SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIP REPORT - July 2006 Key to locations: BB - Big Bear Lake and vicinity (elevation 7,000 to 8,400 feet) (7/29) BC - Bolsa Chica reserve, a reserve in coastal Los Angeles (7/22) HCP - Huntington Central Park (7/22) LA - Los Angeles LJ - La Jolla area in coastal San Diego County (7/25) OC - Orange County PH - Pin~on Hills; high desert in San Bernadino County (7/23 and 7/24) SB - Foothills in Santa Barbara County (7/27) SS - Salton Sea (7/26) Pied-billed Grebe - 1 at Salton Sea (SS), 1 at Big Bear (BB) Western Grebe - 1 at SS Brown Pelican - 100+ at La Jolla (LJ), 30+ at 1 stop on SS Double-crested Cormorant - LJ, SS Brandt's Cormorant - LJ Pelagic Cormorant - LJ Great Blue Heron - Bolsa Chica (BC), SS Great Egret - BC, Los Angeles (LA), SS Snowy Egret - BC, SS Cattle Egret - common around SS Green Heron - common around SS Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1 imm. at BC, 1 imm. at SS White-faced Ibis - 1 at SS Wood Stork - 1 at SS Mallard - Huntington Central Park (HCP), BB Cinnamon Teal - BC, HCP, SS Gadwall - with fledged young at Big Bear Lake Ruddy Duck - ~12 at SS Turkey Vulture - 3 at SS, many in SB Cooper's Hawk - 3 near Pin~on Hills (PH), SB, BB Red-tailed Hawk - LA, OC, PH, SB American Kestrel - 1 near SS Peregrine Falcon - 1 at SS Ring-necked Pheasant - 1 near SS Gambel's Quail - several near SS California Quail - abundant in PH Virginia Rail - 1 heard at Wister Unit (SS) Common Moorhen - with fledged young near SS American Coot - with fledged young at HCP; SS, BB Snowy Plover - 1 at SS near Red Hill Marina (Schrimpf Road) Killdeer - BC, SS Black-necked Stilt - common at BC, SS American Avocet - 50+ at SS Greater Yellowlegs - 2 at SS Willet - BC, LJ, SS Wandering Tattler - 3-4 at LJ Whimbrel - flock of ~20 at LJ Long-billed Curlew - 3 at SS Sanderling - BC Western Sandpiper - 2-3 at SS Least Sandpiper - 100s at SS Stilt Sandpiper - 5 at Wister Unit of SS Short-billed Dowitcher - 50+ at Wister Unit (flock prob. inc. LBDO) Laughing Gull - 1 at SS Bonaparte's Gull - several at SS Heerman's Gull - 50 at BC, 100+ at LJ, along Pacific Coast Highway California Gull - BC, LJ, SS Yellow-footed Gull - 1 adult at Red Hill Marina (SS) Western Gull - everywhere coastal Gull-billed Tern - several at SS Caspian Tern - many at SS Elegant Tern - common at BC Common Tern - LJ Forster's Tern - SS California Least Tern - nesting at BC Black Tern - 30+ at Red Hill Marina (SS) Black Skimmer - 5 at Red Hill Marina (SS) Rock Pigeon - widespread White-winged Dove - SS Mourning Dove - widespread Common Ground-Dove - near SS Ruddy Ground-Dove - near SS (intersection of Eddins & Sperry, west of Calipatria) Eurasian Collared-Dove - SS, OC Greater Roadrunner - 1 at SS Great Horned Owl - 1 adult and 1 fledged young near BB Northern Pygmy-Owl - 2 heard in PH, 1 in SB, 2 at BB Burrowing Owl - at least 45 along dykes near SS Lesser Nighthawk - many at dusk at SS Common Nighthawk - a couple each evening in PH White-throated Swift - nesting near BB Black-chinned Hummingbird - PH Anna's Hummingbird - HCP, PH Costa's Hummingbird - PH Allen's Hummingbird - OC Selasphorus Hummingbird - BB Acorn Woodpecker - SB, BB (oak groves) Gila Woodpecker - 2 in town of Brawley, south of SS Red-breasted Sapsucker - 2 imm. at BB Nuttall's Woodpecker - SB Downy Woodpecker - SB Hairy Woodpecker - SB, most common woodpecker at BB Red-shafted Flicker - SB, BB Western Wood-Pewee - PH, BB Dusky Flycatcher - BB Pacific-slope Flycatcher - BB Black Phoebe - HCP, OC, SS, BB Ash-throated Flycatcher - PH, SB, BB Cassin's Kingbird - 1 at HCP Western Kingbird - several near SS Northern Rough-winged Swallow - SS Cliff Swallow - PH, SS Barn Swallow - HCP Steller's Jay - common at BB Western Scrub-Jay - PH, OC, SS, SB Clark's Nutcracker - ~12 at BB Yellow-billed Magpie - 50+ in SB lowlands American Crow - widespread Common Raven - widespread Mountain Chickadee - abundant at BB Oak Titmouse - PH, SB Verdin - fairly common around SS Bushtit - HCP, PH, BB White-breasted Nuthatch - fairly common at BB Pygmy Nuthatch - SB, BB Brown Creeper - BB Cactus Wren - common at PH Rock Wren - PH Bewick's Wren - PH, SB, BB Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - ~5 at SS Western Bluebird - SB, BB Townsend's Solitaire - 1 at BB American Robin - 1 nesting pair at BB Northern Mockingbird - widespread California Thrasher - PH Loggerhead Shrike - PH European Starling - cities Common Yellowthroat - SS Western Tanager - SS, BB Black-headed Grosbeak - SB Lazuli Bunting - SB California Towhee - PH Lark Sparrow - common in SB foothills Black-throated Sparrow - common in PH, SS Sage Sparrow (nevadensis) - 1 in PH Oregon Junco - SB, BB Red-winged (Bicolored) Blackbird - SS Western Meadowlark - SS, SB Brewer's Blackbird - LJ, SB, BB Great-tailed Grackle - HCP, SS, SB, Palm Springs Brown-headed Cowbird - OC Scott's Oriole - fairly common in PH Cassin's Finch - SB, BB House Finch - OC, PH, SS, SB Lesser Golfinch - small flock in SB American Goldfinch - SB House Sparrow - widespread Nutmeg Mannikin - HCP Red-crowned Parrot - 2 in OC Other Bat sp. - PH Coyote - PH Harbor Seal - LJ California Ground Squirrel - widespread White-tailed Antelope Squirrel - PH California Chipmunk - BB Kangaroo Rat sp. - PH Black-tailed Jackrabbit - PH Desert Cottontail - widespread Dolphin sp. - near Malibu Side-blotched Lizard - widespread Western Fence Lizard - widespread Other lizards - need to key out Western Tiger Swallowtail - PH, SB Checkered White - PH California Dogface - BB Satyr Comma - BB Gulf Fritillary - BB California Sister - ~10 at BB Skipper spp. Tarantula Hawk - PH Stinkbug - PH Gnats - huge clouds immediately after desert rain in PH (heavy rain and gnats both rare up there; interesting)