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Bird Survey – March 2024

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Bird Survey – March 2024

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Urban Forest Monthly Survey
March 28, 2024
40 Species, 327 Individuals

The weather today was cold, in the 50s, overcast but calm.  Lena Hayashi, Betty Kanne (eBird), Jim Kendall, Dave and Sharon Telford, Brenda Sabin, Debra Gala, Deborah Brin, and Brian Bleecker counted all the birds heard and seen in the Urban Forest.

The overcast skies didn’t dull the vibrant colors of the spring blooms throughout the Urban Forest.  Again, the most vocal of all the species was the House Wren.  They were singing from every direction and scolding sounds were also heard.

One American Robin was heard singing by the creek along Ellis and was seen flying and calling.  There were no American Goldfinches today, unlike last month when they were more numerous than the Lesser Goldfinches.  Everyone had wonderful looks of a singing Dark-eyed Junco near Annie’s Garden.

A large flock of Tree Swallows circled the sky and most of them headed toward Huntington Lake.  However, a sizeable number of paired stragglers continued to check out the nest boxes in the Urban Forest.  One pair seemed very set on the nest box on a tree in Mimi’s Garden. Both the male and female perched on branches as if protecting their find from others. The other pair chose a nest box just west of the Volunteer parking lot that in previous years had nesting Western Bluebirds.  A pair of Western Bluebirds did investigate a newly built nest box on the hill near the hawk foraging area.  They also perched on the branches as if to claim their find.  It will be interesting to check these three boxes in the next two months to see if they are successful parents.

It is such a pleasure to conduct these monthly surveys as we can appreciate the tender loving care and artistic talents of the volunteers who place plants, rocks, and limbs of trees in such beautiful arrangements for us to enjoy!  We truly notice and appreciate their efforts in sharing their labor of love with us!

We had a wonderful opportunity to use our knowledge and skills of birding to work on the identification of two look-alike birds, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Hutton’s Vireo.  The gray sky and foliage, the silent bird(s), along with photos, led to the conclusion that we had one of each.  Within the corral of trees, a bird was seen in a Coastal Live Oak, flitting around and most of us had glimpses, leading to a lively discussion of which species it was.  One wing bar was seen by several and that led to the Ruby-crowned Kinglet but others saw two wing bars. When it was gone, another bird was seen in another Coastal Live Oak, relatively close to the first.  It was heard to make one “scree” scold, leading toward a Hutton’s Vireo.  However, both have “scree” scolds.  Lengthy bantering went on about the two sightings, was the bill swollen or thin, toes gray or yellowish, where was the dark bar, was the flitting frenetic enough?  Was there one or were there two birds?  Ahh, the joy of birding among friends!

Below are the species and their numbers.  Click the checklist below to enjoy photos taken by the photographers.  Once online, you can also click the name of the bird, printed in blue, to open with more information from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology including what sounds the bird makes and its status and distribution.

Checklist S163279388

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Main details
Thu 29 Feb 2024 8:06 AM
Location Huntington Central Park–Urban Forest
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Region

Additional details

People

Owner James Kendall +5 Others
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Effort

Protocol:  Traveling
Complete
Are you submitting a complete checklist of the birds you were able to identify?Yes Learn More
  • Observers:  6
  • Duration:  2 hr, 28 min
  • Distance:  1.79 mi

Checklist Comments

Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 2.20.28class=”u-text-1 u-margin-none”>

Totals

42
Species Observed
272 individuals
11
Species with Photos

Observations

  1. Canada Goose

    Number observed:  4

  2. Mallard

    Number observed:  2

  3. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)

    Number observed:  6
    Exotic: Naturalized

  4. Eurasian Collared-Dove

    Number observed:  5
    Exotic: Naturalized

    Media

    Eurasian Collared-Dove - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library
    Eurasian Collared-Dove - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  5. Mourning Dove

    Number observed:  2

  6. Anna’s Hummingbird

    Number observed:  7

    Media

    Anna's Hummingbird - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library
    Anna's Hummingbird - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  7. Allen’s Hummingbird

    Number observed:  15

    Breeding & Behavior Code:

    C Courtship, Display, or Copulation (Probable)

    Media

    Allen's Hummingbird - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  8. Ring-billed Gull

    Number observed:  2

  9. Double-crested Cormorant

    Number observed:  2

  10. Turkey Vulture

    Number observed:  1

  11. Cooper’s Hawk

    Number observed:  2

    Media

    Cooper's Hawk - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library
    Cooper's Hawk - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library
    Cooper's Hawk - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  12. Red-shouldered Hawk

    Number observed:  1

    Media

    Red-shouldered Hawk - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library
    Red-shouldered Hawk - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  13. Red-tailed Hawk

    Number observed:  1

  14. Nuttall’s Woodpecker

    Number observed:  1

  15. American Kestrel

    Number observed:  1

  16. Black Phoebe

    Number observed:  3

  17. Say’s Phoebe

    Number observed:  2

    Media

    Say's Phoebe - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library
    Say's Phoebe - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  18. Cassin’s Kingbird

    Number observed:  2

  19. American Crow

    Number observed:  18

  20. Tree Swallow

    Number observed:  2

  21. Barn Swallow

    Number observed:  1

  22. Bushtit

    Number observed:  10

  23. Swinhoe’s White-eye

    Number observed:  4
    Exotic: Provisional

  24. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

    Number observed:  1

  25. House Wren

    Number observed:  16

    Media

    House Wren - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library
    House Wren - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library
    House Wren - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  26. European Starling

    Number observed:  9
    Exotic: Naturalized

  27. Northern Mockingbird

    Number observed:  1

  28. Western Bluebird

    Number observed:  6

    Media

    Western Bluebird - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  29. Hermit Thrush

    Number observed:  1

  30. House Finch

    Number observed:  42

  31. Lesser Goldfinch

    Number observed:  6

  32. American Goldfinch

    Number observed:  10

    Media

    American Goldfinch - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  33. White-crowned Sparrow

    Number observed:  7

  34. Song Sparrow

    Number observed:  12

  35. California Towhee

    Number observed:  4

    Media

    California Towhee - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library
    California Towhee - James Kendall
    © James Kendall Macaulay Library

  36. Spotted Towhee

    Number observed:  2

  37. Western Meadowlark

    Number observed:  21

  38. Red-winged Blackbird

    Number observed:  8

  39. Great-tailed Grackle

    Number observed:  1

  40. Orange-crowned Warbler

    Number observed:  8

  41. Common Yellowthroat

    Number observed:  5

  42. Yellow-rumped Warbler

    Number observed:  18

    Media

    Yellow-rumped Warbler - Lena Hayashi
    © Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library

Exotic species

Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.
Naturalized: Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional: Either: 1) member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2) rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible. When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of “uncertain provenance”. Provisional species count in official eBird totals.
Escapee: Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that have bred but don’t yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.
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Sensitive

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Lena Hayashi

Lena Hayashi is a passionate birder and an integral part of the birding community in Huntington Beach, California. For years, she has dedicated herself to tallying bird counts at Shipley Nature Center. In the fall of 2020, Lena expanded her birding endeavors by spearheading monthly bird surveys in the Urban Forest.

Through these surveys, Lena and the other participating birders photograph and document the presence and abundance of bird species in the area. This data is then shared publically via eBird, for researching trends and patterns in bird populations and migration.

Her dedication to bird conservation has earned her respect among fellow birders and conservationists alike. By sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with others, Lena inspires individuals of all ages to connect with nature and become stewards of their local ecosystems. Her efforts serve as a reminder of the importance of citizen science and community involvement in preserving the rich biodiversity of Huntington Beach and beyond.

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