Rare bird: Black Merlin in Borrego Springs

Slam on the breaks; back up!

There it is. A Merlin. Not only that, it is a Black Merlin Falco columbarius suckleyi. This dark and heavily streaked form of the coastal Pacific Northwest rarely gets this far south. And here in the Anza-Borrego Desert it is also a long ways inland (see subspecies map in National Geographic field guide 7th Edition, Amazon affiliate link to purchase here). It is the rarest of the three forms of Merlin found in San Diego County.

Note that the cheeks are primarily dark, the black breast streaks are broad and extensive, and tail bands are nearly absent.

I spotted this bird in Borrego Springs on my way to the Swainson's Hawk evening hawk watch count site.

Merlin. Borrego Springs, California. March 17, 2019.

Sage Sparrows in Borrego Springs

It has been several years since the Sage Sparrow was split into the Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemiseospiza nevadensis) and the Bell's Sparrow (Artemiseospiza belli). Yet experts still do not agree on how to tell apart the canescens race of Bell's Sparrow from the nominate Sagebrush Sparrow in the field where they winter together in southern California.

I detect differences in back streaking, darkness of the gray head, and width and blackness of the malar streak, as well as habitat preferences. Nevertheless, these differences could be due to sex, age, feather wear, or normal variation.

These birds I found in the saltbush and sand dunes in Borrego Springs. The streaked back, pale gray head, weak malar, all indicate to me that these are Sagebrush Sparrows. But they are not accepted as such in eBird. So, into the Sagebrush/Bell's "Sage" Sparrow bucket they go. Perhaps someday the identification criteria will be more exactly known. Until then, I'll keep on taking photos.

Sage Sparrow. Borrego Springs, California. February 18, 2019.

An early blooming Sand Verbena. Borrego Springs, California. February 18, 2019.

More photos of Sagebrush/Bell's Sparrows in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy). (Rating eBird photos: How and why.)

American Pipit at Lake Hodges

Where do the local pipits breed? Every winter there are pipits on local muddy lake shores and estuaries. They may be found in short-grass areas such as parks or school yard ball fields, cemeteries, golf courses and sod farms.

But they breed in Arctic tundra and tundra-like vegetation above tree line in the highest mountains. From Greenland and Newfoundland to Alaska they breed southward in the Rocky Mountains to a few tall peaks in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and just across the border into Baja Mexico (Sierra San Pedro Martir). None of the peaks in San Diego are tall enough for breeding pipits, at only 5000 feet elevation.

Every fall they move out of the tundra and head south to get out of the snow. Some to the southern United States (and coast-to-coast, from British Columbia to New Jersey) and south all the way to El Salvador.

American Pipit. Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2019.

So, are the pipits here from the Arctic, or only nearby mountains?

Well, hello, Google! I guess I'm not the first to wonder about this. Let me read the article I just found and report back in a few minutes...

… So Jon H. Miller and Michael T. Green wrote an article in The Condor in 1987 titled, appropriately: "Distribution, Status, and Origin of Water Pipits Breeding in California." Ah, yes, for a while in the 1980's a whole bunch of lumping went on. I think this was when we briefly had Green-backed Herons and Black-shouldered Kites (and still have Northern Harriers). Remember? American Pipits (Anthus rubescens) were combined with pipits in Europe and Asia and called Water Pipits (Anthus spinoletta). The American form was considered as a subspecies of Water Pipit. They have been split back out and recognized as a unique species now. So when reading that article, keep the change in scientific nomenclature in mind.

So, this is interesting. From Alaska to Oregon the breeding race of American Pipit is A. r. pacificus. They winter commonly throughout California.

However, the breeding race in the Sierra-Nevada and San Gorgonio Mountain in southern California? Not A. r. pacificus. Instead, they are the Rocky Mountain form A. r. alticola. Even though American Pipits are fairly common breeders in high mountains in California, this has only been true since the 1970's--they were previously absent. So, not what was expected at all. That's often true in nature, and part of what makes bird watching so interesting.

More photos of American Pipit in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).

Bushtit in Ramona

Bushtits on the coastal slope of San Diego County are darker and browner than elsewhere in their western US and SW Canada range. They are typical of those described for northwestern Baja California, Psaltriparus minimus melanurus (San Diego County Bird Atlas, 2004, Philip Unitt).

Bushtit. Ramona, California. January 21, 2019.

These birds are common throughout the county, except desert. They are found in oak woodlands, chaparral, and residential areas.

More photos of Bushtit in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).

White-crowned Sparrow in Imperial Beach

Most of the White-crowned Sparrows in San Diego are the pale-lored* and bright clean plumaged Gambel's form, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii. They nest in southwest Canada and southern Alaska and migrate farther south for winter than the Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrows, Z. l. pugetensis (breed in Pacific Northwest and migrate to central California) and the mostly non-migratory Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow, Z. l. nuttalli (residents in central coastal California).

When more northerly-breeding populations migrate farther south than those breeding in middle latitudes (relatively speaking) this is called "leapfrog" migration. Fox Sparrow populations in western North American also do this.

The pale lores and orangish bill help identify the Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow.

In laurel sumac bush. Imperial Beach, California. January 20, 2019. Greg Gillson.

Some dark-lored Mountain White-crowned Sparrows, Z. l. oriantha, breeding in the interior mountains of the western United States. A few of these sometimes reach southern California in winter.

* Lores (usually used as a plural) are the feathers in the region of the face directly between the eye and bill.

More photos of White-crowned Sparrows in San Diego from eBird. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).

Savannah Sparrow at Imperial Beach

Migrant Savannah Sparrows winter in coastal wetlands. The darker Belding's form photographed here is a local resident in salt marshes of southern California.

Belding's Savannah Sparrow. Imperial Beach, California. January 20, 2019. Greg Gillson.

eBird photos of Savannah Sparrow in San Diego. Click on the photos to rate (1 awful, 2 poor but identifiable, 3 average or small, 4 very good, 5 magazine cover worthy).

ID: Oregon and Slate-colored forms of Dark-eyed Juncos at Lake Cuyamaca

I spotted an obvious male Slate-colored Junco at Lake Cuyamaca on November 5th. It was feeding on some grain thrown on the ground at the bait shop. I have never really explored that part of Lake Cuyamaca as the $10 day use fee seemed more than I wanted to pay for a visit that would only last an hour-and-a-half. But, guess what? It seems somehow I am old enough to earn something called a "senior discount." I'm only worth $5 now.

I followed around a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos down by the shoreline hoping for Gray-headed, Pink-sided, or Cassiar juncos. But I didn't find any of those forms of Dark-eyed Juncos. The Oregon form is the common one here, but so pale compared to the dark rusty-brown ones I grew up with in Oregon. The sides, especially, are so pale and restricted compared to those northern birds. Here, let me show you from previous posts to my blogs:

Gray-headed, Slate-colored, and Oregon juncos in December 2016 in San Diego here.
Cassiar juncos in March and April 2011 in Oregon here.
Oregon junco in November 2007 in Oregon here.

So here are photos from Lake Cuyamaca.

First is a series of male Oregon juncos that match the resident form, thurberi, that is paler on sides and not as dark rusty brown on back as more northern races.

Here, then is a female Oregon Junco. It matches the male except the head is pale gray. Note the sides are pinkish-buff.

Next is the male Slate-colored Junco with dark slate sides. There is no contrast between the hood and back or sides (a mark that would indicate Cassiar Junco).

Finally is this pale female Slate-colored Junco. There is no sharp contrast between the head and back, so not Cassiar Junco. The sides are gray, so not Oregon or Pink-sided Junco. And the back is not bright rusty, so not Gray-headed Junco. Oh, and no white wing bars, so not a White-winged Junco.

Juncos: The same, but different

In 1973 a half dozen forms of juncos, formerly all treated as separate species, were all lumped as one: and thereafter known as the Dark-eyed Junco. Because they look quite different from one another, birders often report the various forms with their previous names--even after 45 years.

Recently I found a flock of juncos in San Diego County that contained several forms: Oregon, Slate-colored, Cassiar, and Gray-headed. If I looked longer I may have been able to find Pink-sided, too, to complete all the forms expected in the county. The Oregon form is a resident of the San Diego mountains and a common winter visitor throughout the county. The other forms mentioned above are numerically rare, but regular annually in winter.

I was able to successfully photograph the Oregon, Slate-colored, and Gray-headed forms on a recent morning visit to Oak Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Escondido. I was not able to get a photo of the Cassiar Junco that was also present. It is a disputed form, some think it a hybrid between Oregon and Slate-colored, others disagree. [See: Not a Slate-colored Junco! The Cassiar Junco.]

"Oregon Junco"

"Slate-colored Junco"

"Gray-headed Junco"

"Gray-headed Junco"

My favorite form right now is the Gray-headed Junco, because it is a form I have rarely seen before. It breeds from southern Idaho and Wyoming to northern Arizona and New Mexico. It is resident in the Grand Canyon area. It is regular, but rare in winter here in the San Diego area. In fact, the only Dark-eyed Junco forms north of Mexico that aren't regular here in winter are White-winged and Red-backed.

Bell's Vireo at San Dieguito River Park

In the 1980's the California population of Bell's Vireo (the Least Bell's Vireo) was down to only about 300 pairs. Two causes of the decline of this once abundant species are really one cause: Man.

Clearing of riparian woodlands in California was a direct attack on the habitat of this small bird. Clearing of forests in general allowed the Brown-headed Cowbird to expand from its historic habitat of Great Plains grasslands to spread across North America. The cowbirds parasitize the nests of smaller songbirds, laying their eggs in the smaller bird's nest to be raised by their foster parents.

In just 15 years of protection as an endangered bird in 1984, the population rebounded by a factor of six (Unitt 2004). And now another successful 15 years have elapsed. How are they protected? Remaining habitat is protected and enhanced. Cowbirds in their habitats are trapped and destroyed. Not an ideal or permanent solution, but necessary now.

Least Bell's Vireo. Near Escondido, California. April 3, 2016. Greg Gillson

Bell's Vireos need a dense canopy with a dense understory in damp stream bottoms. So the San Dieguito River bottom is perfect for them.

The Least Bell's Vireo is a drab gray above and whiter below, different from the Eastern Bell's Vireo, which are more greenish above and yellower below. They have rather faint "spectacles," a white eye ring with attached pale lores to the bill. The wing bars are likewise faint, often only one bar is obvious.

Males give two husky song phrases, one following the other immediately. The first ends with a rising inflection, the second is the same but ends with falling inflection. Thus it sounds as if it is asking, and then answering, a question. Here's a wonderful YouTube video of a singing bird by Don DesJardin.

Birds of Black Canyon Road, Ramona

After living here a year-and-a-half I am closing in on 300 bird species for San Diego County. If I lived a bit closer to downtown, and had more mornings off from work, I could chase all those fall and winter rarities visiting the vagrant-attracting parks right along the coast, some individuals returning to the same parks and favorite tree for several winters in a row.

Canyon Wren. Black Canyon Bridge, Ramona, California. April 5, 2015. Greg Gillson.

But, I'm still getting the lay of the land--even nearer my home in North County (northern San Diego County). Thus, when Nancy Christensen reported Bell's Sparrows nearby in Ramona, I passed up a nearly sure-thing Mississippi Kite reported down at the border at the Tijuana River Valley, to look for sparrows closer to home. Spectacular Lifer raptor or local form of a gray sparrow? I chose the sparrow--probably not the decision most birders would have made. After all, this kite was only the 4th San Diego County record and is a California listed rare bird as well. Did I make the right decision? That's the thing about birding. There is no wrong choice. So while you can read about Gary Nunn's experience chasing the kite, I'll share my experience searching for the sparrows.

My choice.

Dawn on Black Canyon Road.

Bell's Sparrow is the southern California breeding form of what was formerly the Sage Sparrow, one of the typical birds of the Great Basin desert and chaparral. The northern interior form is now called Sagebrush Sparrow--a very apt name. I had recorded "Sage" Sparrows once in Ventura County, California in 1984. The summer date would indicate these were Bell's Sparrows. But I have no photos or written descriptions, no real memory of the event--just 5 birds recorded in the "general Mt. Pinos area."

Last winter I went over to Borrego Springs and closely documented the wintering "sage" sparrows there and came away with photos of both the Sagebrush Sparrow and the "Mojave" form (canescens) of Bell's Sparrow. These two are very similar. So now I wanted to document the nominate (belli) form of Bell's Sparrow.

There are some Bell's Sparrows just south of San Marcos up on a ridge of the Elfin Forest. One must hike the Way Up Trail. The hiking guide for this trail says it is "moderately difficult," and suitable for children--mountain goat children, perhaps. 1.5 miles over rugged dirt/rock and an elevation gain of 876 feet. When I reached the top I did not find Bell's Sparrows, or anything that would entice me to repeat that ordeal. I could only hear the rapid pounding of my heartbeats in my ears and my gasping breaths. There must be a place closer to San Marcos where I can find Bell's Sparrows closer to the road, perhaps something with only a half mile of hiking on relatively flat landscape? Enter Black Canyon Road.

Black Canyon Road. Hills, rocks, dead tree tops--Black-chinned Sparrow habitat.

Bare soil, sparse sage, yucca--perfect Bell's Sparrow habitat.

The birding I did on Black Canyon Road is only the first 3 miles. You access it from Magnolia Avenue, just as you pass through the small rather rural town of Ramona heading east on Hwy 78 toward Julian. Magnolia Avenue turns slightly and becomes Black Canyon Road. At Black Canyon Place the road leaves the last residential homes and turns to gravel. It winds up over a hill and comes out at the Black Canyon Bridge. That's it. Rather than turning left and continuing across the bridge on Black Canyon Road, stay right on Sutherlin Dam Road for about a mile to come into the back side of Lake Sutherlin.

Black Canyon Rd is accessed north of Ramona on Hwy 78 from Magnolia Avenue.

I heard a few singing Bell's Sparrows between 1 and 2 miles after the road turned to gravel. At one pull-out there is a fire road leading out west just south of a high bluff. Bell's Sparrows want widely separated small bushes on bare soil. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the Bell's Sparrows, nor any really decent looks. But I did record several other species, both on the way in at dawn, and later on the way out in late morning.

Black Canyon Bridge.

The riparian area at the Black Canyon Bridge was especially productive, giving me several new birds for the year back on April 5th. These included Cliff Swallow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Lazuli Bunting. Birding was so good there I remained 1.25 hours.

And the Canyon Wren was a new County Bird for me (#294).

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Wrentit

Rock Wren. Black Canyon Bridge, Ramona, California. April 5, 2015. Greg Gillson.

Black-chinned Sparrow

Migrant Orange-crowned Warbler on Black Canyon Road.

Migrant Lincoln's Sparrow at Black Canyon Bridge.

Then I drove the mile over to Lake Sutherlin and birded around there for an hour.

Lake Sutherlin

Lark Sparrow at Lake Sutherlin.

Western Kingbird at Lake Sutherlin

Sooty Fox Sparrow at Lake Hodges

Sooty Fox Sparrow (possibly unalaschensis). Lake Hodges, California. January 25, 2015. Greg Gillson.

The Sooty Fox Sparrow is the least common of the 3 expected forms of wintering Fox Sparrows in San Diego. The eastern Red Fox Sparrow is a rare winter visitor (there is only one San Diego record in eBird, though more must have been seen over the years).

Exactly a year ago in February I wrote of the Slate-colored Fox Sparrow that I had photographed. It is the most frequently encountered Fox Sparrow here. The Thick-billed Fox Sparrow also occurs, but I have been unable to get a photo, as of yet.

The Sooty Fox Sparrow is identified by the rather plain grayish-brown head and back that doesn't contrast strongly with the reddish-brown wings and tail. The breast is densely marked with wide brownish spots, converging on the upper breast. The bill is of average width with a yellow lower mandible. It gives a hard check or chap call. The winter habitat is dense riparian tangles, rather than chaparral.

Taverner's Cackling Geese on Rangeland Road

Getting my ducks in a row (okay, fine, geese). Front three geese, left to right: Taverner's Cackling Goose, Aleutian Cackling Goose, Western Canada Goose. Ramona, San Diego County, California. February 1, 2015. Greg Gillson.

[Click all photos for larger view.]

While observing the large goose flock on Rangeland Road, near Ramona, California, last week I found and photographed the previously reported Snow Goose, two Greater White-fronted Geese, and 4 Cackling Geese.

Not one to leave well-enough alone, I observed that of the four Cackling Geese present, only one was the expected Aleutian form with dark breast and wide white neck ring at the bottom of the black neck stocking.

It has been 11 years now since the AOU split the white-cheeked geese formerly known only as "Canada Goose" into Canada and Cackling geese. In western Oregon I was used to commonly seeing 3 types of Cackling Geese and up to 4 types of Canada Geese, fall through spring. It just so happens that Aleutian Cackling Goose is the rarest of the 3 types of Cackling Geese I would see in Oregon. It is, however, the only expected form in San Diego County.

As a former eBird Reviewer, I was a bit sensitive about correctly reporting Canada and Cackling Geese, writing one blog post about it (for instance, check out: "Greg's white-cheeked goose rant--I mean, primer").

I will admit that only a few birders care about various races (subspecies) of geese. But think about this: Goose hunters, shooting at dawn on dark, foggy mornings--without binoculars--are expected to shoot only the allowable subspecies of geese. If not, they can be fined. I'm sure, if you wanted to, with your binoculars and spotting scope, you could correctly identify the various races of white-cheeked geese better than these hunters, couldn't you?

For southern California, south of the Central Valley, only the Western Canada Goose (Branta canadensis moffitti, also known as Great Basin Canada Goose or Moffitt's Canada Goose) and Aleutian Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii leucopareia) are expected in winter.

Which brings us back to last week's birds. Below is another photo of the three forms in question. The big Western Canada Goose is on the right and all around behind. Large size, pale breast, long bill, long neck.

In the center is the Aleutian Cackling Goose. Small size, dark breast, square head, tiny triangle bill, wide white collar at bottom of black neck stocking.

On the left is another Cackling Goose. It is slightly larger than the Aleutian, but still only 1/2 the size of the big Western's. And look at that silvery breast! Ridgway's (B.h.minima) is the smallest and darkest breasted. This is not that subspecies. That leaves the smaller and square headed Richardson's (B.h. hutchinsii) of the East and larger Taverner's (B.h. taverneri) of the West with more sloping forehead. Everything points to these pale breasted Cackling Geese as being Taverner's.

Another view.

Here are two more Cackling Geese, below. The bird on the left is slightly larger, paler, and thicker-necked than the bird on the right. The left bird is definitely Taverner's. The right bird shows some attributes tending toward Ridgway's (smaller size, slightly darker back, frosted wing covert stripes) but has the head of Taverner's (shallower forehead, rounder, crown, less stubby bill). Plus, the breast on the right bird is not purplish-brown as Ridgway's. So, I'm calling both these birds Taverner's Cackling Geese. (But I could be talked out of making any definite subspecies identification of the right Cackling Goose--intergrades are known.) [Update: 1/19/2018: I have recently heard (though not confirmed) that first-year Aleutian Cackling Geese may lack the darker breast and white neck ring. If true, the slightly smaller and darker bird below on the right may be Aleutian.]

Two Taverner's Cackling Geese amid Moffitt's Canada Geese. Ramona, California. February 1, 2015. Greg Gillson.

Note that the wing tips extend past the end of the tail on the Cackling Geese, while the wing tips fall short of the end of the tail on the Canada Geese. Lesser Canada Goose (Branta canadensis parvipes) may be the size and color of Taverner's Cackling Goose, but has the short wings of Canada Goose. Thus, that left bird is a Cackling Goose and not one of the smaller subspecies of Canada Goose.

White-crowned Sparrows at Discovery Lake

Adult Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow. San Marcos, California. December 14, 2014. Greg Gillson.

White-crowned Sparrows show subtle but definite geographic differences across North America. Along the immediate West Coast (west of the Cascades and Sierra-Nevadas) there are three forms, or subspecies. The Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow is a resident race along the central California coast. The Puget Sound White-crowned Sparrow breeds west of the Cascades from SW British Columbia to NW California, and winters south along the California coast. The Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow breeds in Alaska and across Arctic central Canada and Canadian Rocky Mountains, and winters furthest south, leapfrogging the other populations to winter from the central and western United States south well into mid-Mexico. This type of leapfrog migration is common in other species as well, where the northernmost breeding population is also the southernmost wintering form.

So here in San Diego, I have only seen the Gambel's form, October to April. Any other form would be rare here.

The 5 different recognized forms of White-crowned Sparrows across North America differ slightly in whether the black stripe continues through and in front of the eye, the dinginess of the underparts, the brightness of the back streaking, the color of the bill, and in song structure.

Five years ago I wrote about telling Puget Sound and Gambel's White-crowned Sparrows apart from an Oregon perspective.

Immature Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow. San Marcos, California. December 14, 2014. Greg Gillson.

Even the immature is identifiable to subspecies. The orangish bill, pale lores, and tricolor back (white, gray, brown) all indicate Gambel's, whether immature or adult.