Singing Mockingbirds

Singing Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbirds really started singing today. They're always present here, and make some chattering noises, but in the last day or two they've started singing little refrains, and now steady all morning. One bird was right outside my door and didn't give up its perch as I went inside and came out with my camera for the photo above.

Interestingly, it is just whistled notes, warbles, and harsh notes--I haven't heard any mocking or imitating.
 I suppose as the breeding season nears there will be more variety in the songs.

Other common yard birds include American Crow, Mourning Dove, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, Black Phoebe, Lesser Goldfinch, Eurasian Collared-Dove, House Wren, Anna's Hummingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, California Towhee, House Finch, Western Scrub-Jay, Bushtit, and several other single wintering birds like an Orange-crowned Warbler and a male Phainopepla.

ID: Long-billed Dowitcher and Short-billed Dowitcher in winter

Long-billed Dowitcher. San Elijo Lagoon, California. December 15, 2013. Greg Gillson.

Dowitcher identification is one of the keystone species challenges separating advanced birders from the pack. Now I don't want to start a "beginner versus advanced birder" debate, or "there's nothing wrong with just enjoying birds even if you can't identify them all." There's nothing to be gained from such a discussion.

But even wanting to identify dowitchers to species level indicates reaching a certain level of seriousness in bird identification that many bird watchers simply never attain.

I created an identification page for dowitchers that is now about 7 years old. If I was to recreate the page today I'd use Humphrey-Parkes molt terminology, but the pages are still valid. Short-billed Dowitchers do not winter as far north as Oregon, so previously I didn't have any basic-plumaged birds to compare. But with these photos I now do!

Again, ignore the bills (because there is a bit of overlap; although admittedly no Long-billed Dowitcher would ever have a bill as short as the assumed male Short-billed Dowitcher below). Look at the smooth gray breasts of the Long-billed Dowitchers above, and the speckled breast of the Short-billed Dowitcher below. It's that simple in winter!

Short-billed Dowitcher. Mission Bay, California. December 22, 2013. Greg Gillson.

ABA area bird #516: Nelson's Sparrow

Nelson's Sparrow. San Elijo Lagoon, Encinitas, California. January 1, 2014. Greg Gillson.

I found and photographed quite a surprise at San Elijo Lagoon on January 1st--a Nelson's Sparrow. The tide was extremely high forcing numerous Savannah Sparrows and Marsh Wrens right up onto the path. I glimpsed one small, short-tailed orange-looking sparrow flit through the low vegetation. This was by the bench out in the marsh on the north side-path heading west from Rios Avenue entrance to San Elijo Lagoon.

Mistake 1: I didn't have a field guide with me. Though I knew I was seeing one of the smaller orange-faced sparrows from the Midwest or Southeast, I thought I was probably viewing a Le Conte's Sparrow. Le Conte's is very similar but has a white stripe down the center of the crown. This Nelson's Sparrow has a gray median crown stripe (see photo below). I haven't carried a field guide with me when birding in over 35 years--I've memorized all the birds I am likely to see. Well, maybe I better re-think that.

Mistake 2: I didn't have any phone numbers for local birders to come and see such an exciting and rare bird. The other thing I will do is add the email address of the San Diego bird list to my smart phone. That way I can send reports of future rare birds I see right from the field!

Fortunately, at least two other birders were able to come on subsequent days at high tide and see this bird forced out of the thick marsh grass by rising water.

Nelson's Sparrows are very rare annual winter visitors to coastal California. Gary Nunn tells me that they were not found in San Diego County at all last year. But it takes being at the right place at the right time to find one. It was an accident that I arrived at the marsh during super high tide.

This was my 516th countable bird species I've seen north of Mexico. It is my San Diego County bird #205.

Birding Site Guide: San Luis Rey River Mouth, Oceanside

Mouth of San Luis Rey River at dawn. January 1, 2014. Greg Gillson

Habitat update: August 2017

The ocean builds a sandbar that usually blocks up the mouth of the San Luis Rey River. In the small lagoon formed gulls, shorebirds, ducks, and herons gather. It's not much, but sometimes unusual gulls may be found there in winter.

Getting there: Oceanside is about 40 miles north of downtown San Diego on I-5. When on the north side of Oceanside, take Exit 54-C for Oceanside Harbor Drive. This gets you directly onto Harbor Drive. Follow Harbor Drive west and then south to the harbor. Parking: Directly across from the harbor and Joe's Crab Shack (reputedly the best seafood around) turn left (east) through a tunnel under the railroad tracks into a free public parking lot. Map navigation: N Pacific St & Harbor Dr, Oceanside, CA 92054.

Where to bird: From the parking lot (1, on above map) walk west on Harbor Drive to the river mouth (2) observing birds in the channel. You may also wish to walk the beach north to examine and gulls, terns, or shorebirds. The jetty here may have some shorebirds--it's worth a shot. There is another jetty down the sand spit at the mouth of the harbor. This sand spit includes a pay ($) parking lot. When done here walk across the bridge (N Pacific St) and follow the San Luis Rey River Trail for a ways east along the south shore of the river. There is a storm water catch basin (3) along this trail that may attract smaller songbirds.

I spent an hour here at dawn (6:45 am) on January 1, 2014 and recorded 39 species. Highlights were a stake-out Glaucous Gull, several Mew Gulls, 2 Herring Gulls, and 1 Glaucous-winged Gull in the river mouth. Near the catch basin was a Wilson's Warbler and a White-throated Sparrow. My eBird checklist.

142 species are recorded in eBird for this location. Interestingly, it doesn't get birded very regularly, mostly only fall and winter (no doubt by local birders looking for rare shorebirds and gulls). View the eBird bar chart.

Glaucous Gull. San Luis Rey River mouth, Oceanside, California. January 1, 2014. Greg Gillson.

Little Blue Heron

Adult Little Blue Heron.

On December 22, 2013 I saw three Little Blue Herons in coastal San Diego County. The adult above was at the Tecolote Creek mouth into Mission Bay. The white immature bird below was at the San Diego River mouth. Another adult was on the north end of Mission Bay at the Kendall-Frost Marsh.

All these birds were within about 4 miles of each other and Sea World, where (2000 San Diego Breeding Bird Atlas information) they have nested since 1992.

First-year Little Blue Heron.