Skip to content
Home Page
Birding
Search
Huntington Beach ­Tree Society

Bird Survey – April 2021

updates

Bird Survey – April 2021

Posted on:
Share this on:
facebook twitter pinterest linkedin email

Urban Forest Monthly Survey
April 29, 2021
48 Species, 349 Individuals

It was a beautiful sunny, clear, and calm morning with the temperature in the 60s when Lena Hayashi, Jim Kendall, Betty Kanne, Brenda Sabin, Ellen Tipping, Ellyn Siskind, Barbara Wasbin, Mark Johnston, and Jim Currie began, and around 72 when we finished. We were all anxious to see what birds would be seen during this best month for spring migration. We were not disappointed. We had 349 individual birds and 48 species!

We decided to go together as one group directly to the top of the Urban Forest so we could enjoy the expected migrants around the wonderfully shaded area around the corralled trees. After spending two hours there, we divided into two groups and birded another hour along the more open-spaced grassy areas along Goldenwest and Edwards.  

It was like being in a candy store for birders!  We were sweetly surprised and delighted with sightings everywhere. We had 2 Hermit Warblers, a Townsend’s, 3 Black-throated Grays, and 6 Wilson’s Warblers on their way north to nest in our western states, Canada and beyond. Our resident and nesting warblers, Orange-crowned and Common Yellowthroat were singing their songs in the hope of attracting mates.

Though towhees are usually found on the ground foraging, the California and Spotted were both high off the ground to broadcast their songs more efficiently. This is when it is easy to confuse the Black-head Grosbeaks with the Spotted Towhees as their coloring is so similar. 

A Bushtit, mouth filled with fluff and other nesting material, was seen which means a nest is in the making in a nearby tree. The site of the Lesser Goldfinch nest we saw last month seemed to still be active. Laura, a UF volunteer, will be happy to know the bluebird box she put up was observed with a male Western Bluebird hanging outside the hole (see photo). Not sure if he was checking out the box of if a female was inside. Both Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds were each doing their characteristic mating displays and the sound of hummers flying was everywhere! Flycatchers were plentiful. We had 5 Ash-throated Flycatchers, a Western Wood-Pewee, 4 Pacific-slope Flycatchers, 7 Cassin’s Kingbirds and 5 Western Kingbirds, and 7 of our familiar Black Phoebes. We also had 5 Warbling Vireos and a Cassin’s Vireo.

What a joy it is to walk through the Urban Forest in the Spring, to be outside and in nature and see plants and animals celebrate this time to reproduce and show off their beauty. What could be better? It is fabulously beautiful for the visitors and it must be so rewarding for all the volunteers to reap what they worked so hard to sow. Many thanks to Jean Nagy and all the volunteers!

Checklist S87017911

Sharing links

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Copy link

Main details
Thu 29 Apr 2021 7:57 AM
Location Huntington Central Park–Urban Forest
View with Google Maps
Region

Additional details

People

Owner Lena Hayashi
Success!

Share this checklist with other participants’ eBird accounts.

To (username or email, comma-separated)
Contacts (click to add)
Manage My Contacts
Message (optional)
Share Checklist Cancel
Error!

Effort

Protocol:  Traveling
Complete
Are you submitting a complete checklist of the birds you were able to identify?Yes Learn More
  • Observers:  9
  • Duration:  3 hr, 30 min
  • Distance:  3.6 mi

Totals

48
Species Observed
+1 other taxa, 349 individuals

Observations

  1. Mallard

    Number observed:  6

    Details

    one in creek, others flyovers

  2. Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)

    Number observed:  5
    Exotic: Naturalized

    Details

    flyovers

  3. Eurasian Collared-Dove

    Number observed:  1
    Exotic: Naturalized

  4. Mourning Dove

    Number observed:  3

  5. Anna’s Hummingbird

    Number observed:  15

    Details

    many doing courtship displays

  6. Allen’s Hummingbird

    Number observed:  26

    Details

    many doing courtship displays

  7. Western Gull

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    flyovers

  8. Double-crested Cormorant

    Number observed:  7

    Details

    flyovers

  9. Great Blue Heron

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    flyover

  10. Turkey Vulture

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    flyover

  11. Cooper’s Hawk

    Number observed:  3

  12. Western Wood-Pewee

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    in corralled trees of UF

  13. Western Flycatcher (Pacific-slope)

    Number observed:  4

    Details

    two within corralled trees of UF

  14. Black Phoebe

    Number observed:  9

  15. Ash-throated Flycatcher

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    two within corralled trees of UF

  16. Cassin’s Kingbird

    Number observed:  7

  17. Western Kingbird

    Number observed:  5

  18. Bell’s Vireo

    Number observed:  1

  19. Cassin’s Vireo

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    within corralled trees of UF. Spectacles, vireo bill,

  20. Warbling Vireo

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    four within corralled trees of UF

  21. American Crow

    Number observed:  17

  22. Tree Swallow

    Number observed:  8

  23. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

    Number observed:  1

  24. Barn Swallow

    Number observed:  2

  25. Cliff Swallow

    Number observed:  3

  26. swallow sp.

    Number observed:  15

  27. Bushtit

    Number observed:  32

    Details

    nesting material in bill

  28. Swinhoe’s White-eye

    Number observed:  4
    Exotic: Provisional

  29. House Wren

    Number observed:  9

  30. Western Bluebird

    Number observed:  6

    Details

    Active box!

  31. American Robin

    Number observed:  1

  32. Scaly-breasted Munia

    Number observed:  6
    Exotic: Naturalized

  33. House Sparrow

    Number observed:  4
    Exotic: Naturalized

  34. House Finch

    Number observed:  31

  35. Lesser Goldfinch

    Number observed:  24

  36. American Goldfinch

    Number observed:  12

  37. Chipping Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    on ground below sycamore tree along Ellis near Edwards

  38. White-crowned Sparrow

    Number observed:  10

    Details

    all gambelii

  39. Song Sparrow

    Number observed:  16

  40. California Towhee

    Number observed:  8

  41. Spotted Towhee

    Number observed:  3

  42. Western Meadowlark

    Number observed:  2

  43. Orange-crowned Warbler

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    three within corralled trees of UF

  44. Common Yellowthroat

    Number observed:  5

    Details

    one within corralled trees of UF

  45. Black-throated Gray Warbler

    Number observed:  3

    Details

    all within corralled trees of UF

  46. Townsend’s Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    one within corralled trees of UF, male and female seen

  47. Hermit Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    both within corralled trees of UF

  48. Wilson’s Warbler

    Number observed:  6

    Details

    five within corralled trees of UF

  49. Black-headed Grosbeak

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    both around/within corralled trees of UF

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.
Learn More

Sensitive

Public information for Sensitive Species is restricted due to potential harmful impact to these birds. Site-specific information is visible only to the observer and eBird reviewer(s) for the region.We encourage you not to share specific location information about this sighting via social media, public websites, or email listservs.Learn more about Sensitive Species in eBird.

Change portal

If you click “Change Portal”, this checklist will be assigned to the portal you select below. This will allow you to switch to a portal-specific protocol if desired.
Change portal to:
Change portal Cancel

Hide this Checklist

Hiding a checklist will exclude the taxa on it from all forms of eBird output that show a location (including bar charts, maps, and arrival/departure tables), but the observation will still be accessible to you, and will appear on your lists. It will be considered not public in the eBird database since we cannot approve bird records without accurate location information. Although we understand that some checklists need to be excluded from eBird’s public output due to privacy concerns or other issues, we strongly recommend against this unless absolutely necessary. Are you sure you want to hide these observations? Hide Checklist Cancel

Submit another for…

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.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *