Author: KDL (Page 2 of 62)

A New 5MR Big Year record

December 12, 2024 / KDL / 0 Comments

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.

A New Gull and Sparrow in LA

December 4, 2024 / KDL / 0 Comments

Vega Gull, LA River, Nov. ’24

Vega Gull

In my last post, I wrote about taxonomy changes that resulted in an armchair lifers. Taxonomy changes also present the opportunity for new sightings. And hot off the heels of a split of Herring Gull into 4 different species, a keen birder in L.A. spotted one of the new birds on the L.A. River. Most of the Herring Gulls we see around L.A. in the winter became American Herring Gulls with the split. One of the new species is called Vega Gull. It breeds in Siberia and Alaska. It typically winters in Japan and China. But a few of those Alaska birds head down the Pacific Coast of North America. each winter

Gulls can be tremendously difficult to identify. Many species take 3 or 4 years to reach adult plumage. Before then, they go through many different looks. On top of that, gulls are incredibly variable in their coloration. Finally, the differences between one species and another can be slight. Maybe the bill is slightly larger, or thinner, or angled a bit different. Maybe the primaries are dark or pale. Maybe the tips of the primaries are tipped with white, or not, or just one or two primaries are tipped in white. Leg color might be the distinguishing feature.

All of which is to say, it’s pretty insane that somebody picked out a juvenile Vega Gull from amongst a roiling flock of gulls on the L.A. River. It took me 3 visits before I picked it out. The one gift for listers seeking to spot this Vega Gull was a beauty mark it had in front of its left eye. Find the juvenile Herring-type gull with the black spot in front of its eye, and you can be assured that you’d found the Vega Gull. Keen eyes could also see variable barring on the tail band, and more white edging on its scapular feathers (back) than on other juvenile Herring Gulls. Maybe someday I’ll spot a Vega in my 5MR.

Nelson’s Sparrow, Malibu Lagoon Nov. ’24

Nelson’s Sparrow

Good birds are often found over the Thanksgiving break. Part of it is some time off to wander. Part of it is winter vagrancy. And part of it is out of town birders with fresh eyes looking around. This year was no different. On Friday, just as night fell, an eBird report came in about a Nelson’s Sparrow in Malibu Lagoon. This is a Midwest and East Coast salt and freshwater marsh sparrow. There were only two previous sightings in L.A. in the last 50 years. It’s an elusive species, and the habitat at Malibu Lagoon for this species is marginal at best. So I wasn’t sure if the bird would stick around. And even if it did, it could be hard to find.

Luckily, there would likely be a lot of eyes looking. When I showed up at 6:45am, there were already 3 birders there. But they hadn’t seen the Nelson’s Sparrow. A high tide had reduced the muddy edge where the Nelson’s Sparrow was likely to be seen. And gusty winds were keeping birds hunkered down. With each passing 10 minutes, another birder or two showed up. And for 2 hours we looked without success for the little sparrow.

First look

Working the muddy shore

Once the tide receded enough to provide room to wiggle along the shore of the marsh, the Nelson’s Sparrow was spotted. It then gave short, but satisfying, views as it foraged around. The nerds with their cameras jostled for a shot. Once that frenzy died down, it was good moods all around. For most present (including me), this was a lifer. Five days later, it’s still hanging around.