People from Los Angeles Birders-Students met up at Bear Divide in the San Gabriel Mountains to witness spring migration in action. It was very foggy and birds were scarce. We did manage to spot a few birds migrating through the passage, but the weather made it rather hard for me to really distinguish anything. We hiked further into the mountains in the hopes of spotting some resident birds. There, we heard California Scrub-jays and Spotted Towhees, as well as a Stellar’s Jay. A pair of Orange-crowned Warblers, a spring migrant, were seen as well. Overall unsuccessful as spring migration is still relatively early. Luckily we had a back up plan…
After braving the cold winds for long enough, we decided to complete our own (short-distance) migration to Placerita Canyon down the mountain, where we were greeted by warmer weather and a bounty of birds. Western Sycamore trees were filled with Western Bluebirds, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Audubon’s Warblers. Anna’s and Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbirds fed on the native plants, namely Mule Fat. Common Ravens, Turkey Vultures, and a Red-tailed Hawk soared above our heads.
We were seeing quite a few spring migrants. This included a first of season Pacific-slope Flycatcher for me, Cassin’s, Hutton’s and Warbling Vireos, Costa’s Hummingbirds, and a Hooded Oriole. Migratory warblers were present as well and included quite a few Black-throated Gray Warblers, Nashville Warblers, a Townsend’s Warbler, Wilson’s Warblers, and a pair of Orange-crowned Warblers. Yellow-rumped Warbler numbers were still high (40) despite them migrating elsewhere and an Audubon’s x Myrtle Warbler hybrid was observed as well (hybrid between two of the subspecies). Really great day.
Photo by Aaron Gomperts, used with permission
Photo by Aaron Gomperts, used with permission
*All photos are mine unless otherwise indicated