5MR lifer Indigo Bunting showing subtle blues

2025 = 5MR Record Year

It’s been a big year in LA for unusual and rare birds. Yearly species totals are up for many. The most terminally afflicted LA county lister is honing in on 400 species for the year. Consistent with this, 2025 has been a record-setting year in my 5MR. My best year previously was 2018, when I organized a 5MR challenge amongst SoCal birders. That year, focusing on my 5MR from January to December, I found 228 species.

I didn’t set out this year to go crazy in my 5MR. By the end of March, I’d seen 147 species (compared to 174 in my record-setting year).  And despite a bunch of good rarities over the spring and summer that were new to my 5MR list (Virginia’s Warbler, Little Blue Heron, Ruff, Eastern Yellow Wagtail), I was still a good deal behind record pace at the end of October. There were a handful of species I figured I could count on getting. But I didn’t think I had a shot at busting my 2018 total.

Things went as good as possible in November. I added 15 more species that month. Some were regulars I hadn’t yet seen (Northern Harrier, American White Pelican, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Burrowing Owl, Black-vented Shearwater). Some were species I couldn’t count on every year (Grasshopper Sparrow, Painted Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Baltimore Oriole). By December 1, I was sitting at 225 – just 3 shy of my record.

Lilac-crowned Amazon
Red-lored Amazon

The first week of December, I headed to Village Green to look for a Purple Finch. I didn’t see one, but a big flock of parrots flew in while I was there. Most of them were Lilac-crowned Amazon. A lone Red-lored Amazon was among the group. For reasons that no one finds interesting, the Lilac-crowned Amazon counted. The Red-lored Amazon is considered a provisional (breeding in the wild, but not yet naturalized). ​That put me at 226.

A day later, I picked out a Black Scoter amidst a couple hundred Surf Scoters at Dockweiler Beach. That put me at 227. A Red-necked Grebe at Venice Beach was (I thought) number 228. But it turns out I’d seen not just one, but 2 different Red-necked Grebes earlier in 2024 in my circle. So I remained a species short of tying the record.

Black Scoter: #227
Red-necked Grebe: Not #228

Then word went out about an Indigo Bunting at Ballona Discovery Park. This would be a 5MR lifer. But I had an all-day work commitment that prevented me from going to see it. I waited it out until the next day. Conveniently, upon arrival, it flew in to the feeders and gave good looks. That put me at 228, even with my previous record. And with 3 weeks left in December, I had a couple of birds I as confident I could find. One was Merlin, which I should be able to find at a cemetery. The other was Purple Finch. They move in in small numbers during the winter. Village Green is a good spot to find them.

Indigo Bunting: #228
Purple Finch: #229

The other day, on a quick lunch-time stop at Village Green, I picked a Purple Finch out from amongst a group of House Finches. That put me at 229 species, a new record. The three provisionals on my list (Swinhoe’s White-eye, Pin-tailed Whydah, and Red-lored Parrot) push my year total to 232.

Pin-tailed Whydah
Swinhoe’s White-eye

I’ve still got a couple of weeks left in December to see how high I can push my yearly total.