Dear friends,

I just heard from Karyn Sauber that she has a tailless Gray Catbird coming to her home at Canebrake in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Patronizing the bird bath, not surprisingly, in the 113° F heat. She sent me two pictures confirming the identification.

Good birding,

Philip Unitt
San Diego

--
Jean Dittmyer
Jeandittmye@...

Today, June 15, a summering Black Turnstone continues at J Street. Had a total of 5 "Black" Brant on San Diego Bay (1 Chula Vista bayfront, 1 Coronado Cays, 3 Delta Beach) which is more than the usual 2 or so I see per summer on the Bay. A check of several ocean vantage points between Imperial Beach and Coronado produced ca. 250 non-breeding Western Grebes, which is fewer than normal in summer there, and I could not find a single scoter! There was a Red-throated Loon off Coronado; about one per summer is average.

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

--
Jean Dittmyer
Jeandittmye@...

The San Diego pelagic trip on 13 June, sponsored by Buena Vista Audubon Society and aboard "Legacy" out to the 9-Mile and 30-Mile Banks and "the Corner" (up to 35 miles offshore) took place in 3-to-4-fot seas and a nice overcast in the AM and sunshine in the PM. As has been the case in recent times, overall bird numbers and diversity were only so-so, although there were some well seen and photo'd highlights, and there was a good whale show. The best birds were two pairs of CRAVERI'S MURRELETS and a surprise breeding-plumaged BLACK TERN (32.686, -117.652). Also good looks at Scripps's Murrelets, still several late-lingering Northern Fulmars, numbers of Ashy Storm-Petrels, a Brown Booby, and a couple mid-June well-offshore landbirds. One of the Blue Whales put on a good show. Photos will be posted with the eBird reports to appear in the following couple days. Offshore (beyond 2 miles) totals for the day were as follows:

Scripps's Murrelet 11 (a typical "late date")

CRAVERI'S MURRELET 4 (two pairs; one at "the Corner" well seen, the other at NW corner 9-Mile Bank)

Cassin's Auklet 18

Heermann's Gull 2

Western Gull 100

Least Tern 8 (including all the way offshore to the Corner, 33+ miles offshore)

BLACK TERN 1 (feeding adult in San Diego Trough, 23 mi W of Point Loma; some Black Terns are indeed pelagic in non-breeding season, but date locally is somewhat odd for this rare migrant)

Elegant Tern 275

Black Storm-Petrel 250

Ashy Storm-Petrel 12

Leach's Storm-Petrel 1 (briefly seen in L.A. Co. waters)

Northern Fulmar 3 (rare in summer; various color morphs)

Pink-footed Shearwater 1 (low)

Sooty Shearwater 20

Black-vented Shearwater 15

Brown Booby 1 (just inside 9-Mile Bank)

Double-crested Cormorant 1

Brandt's Cormorant 2

Brown Pelican 150

Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird 1 (presumably a post-breeding dispersing Allen's?)

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER 1 (far offshore at "the Corner"; probably a post-breeding disperser)

Blue, Fin, and Humpback Whales, Common Dolphins, Mola-Molas


--Paul Lehman, Jimmy McMorran, Dave Povey, Bruce Rideout, Justyn Stahl, et al., San Diego

The Wood Stork is currently roosting in a tree above the Marabou Stork exhibit at the SD Zoo Safari Park.

Rick Grove
Carlsbad, CA

Hi Paul,

Perhaps it's worth noting that a recent (2019) paper found an extensive
hybrid zone between Allen's and Rufous Hummingbirds along the north coast
of California and the south coast of adjacent Oregon.

Brian M Myers, David T Rankin, Kevin J Burns, Christopher J Clark,
Behavioral and morphological evidence of an Allen’s × Rufous hummingbird
(Selasphorus sasin × S. rufus) hybrid zone in southern Oregon and northern
California, The Auk, Volume 136, Issue 4, 1 October 2019, ukz049,

https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukz049


On Fri, 11 Jun 2021 11:16:01 -0700, "lehman.paul@verizon.net via groups.io"
<lehman.paul=verizon.net@groups.io> wrote:

First some miscellanea from today, 11 June. A very-rare-in-summer male
Lesser Scaup and 2 Cattle Egrets were at the main Dairy Mart pond. The
egrets may well be the same two individuals present sporadically in that
area since at least last December and which roost at the ponds but
probably forage primarily on the Tijuana side of the border. And there
are two adult Reddish Egrets today along the Chula Vista bayfront.

Now a couple ID pitfalls (real or likely) that have arisen over the past
2+ weeks, mostly via eBird reports. First, as everyone knows, it was a
very good winter and spring for Pine Siskins, and some lingerers made it
very late--to at least 29 May. (And a few were still present in just the
past few days out on San Clemente Island.) There are a few coastal
records from past years as late as 31 May, and the latest there is 6
June 1999 in the TRV. One was reported yesterday in the TRV, but it
turns out to have been a juvenile Lawrence's Goldfinch (small finch,
lots of blurry streaking below, lots yellow in wing). The second pitfall
involves reports of male Rufous Hummingbirds in late May and June. The
latest documented record in spring for a male Rufous is through 19 May
2018 in the TRV. But this year, several Rufous have been reported later
than that date and into early June, none photo'd. Any such report
between 20 May and early July needs to be documented with photos.
(Southbound males can arrive perhaps as early as the very end of June,
although early or especially mid-July is more typical.) Yesterday, 10
June, a very interesting male Allen's/Rufous was seen and photographed
in residential Carlsbad by Jane Mygatt and Kathy Aldern. They properly
diagnosed it as either an odd Allen's or as uncertain! Photos of it are
viewable at:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S89965288

Many Allen's at this time of year are faded, worn, and somewhat ratty
and in molt (unlike typical Rufous, which are fresher and do not molt
until much later in season), and this bird has the green feathering on
the back looking very muted so that the overall impression of the entire
upperparts could easily be of it being dull rufous, especially if the
bird was watched only briefly or in certain lights. Note how what
greenish color there is varies depending on the angle and lighting,
sometimes being quite minimal and dull (mix of grayish and a little
rufous). But also note that the tail feathers have the shape of an
Allen's (very narrow outermost feather [R5] and an R2 that is NOT
dimpled--that is, does not show an indentation just short of the tip).
The bird appears to be molting some throat fethers (?), thus the white
spotting visible there (unless that signifies that the bird is only
about a year old...). Several hummingbird experts concur that this bird
is almost certainly a worn, faded Allen's.

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA

Just a reminder, folks- unlike prior (fishing vs whale-watch?) boats, this boat's snack-bar is in fact NOTHING more than that, i.e. no meals, not even e.g. a sandwich or hot dog or such,

See you Sun! :-)

Paul Chad

First some miscellanea from today, 11 June. A very-rare-in-summer male Lesser Scaup and 2 Cattle Egrets were at the main Dairy Mart pond. The egrets may well be the same two individuals present sporadically in that area since at least last December and which roost at the ponds but probably forage primarily on the Tijuana side of the border. And there are two adult Reddish Egrets today along the Chula Vista bayfront.

Now a couple ID pitfalls (real or likely) that have arisen over the past 2+ weeks, mostly via eBird reports. First, as everyone knows, it was a very good winter and spring for Pine Siskins, and some lingerers made it very late--to at least 29 May. (And a few were still present in just the past few days out on San Clemente Island.) There are a few coastal records from past years as late as 31 May, and the latest there is 6 June 1999 in the TRV. One was reported yesterday in the TRV, but it turns out to have been a juvenile Lawrence's Goldfinch (small finch, lots of blurry streaking below, lots yellow in wing). The second pitfall involves reports of male Rufous Hummingbirds in late May and June. The latest documented record in spring for a male Rufous is through 19 May 2018 in the TRV. But this year, several Rufous have been reported later than that date and into early June, none photo'd. Any such report between 20 May and early July needs to be documented with photos. (Southbound males can arrive perhaps as early as the very end of June, although early or especially mid-July is more typical.) Yesterday, 10 June, a very interesting male Allen's/Rufous was seen and photographed in residential Carlsbad by Jane Mygatt and Kathy Aldern. They properly diagnosed it as either an odd Allen's or as uncertain! Photos of it are viewable at:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S89965288

Many Allen's at this time of year are faded, worn, and somewhat ratty and in molt (unlike typical Rufous, which are fresher and do not molt until much later in season), and this bird has the green feathering on the back looking very muted so that the overall impression of the entire upperparts could easily be of it being dull rufous, especially if the bird was watched only briefly or in certain lights. Note how what greenish color there is varies depending on the angle and lighting, sometimes being quite minimal and dull (mix of grayish and a little rufous). But also note that the tail feathers have the shape of an Allen's (very narrow outermost feather [R5] and an R2 that is NOT dimpled--that is, does not show an indentation just short of the tip). The bird appears to be molting some throat fethers (?), thus the white spotting visible there (unless that signifies that the bird is only about a year old...). Several hummingbird experts concur that this bird is almost certainly a worn, faded Allen's.

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

I arrived on Warner in residential Point Loma just before 8:00 in time for Alex to point out where the hepatic was sitting up in a eucalyptus tree and we heard it calling a bunch but could not see it and then it shut up and there's no sign of it since, this is in the eucalyptus trees at 3710 warner. If it's still in the area it can go either north or south and feed perhaps in the blooming silk oak trees that are just half a block either direction. While most of us probably saw one of the wintering hepatics in the county this year, this may well be the first late spring record of this species ever on the coast in California. A number of such previous reports then turned out to be dusky-billed Summer Tanagers. Alex also had a very late Townsend's warbler at the corner of Warner and silvergate, and I'm looking at a pewee while I wait for the Tanager possibly to reappear.

There is currently a female type Hepatic Tanager in the eucs along Warner about midway between Silver Gate and Catalina.

Alex Abela
San Diego

Ter Hurst and I tried for the Wood Stork at Lake Hodges again this
morning. We managed to just miss it yesterday when Max and Donna had it
fly over. We had no luck today. I think Ter got there just after
sunrise, and I arrived at our viewing spot about where Max was yesterday
around 7:50 a.m. We stayed there until 10:00 a.m. I had a scope. No sign
of it being in view.

Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs



--
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

Hi all,
A bit belated of a message, but thought I would mention and give some tips of where I happen to spot the Wood Stork at Lake Hodges this morning for those considering chasing it at this lake. From the Bernardino Bay and Piedras Pintadas Trails side, I happened at one point to be standing by approximately (33.0530860, -117.0854965) and scanning around the lake mainly to the west. This area gives you a view of a north and south shoreline. At least a mile west of there (probably a lot closer if viewing it from the San Dieguito River Trail on the north side of Lake Hodges) was where I spotted a large white bird that I suspected to be the Wood Stork just chilling on one of the shorelines by 2 Great Blue Herons (one basically super close by to it). That was around 8:45 AM. I didn’t stay in that area for too long as I wasn’t too sure at first of what I was attempting to distantly photographed. A bit later closer to 9:20 or so I noticed the same large white bird this time a bit southeast on the south side of the lake in a large dead tree back in the same area I stood at prior. Still being very far out in the distance, I got a few better yet poor record shots to see later that it had a bald head. This was when Donna Mancuso was nearby me and she with her long zoom lens point and shoot got a photo of it in a large dead tree which I was able to make out the details better than mine to confirm my suspicion later on. The bird took off and gained elevation as it continued on soaring around least 2 or 3 hillsides southwest of where we were standing. At 9:50 it completely flew over us while in the process of being mobbed by 4 Common Ravens that were mobbing a Red-tailed Hawk moments before that. The Stork continued moving northeast towards the direction of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park which is probably where it ended up if I had to guess. I have no idea in terms of a pattern of this bird of how often it sticks around Lake Hodges versus the Safari Park. That will be the fun part to figure out more about. I didn’t have time to check along the San Dieguito River Trail side this morning while I was there to see if it was actually closer or not.

Good Birding,
Max Leibowitz
San Diego/formerly also Tucson


--
Max Leibowitz
Tucson, AZ / San Diego, CA

We had a Greater Yellowlegs at Lake Hodges this morning.

Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

--
Lisa Ruby
Sabre Springs

In the miscellanea category, landbird migrants have thinned considerably (no surprise!), with a migrant Pacific-slope Flycatcher at the Tijuana Estuary on 8 June, and a W. Wood-Pewee and Willow Flycatcher in Encinitas on 7 June. There was still a lingering Northern Fulmar off La Jolla on 4 June, where also a lingering/summering Black Turnstone. And speaking of presumed summering shorebirds, today's (8 June) totals of non-breeders on public-access sections of South San Diego Bay were:

Black-bellied Plover: 40

Semipalmated Plover: 20

Whimbrel: 3

Long-billed Curlew: 11

Marbled Godwit: XX

Ruddy Turnstone: 2

Black Turnstone: 2

Red Knot: 9 (surprisingly 6 of the 9 were in partial or full alternate plumage)

Western Sandpiper: 13

Short-billed Dowitcher: 80 (2 in alternate)

Greater Yellowlegs: 6

Willet: XX

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

On Sunday, June 6th, two small private boats went offshore out to the 30-Mile Bank and "the Corner," birding separately to and fro, but combining forces at the Corner. Seas and winds were light, but bird numbers were rather low, and overall offshore diversity was low. The clear highlight was the cooperative LAYSAN ALBATROSS inside San Diego County waters at the Corner (33 mi W of tip of Point Loma). Multiple folks will undoubtedly post photos later via eBird. Offshore totals for one of the boats were:

Scripps's Murrelet 3 (family group)

Cassin's Auklet 11

Heermann's Gull 1

Western Gull 65

Least Tern 6 (incl. all the way out to the Corner)

Elegant Tern 250

LAYSAN ALBATROSS (32.628, -117.809)

Pink-footed Shearwater 2

Sooty Shearwater 30

Black-vented Shearwater 4

Ashy Storm-Petrel 4

Black Storm-Petrel 50

Brown Booby 2

Brown Pelican 100

--Paul Lehman et al., San Diego

On Saturday, June 5th, a Hammond's Flycatcher was in Coronado Cays (with a Willow and migrant(?) Pacific-slope). This ties the all-time late spring date for San Diego County. Photos of today's bird can be seen in my eBird report from there. Also today, Terry Hurst found a very late (summering?) Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow at Santee Lakes, and Alex Abela found a very late Hermit Warbler (singing male) and Townsend's Warbler (female) in residential Point Loma. The Hermit may well be a hybrid Hermit X Townsend's, but is clearly mostly a Hermit. See his photos in his eBird report. Both these warblers are just 2-4 days shy of the all-time late spring dates for the county. I continued to see a glut of Western Wood-Pewees today, with 18 on Point Loma and 2 in Coronado, although almost all of them were in exactly the same places as two days ago, so certainly mostly lingering birds. Also a couple Willow Flycatchers and a Warbling Vireo. A Black-headed Grosbeak in residential Point Loma was likely a late spring migrant rather than a summering bird at that site.

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

Thanks Trent.  I had trouble finding where to make comments on the CCC web page but eventually found the link for comments if you go to the "Thursday June 10" tab.  However the email for sending comments is to SanDiegoCoast@... and the subject line should read "Public Comment on June 2021 Agenda Item Thursday 9f - City of San Diego LCP Amendment No. LCP-6-SAN-19-0142-2 (Fiesta Island)"