winged Gull Never missed it before
11 Horned Grebe
20 American White Pelican
03 California Condor
19 Golden Eagle
19 Prairie Falcon
12 Plumbeous Vireo
17 Clark's Nutcracker
17 Pine Siskin
17 Brewer's Sparrow
16 White-throated Sparrow
06 Black-and-white Warbler
12 Palm Warbler
01 Hooded Warbler
04 Northern Parula
08 Summer Tanager
02 Indigo Bunting
The number on the left gives the number of previous years when we've found each species.
Exotics Found in the order they were reported:
Egyptian Goose
Greylag Goose
Swan Gooose
Mute Swan
Muscovy Duck
Indian Peafowl
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Yellow-headed Amazon
Pin-tailed Whydah
Following our longstanding protocol, we don't count birds seen from boats. There were quite a few seen from repositioning cruises and from the Catalina ferries but I didn't keep track of them.
Given the number of new species that we find each year, which species might be next?
We've missed broad-winged hawk by less than one week on multiple occasions, so we should find it eventually. Cocos Boobies are increasing in abundance and are sometimes reported fairly often, so we should sweep one up. I'm surprised that we haven't found reddish egret yet. Despite these predictions, the rarities we find suggests something not mentioned above is likely to turn up. That happened again this year!
It seems inevitable that more exotics will be added to the state list by the California Bird Records Committee and thus become countable. Species that might be added in the not-too-distant future include Egyptian goose, Swinhoe's White-eye, and perhaps Pin-tailed Whydah.
How many more species could we find during this count?
We've already found 277 species twice, and 276 and 275 species once, so 280 species is probably within reach if we have really good luck. 285 species might be attainable...particularly if the CBRC continues to add introduced species to the state list. Finding more than that is probably very unlikely even if we dramatically increase our organization and level of effort because we're already up against the limit of the number of birds regularly in the area at this time of year.
The significance of "America's Birdiest County" has grown considerably since we started in 2003. It's become much more than a friendly competition with other counties and has turned into a educational event that continues to improve our body of knowledge of the status and distribution of birds in our area. Knowledge of where birds are has grown to the point that we usually find most species that are very local.
We've been obtaining a detailed sample for >20 years at a time of year when few other surveys occur. Now, however, the Bear Divide Migration Count, which has become a regular event, is providing another means for assessing species in this area in a systematic way.
Most of our participants use eBird to archive their observations and many people are uploading photos and audio recordings, which makes the reports considerably more valuable. Every year during ABC weekend there's a significant increase in the number of records entered into eBird. We scour eBird for reports that weren't submitted to us or posted on listserves. This year I found most of the species by checking eBird, although any reports sent directly to me are also greatly appreciated!
One major difference this year is the California Bird Atlas. I strongly suspect that our total was down because many observers were concentrating more on contributing to the atlas than scouring the nooks and crannies of the county for species for ABC weekend. Frankly, the atlas is more important, so this is fine. The two events have obvious synergy.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to America's Birdiest County this year!
Probably 40-45 years ago, well out to sea on a pelagic trip to Sta Barbara Is. environs, a Wilson's Warbler circled the boat several times and finally landed on my bent jacket sleeve, as that hand was in my jacket pocket, keeping warm. It seemed comfortable there, so I let it be, although it restricted my use of binoculars. The trip leaders saw it and decided it would more likely survive if they put it into a box with air holes in the relative warmer cabin. There it stayed until trip's end. When the box was opened, the bird was dead. I still remember it sadly.
Date: 5/11/26 10:06 am From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas Detailed Results for LA County
Birders,
I fully recognize that birding/Atlasing in hotspots that span two or more
Atlas blocks can be a bit onerous. Fortunately, Piute Ponds has enough
birders using the four Atlas block "Sub-Hotspots" that good data are
emerging,
But for those of you who simply do not want to bother with making separate
eBird lists for each Atlas block, may I suggest that AT THE VERY LEAST you
provide notes in the species comments for each breeding code (certainly at
least "Probable" and "Possible" codes) that describe what you observed and
exactly WHERE you observed it. If the American Avocet chick was on Thoreau
Pond, indicate that -- and, in fact, indicate where on Thoreau it was
(since the north end of Thoreau is in a different block than the majority
of that pond). At least such detail leaves open the possibility of mining
non-Atlas checklists at some future point for breeding codes that can be
assigned to a particular Atlas block..
I recommend looking at the California Atlas website to familiarize yourself
with Atlas block boundaries before going into the field (or check the block
grid map in the field if you have cell service, which you should at Piute).
See: https://www.californiabirdatlas.org/map-blocks-hotspots
Of course this suggestion is just part of a harangue I've been shouting for
a long time -- please WRITE DETAILS in your eBird lists. In checklist
comments, describe your coverage and the birding/habitat conditions. In the
species comments, make notes on behaviors, habitat usage, age/sex/plumage
information, exact locations for scarce species (unless there are concerns
about the welfare of those individuals), etc. I know it's easier just to
punch in some bird codes and numbers on the mobile app and leave it at
that, but that's not natural history -- that's bird golf.
Kimball Garrett
Juniper Hills, CA
On Sat, May 9, 2026 at 8:49 PM Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner=
<charter.net...> wrote:
> Before launching into long lists of species and atlas blocks, let's
> discuss eBird hotspots near block boundaries, which is already a source of
> confusion in some areas.
>
> The eBird hotspot at the Piute Ponds is perhaps the most pressing. The
> Piute Ponds area spans four atlas blocks so new eBird hotspots have been
> created for each one:
>
> Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond CE
>
> Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond SE
>
> Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond Lake CW
>
> Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond Lake SW
>
> If you're contributing to the atlas at the Piute Ponds, PLEASE USE THESE
> HOTSPOTS! The older, general eBird hotspot for the Piute Ponds ("Piute
> Ponds (permit required)") is very close to a block boundary, was fine until
> January 1, but is too imprecise for the atlas. Using the new blocks is a
> pain but it's worth it because doing this will put your birds in the
> correct location and make your observations more valuable.
>
> There are other eBird hotspots around the county that are close to block
> boundaries that we may discuss in in detail in future emails. For
> example, Huntington Gardens in San Marino spans two blocks: Most of the
> grounds are in Mount Wilson SW but thin section on the south edge is in El
> Monte NW. Bonelli Park in San Dimas is another location that spans four
> blocks.
>
> Another easy way to deal with this situation is to set up your own
> personal spots and then use them every time you visit a particular area. A
> number of people are already doing this.
>
>
>
>
Date: 5/9/26 8:50 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas Detailed Results for LA County
Hi Everyone,
Here's another update on progress with the California Bird Atlas in Los Angeles County.
These are results as of 2026 May 9.
Before launching into long lists of species and atlas blocks, let's discuss eBird hotspots near block boundaries, which is already a source of confusion in some areas.
The eBird hotspot at the Piute Ponds is perhaps the most pressing. The Piute Ponds area spans four atlas blocks so new eBird hotspots have been created for each one:
Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond CE
Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond SE
Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond Lake CW
Piute Ponds CA Atlas Rosamond Lake SW
If you're contributing to the atlas at the Piute Ponds, PLEASE USE THESE HOTSPOTS! The older, general eBird hotspot for the Piute Ponds ("Piute Ponds (permit required)") is very close to a block boundary, was fine until January 1, but is too imprecise for the atlas. Using the new blocks is a pain but it's worth it because doing this will put your birds in the correct location and make your observations more valuable.
There are other eBird hotspots around the county that are close to block boundaries that we may discuss in in detail in future emails. For example, Huntington Gardens in San Marino spans two blocks: Most of the grounds are in Mount Wilson SW but thin section on the south edge is in El Monte NW. Bonelli Park in San Dimas is another location that spans four blocks.
Another easy way to deal with this situation is to set up your own personal spots and then use them every time you visit a particular area. A number of people are already doing this.
Back to our regular summary...
LA County eBird Atlasers: 648 (increase of 43 in the last two weeks)
eBird Checklists: 10,588
Atlas effort: 8402 hours
Atlas blocks with some data: 350 (81% of the total)
Atlas blocks with zero data: 84
Species with a breeding code: 245
Species with breeding confirmed: 134 (increase of 14 in the last two weeks)
54 species have been confirmed breeding in at least 10 blocks:
35 27 Canada Goose
11 10 Egyptian Goose
46 34 Mallard
12 10 Rock Pigeon
13 Eurasian Collared Dove
28 23 Mourning Dove
45 36 Anna's Hummingbird
49 47 Allen's Hummingbird
14 12 Killdeer
15 14 Great Blue Heron
18 15 Cooper's Hawk
18 15 Red-shouldered Hawk
47 45 Red-tailed Hawk
28 24 Great Horned Owl
13 Acorn Woodpecker
28 15 Nuttall's Woodpecker
64 51 Black Phoebe
17 11 Say's Phoebe
12 11 Vermilion Flycatcher
23 20 Cassin's Kingbird
12 Hutton's Vireo
30 25 California Scrub-Jay
50 47 American Crow
111 100 Common Raven
34 27 Oak Titmouse
13 11 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
14 Barn Swallow
29 22 Cliff Swallow
89 77 Bushtit
19 11 Wrentit
15 White-breasted Nuthatch
12 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
42 21 Northern House Wren
38 30 Bewick's Wren
65 59 European Starling
39 30 Northern Mockingbird
43 26 Western Bluebird
13 10 American Robin
10 Phainopepla
17 16 Scaly-Breasted Munia
61 58 House Sparrow
104 84 House Finch
43 29 Lesser Goldfinch
10 Lawrence's Goldfinch
48 38 Dark-eyed Junco
53 42 Song Sparrow
69 47 California Towhee
22 10 Spotted Towhee
28 15 Hooded Oriole
13 10 Red-winged Blackbird
11 Brewer's Blackbird
10 Great-tailed Grackle
27 17 Orange-crowned Warbler
13 10 Common Yellowthroat
The number on the far left gives the number of blocks where breeding for each species has been confirmed. The number to the right of it, if present, indicates the number of blocks where breeding for this species was confirmed two weeks ago. If those columns are blank, then the number of blocks was less than 10.
Some species have seen significant increases: Northern House Wren (+21 blocks), Western Bluebird (+17), House Finch (+20), Lesser Goldfinch (+14), California Towhee (+18 blocks), Spotted Towhee (+12), and Hooded Oriole (+13).
Common Ravens, house finches, bushtits, European starlings, and house sparrows have been confirmed in the most blocks.
Los Angeles County blocks where breeding has been confirmed for at least 10 species:
14 11 Azusa SW
24 20 Baldwin Park NW
13 Beverly Hills CW
17 11 Beverly Hills NE
11 10 Bevery Hills NW
12 Burbank CE
34 25 Burbank SE
10 Burbank SW
10 Calabasas SW
12 Chilao Flat CE
10 10 El Monte CE
11 11 El Monte NE
16 10 El Monte NW
22 20 El Monte SE
23 18 Glendora SE
16 14 Hollywood CE
42 32 Hollywood NE
24 22 Hollywood SW
12 11 Inglewood CE
10 Inglewood SW
15 10 Juniper Hills NE
19 La Habra NW
12 Lancaster West NW
26 22 Long Beach CE
19 13 Long Beach CW
16 14 Long Beach NW
25 22 Long Beach SE
14 12 Long Beach SW
31 25 Los Alamitos CW
23 19 Los Alamitos NW
21 20 Los Angeles CW
11 11 Los Angeles NE
26 21 Los Angeles NW
16 15 Malibu Beach NW
12 Malibu Beach SE
14 Mint Canyon SW
14 11 Mount Wilson CE
11 Mount Wilson CW
31 30 Mount Wilson SE
30 27 Mount Wilson SW
28 22 Newhall CW
12 Oat Mountain CE
30 28 Ontario NW
41 37 Pasadena CE
31 27 Pasadena CW
10 10 Pasadena NE
29 25 Pasadena SE
10 10 Pasadena SW
10 Redondo Beach NE
11 Ritter Ridge NE
13 11 Rosamond CW
14 Rosamond Lake CW
14 Rosamond Lake SW
35 25 San Dimas CE
57 44 San Dimas NE
25 21 San Fernando SE
14 10 San Pedro NE
12 San Pedro NW
11 Torrance cW
23 12 Torrance SE
11 Torrance SW
20 17 Val Verde SE
15 Valyermo CW
21 16 Valyermo NW
33 30 Van Nuys CW
10 Van Nuys SE
31 29 Venice NE
13 13 Venice NW
11 11 Warm Springs Mountain CW
13 11 Whittier NE
17 12 Whittier NW
45 43 Whittier SE
Here the number on the left gives the number of species in that block that have been confirmed.
Two weeks ago there were 51 blocks on this list. Now there are 72!
Clearly we've been confirming breeding in a lot of blocks. One of the take away messages is that we're getting better at this and that the pace of confirming breeding is accelerating. It's also true that more species are in the process of carrying nesting material, carrying food, and feeding fledglings, so it's easier to see breeding evidence than it was a few weeks ago.
Note that 30+ species have been confirmed breeding in 13 blocks:
Burbank SE (34)
Hollywood NE (42)
Los Alamitos CW (31)
Mount Wilson SE (31)
Mount Wilson SW (30)
Ontario NW (30)
Pasadena CE (41)
Pasadena CW (31)
San Dimas CE (35)
San Dimas NE (57)
Van Nuys CW (33)
Venice NE (31)
Whittier SE (45)
San Dimas NE has the most with 57. This includes Bonelli Park where there is extensive diversity of habitat and frequent, thorough coverage.
Blocks with at least 50 species with breeding codes:
65 63 Baldwin Park NW
85 82 Burbank SE
51 Burbank SW
55 Chilao Flat CE
50 50 Chilao Flat SW
66 64 El Monte SE
59 57 Glendora SE
75 67 Hollywood NE
51 Hollywood SW
65 59 Lake Hughes CW
50 Long Beach CE
63 56 Long Beach CW
54 51 Long Beach NW
57 55 Los Alamitos CW
68 67 Los Angeles NW
66 65 Malibu Beach NW
72 64 Mount Wilson CE
61 61 Mount Wilson CW
52 Mount Wilson NE
56 54 Mount Wilson SE
67 67 Mount Wilson SW
52 Newhall CW
64 57 Ontario NW
83 76 Pasadena CE
62 61 Pasadena CW
54 53 Pasadena NE
73 68 Pasadena SE
52 51 San Dimas CE
96 82 San Dimas NE
89 82 San Fernando SE
55 Valyermo CW
68 65 Valyermo NW
75 68 Van Nuys CW
69 63 Venice NE
50 50 Whitaker Peak NE
66 65 Whittier SE
The number on the left gives the number of species with a breeding code. The number next to it, if present, gives the number of species documented two weeks ago. If blank, then there were < 50 species previously.
Here "coded" is the sum of possible + probable + confirmed breeding codes in the eBird portal for behavior such as singing, courtship displays, carrying nesting material, carrying food, feeding young, etc.
With the previous LA County Atlas in the 1990s, the organizers estimated a target number of species that should be present in each block, and of those, observers tried to find (i.e., assign a breeding code) at least 90%. Of the species coded, observers tried to confirm at least 50%.
During the previous atlas from 1995-1999, 50+ species were coded in 188 atlas blocks. So, after just over four months, we've already coded 50+ species in 36 blocks, which is 19% of the total from the 1990s. Thus, we are ahead of the pace during the previous atlas.
Brief Recap of Important Things from Previous Emails
Atlas Effort:
To see how much effort has been contributed, such as number of hours, number of species coded, confirmed, complete checklists, etc. go to:
Then enter "Los Angeles" into the "Explore Atlas Regions" field. This shows the broad summary I provided above plus detailed results for each species and each atlas block.
Joining the Atlas:
If you haven't contributed to the bird atlas yet, joining is easy. On a computer, go to https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home, scroll down a bit, and look for the green button marked "Join Project" on the left. Click on it and then you can contribute!
On a phone, start the eBird app, go to the settings, select the "Portal," and then select the California Bird Atlas.
If you haven't contributed to the California Bird Atlas, please join us! We'd love to have your help!
Date: 5/9/26 3:35 pm From: Jon Fisher via groups.io <JonF60...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Los Angeles RBA- May 9 2026
- RBA
* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 9, 2026
* CALA2605.09
-Birds mentioned
Inca Dove
White-winged Dove
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern
Western Cattle-Egret
Broad-winged Hawk
White-throated Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
Black-and-white Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Northern Parula
Scarlet Tanager
California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/
Date: 5/9/26 3:01 pm From: lathrotriccus via groups.io <lathrotriccus...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: Blocks that need Attention in LA County
Thanks for doing this, Lance!
For Canoga Park SE, I'd add the Caballero Creek Trail, as well as the "dirt
Mulholland" hiking road which runs east-west up near the crest (park at the
western end of Mulholland).
For Pt. Dume CE, there's the nice sycamore-oak riparian zone along
Escondido Rd., reached via Maguire Dr. off Latigo. It's a mix of houses and
habitat, but it should be hoppin now.
I also see that Calabasas NE is a zero - that includes a lot of Chatsworth
Nature Preserve (incl. Chatsworth Res., which is closed to the public but
bird-able from the perimeter in a few places), as well as the surrounding
hills that include Chatsworth Oaks Park and Woolsey Canyon Rd.
These places are likely <1hr away from a lot of folks reading this.
Not sure what others are seeing, but I'm still seeing "early season"
activity, like House Wrens and Hooded Orioles entering nest sites, rather
than trailing fledglings around. Things should be good for many more weeks
even along the coastal slope, and I always think June is probably the best
time to confirm breeding for a lot of these, since the juveniles will be
loud and often still right near nest sites. So, don't lose hope if you're
seeing a lot right now but confirming very little.
Good birding!
Dan Cooper
Oak Park, VEN
On Sat, May 9, 2026 at 2:34 PM Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner=
<charter.net...> wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> As part of our regular Los Angeles updates, I've been mentioning that
> there are still dozens of blocks across the county that have received
> little or no attention. There have been requests to highlight some of
> these, so this email is going to do that.
>
> First, as of Saturday morning, May 9, data have been entered for 350
> blocks in Los Angeles County out of a total of 434. That's 81% but it
> also means that there are 84 blocks with no data yet.
>
> Here are some blocks across the county that need attention:
>
>
>
> Sunland NW
>
> Only 4 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. Drive up
> Little Tujunga Canyon Road to Dillon Divide and then hike either west on
> the road toward Kagel Mountain or east along Mendenhall Ridge.
>
>
>
> Sunland NE
>
> Only 10 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero. Access is easiest
> along Big Tujunga Canyoy Road northeast of Sunland. This includes the Trail
> Canyon Trail and waterfall and the Gold CanyonTruck Trail.
>
>
>
> Canoga Park SE
>
> No species have been reported in this block, which includes Marvin
> Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Mullholland Hills Country Club, El
> Caballero Country Club residential neighbhorhoods, Encino Reservoir is
> in this block but access is probably restricted.
>
>
>
> Topanga NE
>
> No data yet. The easiest access is through Mandeville Canyon,
> although given damage from the Palisades Fire, I don't know about access
> along Mandeville Canyon Road. It might be possible to access the
> northwestern corner from Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park (from the
> north) of from the west from Topanga State Park.
>
>
>
> Malibu Beach NE
>
> Only two species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. This block
> includes Old Topanga Village, Topanga Park, Bonnell Park, Red Rock Canyon
> Park, and parts of Mulholland Highway.
>
>
>
> Point Dume CE
>
> This is another species with zero species coded or confirmed. This block
> is north of Point Dume and includes parts of Kanan-Dume Road, parts of
> Latigo Canyon Road, and a section of Backbone Trail.
>
>
>
> South Gate CW
>
> This is a block in the urban core that has zero species coded or
> confirmed. It's highly residential with several parks (such as Lynwood
> Park) and straddles 105 east of 110.
>
>
>
> Glendora NE
>
> This block hasn't received any attention yet. This is in the San Gabriel
> Mountains along the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, which includes Camp
> Williams, Oaks Picnic Area, and the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead. The
> northern part of Glendora Mountain Road is in this block as is part
> of Glendora Ridge Road.
>
>
>
> Glendora CE
>
> This block hasn't received any attention yet either. It's in the San
> Gabriel Mountains north of Glendora and includes short sections of Glendora
> Ridge Road and Glendora Mountain road (including their intersection). Most
> of this block is in the San Dimas Experimental Forest, which is closed to
> the public without special permission. Does anyone have access?
>
>
>
> Mescal Creek CW
>
> Zero coverage. This is a block on the north slope of the San Gabriel
> Mountains. It includes the north end of Mescal Creek, junipers,
> pinyons, and desert scrub. There are a lot of dirt roads with little
> traffic. Part of Panorama Road crosses east-west through this block.
>
>
>
> El Mirage CW
>
> This block has zero species coded or confirmed. It's in the
> Antelope Valley near Gray Butte Airport and includes some agricultural
> fields, some buttes, and a lot of desert scrub. There are both paved and
> dirt roads that traverse this block.
>
> If you have time to visit any of these blocks, your help would be greatly
> appreciated!
>
> I'll send the longer, biweekly update later today in a separate email.
>
> Thank you for all your help with the bird atlas,
>
> Lance
>
> Lance Benner
> Pasadena
>
> _._,_._,_
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Date: 5/9/26 2:44 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: Blocks that need Attention in LA County
Hi Again Everyone, I wrote that last email rather quickly so please excuse the numerous typos. Arg! I attempted to highlight blocks that are within easy driving distance of people in the coastal slope but also mentioned some that are in the Antelope Valley. Most of the blocks with no coverage are in the Antelope Valley so future emails are likely to highlight those more prominently. Regards, Lance Lance BennerPasadena --------------------
From: "Lance Benner" <lbenner...> To: <lacobirds...>, <pasadenaaudubon...> Sent: May 9, 2026 at 2:34 PM PDT Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: Blocks that need Attention in LA County Hi Everyone, As part of our regular Los Angeles updates, I've been mentioning that there are still dozens of blocks across the county that have received little or no attention. There have been requests to highlight some of these, so this email is going to do that. First, as of Saturday morning, May 9, data have been entered for 350 blocks in Los Angeles County out of a total of 434. That's 81% but it also means that there are 84 blocks with no data yet. Here are some blocks across the county that need attention:
Sunland NW
Only 4 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. Drive up Little Tujunga Canyon Road to Dillon Divide and then hike either west on the road toward Kagel Mountain or east along Mendenhall Ridge.
Sunland NE
Only 10 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero. Access is easiest along Big Tujunga Canyoy Road northeast of Sunland. This includes the Trail Canyon Trail and waterfall and the Gold CanyonTruck Trail.
Canoga Park SE
No species have been reported in this block, which includes Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Mullholland Hills Country Club, El Caballero Country Club residential neighbhorhoods, Encino Reservoir is in this block but access is probably restricted.
Topanga NE
No data yet. The easiest access is through Mandeville Canyon, although given damage from the Palisades Fire, I don't know about access along Mandeville Canyon Road. It might be possible to access the northwestern corner from Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park (from the north) of from the west from Topanga State Park.
Malibu Beach NE
Only two species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. This block includes Old Topanga Village, Topanga Park, Bonnell Park, Red Rock Canyon Park, and parts of Mulholland Highway.
Point Dume CE
This is another species with zero species coded or confirmed. This block is north of Point Dume and includes parts of Kanan-Dume Road, parts of Latigo Canyon Road, and a section of Backbone Trail.
South Gate CW
This is a block in the urban core that has zero species coded or confirmed. It's highly residential with several parks (such as Lynwood Park) and straddles 105 east of 110.
Glendora NE
This block hasn't received any attention yet. This is in the San Gabriel Mountains along the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, which includes Camp Williams, Oaks Picnic Area, and the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead. The northern part of Glendora Mountain Road is in this block as is part of Glendora Ridge Road.
Glendora CE
This block hasn't received any attention yet either. It's in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Glendora and includes short sections of Glendora Ridge Road and Glendora Mountain road (including their intersection). Most of this block is in the San Dimas Experimental Forest, which is closed to the public without special permission. Does anyone have access?
Mescal Creek CW
Zero coverage. This is a block on the north slope of the San Gabriel Mountains. It includes the north end of Mescal Creek, junipers, pinyons, and desert scrub. There are a lot of dirt roads with little traffic. Part of Panorama Road crosses east-west through this block.
El Mirage CW
This block has zero species coded or confirmed. It's in the Antelope Valley near Gray Butte Airport and includes some agricultural fields, some buttes, and a lot of desert scrub. There are both paved and dirt roads that traverse this block.
If you have time to visit any of these blocks, your help would be greatly appreciated! I'll send the longer, biweekly update later today in a separate email. Thank you for all your help with the bird atlas, Lance Lance BennerPasadena _._,_._,_
Date: 5/9/26 2:34 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas: Blocks that need Attention in LA County
Hi Everyone, As part of our regular Los Angeles updates, I've been mentioning that there are still dozens of blocks across the county that have received little or no attention. There have been requests to highlight some of these, so this email is going to do that. First, as of Saturday morning, May 9, data have been entered for 350 blocks in Los Angeles County out of a total of 434. That's 81% but it also means that there are 84 blocks with no data yet. Here are some blocks across the county that need attention:
Sunland NW
Only 4 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. Drive up Little Tujunga Canyon Road to Dillon Divide and then hike either west on the road toward Kagel Mountain or east along Mendenhall Ridge.
Sunland NE
Only 10 species coded with breeding confirmed for zero. Access is easiest along Big Tujunga Canyoy Road northeast of Sunland. This includes the Trail Canyon Trail and waterfall and the Gold CanyonTruck Trail.
Canoga Park SE
No species have been reported in this block, which includes Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Mullholland Hills Country Club, El Caballero Country Club residential neighbhorhoods, Encino Reservoir is in this block but access is probably restricted.
Topanga NE
No data yet. The easiest access is through Mandeville Canyon, although given damage from the Palisades Fire, I don't know about access along Mandeville Canyon Road. It might be possible to access the northwestern corner from Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park (from the north) of from the west from Topanga State Park.
Malibu Beach NE
Only two species coded with breeding confirmed for zero species. This block includes Old Topanga Village, Topanga Park, Bonnell Park, Red Rock Canyon Park, and parts of Mulholland Highway.
Point Dume CE
This is another species with zero species coded or confirmed. This block is north of Point Dume and includes parts of Kanan-Dume Road, parts of Latigo Canyon Road, and a section of Backbone Trail.
South Gate CW
This is a block in the urban core that has zero species coded or confirmed. It's highly residential with several parks (such as Lynwood Park) and straddles 105 east of 110.
Glendora NE
This block hasn't received any attention yet. This is in the San Gabriel Mountains along the East Fork of the San Gabriel River, which includes Camp Williams, Oaks Picnic Area, and the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead. The northern part of Glendora Mountain Road is in this block as is part of Glendora Ridge Road.
Glendora CE
This block hasn't received any attention yet either. It's in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Glendora and includes short sections of Glendora Ridge Road and Glendora Mountain road (including their intersection). Most of this block is in the San Dimas Experimental Forest, which is closed to the public without special permission. Does anyone have access?
Mescal Creek CW
Zero coverage. This is a block on the north slope of the San Gabriel Mountains. It includes the north end of Mescal Creek, junipers, pinyons, and desert scrub. There are a lot of dirt roads with little traffic. Part of Panorama Road crosses east-west through this block.
El Mirage CW
This block has zero species coded or confirmed. It's in the Antelope Valley near Gray Butte Airport and includes some agricultural fields, some buttes, and a lot of desert scrub. There are both paved and dirt roads that traverse this block.
If you have time to visit any of these blocks, your help would be greatly appreciated! I'll send the longer, biweekly update later today in a separate email. Thank you for all your help with the bird atlas, Lance Lance BennerPasadena _._,_._,_
Date: 5/9/26 1:25 pm From: Lance Benner via groups.io <lbenner...> Subject: [LACoBirds] California Bird Atlas Monthly Summary
Hi Everyone, The monthly summary of state-wide progress on the California Bird Atlas is now available on the eBird portal at: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/news/atlas-dispatch-april-2026 The next town hall meeting for updates and Q & A will be on May 27. Here's a link to sign up: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ADwQ9TF0TQm44gP3ACPgFA#/registration Previous town halls were recorded and posted on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/@CaliforniaBirdAtlas The latter website also includes short videos about 1) a phone app that allows easy access to information about the atlas from a cell phone and 2) how to move an eBird list that wasn't submitted as part of the atlas into the dedicated eBird portal. I'll provide a more detailed update regarding progress in Los Angeles County in a separate email later today. Regards, Lance Lance BennerPasadena _._,_._,_
We currently have copies of 18 programs including our most recent from 5 May, 2026: Evolution in Urban Dark-eyed Juncos, with Dr. Pamela Yeh of UCLA and her graduate students Mars Walters, Sierra Glassman, Prasheetha Karthikeyan, & Joey Di Liberto.
For the general benefit of birders anywhere, this page also lists other Audubon chapters' pages for their Zoom recordings and Webinars. So far I have found the pages for only three chapters and one general birder organization. If your chapter or organization wishes to include your collection of programs or YouTube page on this list, reply to this message with the web address and your organization name will be similarly added in alphabetical order.
Good birding! Chuck Almdale North Hills, Ca. Blog Editor - Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
Date: 5/8/26 1:00 pm From: rebecca.fenning via groups.io <rebecca.fenning...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA Birders: 5/12 Icterid ID webinar + 5/31 Pelagic
Dear Birders,
You are invited to the next LA Birders webinar. We also are opening public
sign ups for our May 31 pelagic in Redondo Bay - more information on that
below!
Icterid Identification: Making Sense of New World Orioles and Blackbirds
Join Diego for an in-depth look at the identification of Icterids, from
blackbirds to orioles. We will explore key field marks, vocalizations, and
seasonal patterns that help separate similar species in the field.
This webinar will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel
<https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f> and will also be recorded for later viewing.
Please use the YouTube link above (alternatively:
https://tinyurl.com/2y6efp3f) which will take you directly to LAB’s main
page, where the live webinar should be visible once it begins at 7pm.
We are excited to announce a new LAB pelagic trip! This is a 5-hour trip,
giving us the opportunity to explore more areas and find more birds. We
will depart in the early morning from King Harbor in Redondo Beach and
return around noon.
We will explore the areas around Redondo Canyon, an underwater canyon that
tends to have upwellings of food that attract birds. We will be on the
lookout for shearwaters, alcids, terns, gulls, phalaropes, jaegers, and
storm-petrels.
The trip will cost $100 per person, which includes a gratuity for the boat
crew. Note that we will be on a 65-foot boat on the open ocean, and that
there is a bit of a walk from the parking area to the boat. After making a
reservation below, you will receive a confirmation and you will be emailed
the meeting location.
Cancellations/refunds: LAB doesn’t make a profit on the trip, so we take a
loss if there are unfilled spots on the boat. So no refunds UNLESS (1) you
cancel more than 72 hours in advance, and (2) we can find someone to take
your spot. To cancel after you have signed up, please email
<info...> and we will contact people on the wait list on a
first-come-first-served basis to try to fill your spot. Please don’t try to
bypass the wait list by offering your spot to someone else.
All individuals under the age of 18 participating in a LAB sponsored event
must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult designated as
responsible for their well-being including their safety, behavior, and
compliance with all applicable rules and regulations during the course of
the event, program, activity, etc.
Birding Location Guides!
We are excited to announce our new series of birding location guide videos,
which you can find both on our website
<https://www.labirders.org/locations.html> and our YouTube page
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv3bMyFnQcPeMEseHFEcg25cXiD17x8Nn>.
As we all know, sometimes visiting a new-to-you birding hotspot can be a
bit confusing and intimidating - how do you know where to park, where to
go, and what the landmarks within these places are? Hopefully these guides
will help to demystify these locations. Featuring birders from around LA,
these guides offer overviews and introductions about how to visit these
spots and how best to bird them.
Become a LAB Member! Though our webinars will always remain free and
available to all, members of Los Angeles Birders have access to live
webinars via Zoom, invitations to special LAB-only field trips, priority
sign-up on LAB field trips & events, and discounts on paid LAB programs. To
learn more about membership, please see our website
<https://www.labirders.org/>!
Looking for a past webinar? Don’t forget that a list of all of our
previously recorded webinars <https://www.labirders.org/webinars.html> is
available on our website – which might come in handy if you want to study
up before a field trip, or if you're looking to build your birding skills
from home! Just scroll all the way down, past our upcoming and most recent
online programs and you'll find a list of webinars sorted by category.
These recordings are all viewable via our YouTube
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbAhQTFVaeowMCl-sD2e0g> page.
Upcoming Events
5/9 Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve with Duncan McClure (member field trip)
5/12 Icterid Identification with Diego Blanco (webinar)
Then give it about 30 seconds for Zoom Workplace� to show up
(If the button above doesn't work for you,
see detailed zoom invitation below)
The Yeh Lab at UCLA is excited to be giving a
talk on evolution in urban dark-eyed juncos
(Junco hyemalis). Dr. Pamela Yeh will start by
discussing some of the history of the lab's work
on the juncos and providing an overview of the
work being done in her lab. PhD student Mars
Walters will talk about a long-term behavioral
shift in UCLAâ's dark-eyed juncos induced by the
COVID-19 lockdown. PhD student Sierra Glassman
will talk about her in-progress research on urban
genomic evolution of juncos across California. MS
student Prasheetha Karthikeyan will discuss her
ongoing research on the flocking behavior of
urban dark eyed juncos on the UCLA campus during
their nonbreeding season. Lastly, another PhD
student, Joey Di Liberto, will present new
research on how female juncos adjust the volume
of their eggs across their nests as well as over
the breeding season; and what this means for how
birds manage reproductive investment in changing conditions.
Dr. Pamela Yeh is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at
UCLA. She studies how human activities affect
the evolution of species, focusing on the
evolution of birds in urban environments and the
evolution of drug resistant bacteria in urban
and agricultural areas. She is also interested in
the role biology plays in public health, and how
biological data and insights can both inform
public health research as well as public health
policy.She received her PhD in Evolutionary
Biology from UC San Diego and has conducted
postdoctoral work in the Center for Genomics
Research and the Systems Biology Department, both
at Harvard University. She has been at UCLA since
2013. Dr. Yeh is also an External Faculty at Santa Fe Institute.
