Welcome Birders!
This page is a summary of "rare" and "specialty" birds seen recently in southern California and Arizona. Our aim is to update this summary daily. Please understand that not all of these records have been confirmed. The information on this page comes from the following sources:
- AZ/NM Listserv
- Arizona Bird Network (AZBird.net)
- SDBIRDS: San Diego County Listserv (YAHOO Group)
- Inland County Birds Listserve (YAHOO Group)
- eBird
- Bird observations e-mailed to me
- Personal observations
Rare Birds
Rarities are those birds not expected to be at the indicated location, or not expected at that time of year. They could be vagrant, like a Black-throated Blue Warbler, or a wintering migrant, like a Cliff Swallow. Some birds may be listed because they are locally rare, like a Black Skimmer at Lake Havasu.
Specialty Birds
Specialty birds are those which might be of interest to visitors to our area. Examples might be Black Rail, Mountain Quail, Elegant Trogon, or Le Conte's Thrasher. Even though it's possible to see or hear many of these specialty birds year-round, it's always nice to know when someone reports them, and where they were seen.
COMING SOON: Links to birding location maps and bird photos!
| ARIZONA Rare Bird Sightings - December 16-22, 2012 | ||
SUN |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Tucson, Kennedy Park: Horned Grebe Sierra Vista WTP: Long-tailed Duck Patagonia Lake: Ruddy Ground-dove; White-throated Sparrow (4) |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
Lake Havasu: Black Scoter; Red-throated Loon |
|
MON |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Palominas: White-throated Sparrow Madera Canyon: White-throated Sparrow Patagonia Lake: Ruddy Ground-dove (near Visitor Center) Florida Canyon: Black-capped Gnatcatcher Tucson, Reid Park: American Redstart (22nd and Alvernon) |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
Bill Williams NWR: Nutting's Flycatcher (Planet Rd) |
TUE |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Dragoon Mountains: American Redstart Tucson, Roger Road WTP: Yellow-throated Warbler |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
Grand Canyon: Yellow-throated Warbler |
|
WESTERN AZ |
Bill Williams NWR: Nutting's Flycatcher (Planet Rd) |
WED |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Tres Rios Overflow Wetlands: Black-and-white Warbler (west end of wetlands) |
CENTRAL AZ |
Tucson, Reid Park: American Redstart (22nd and Alvernon) |
|
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
THU |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Tucson, Reid Park: American Redstart (22nd and Alvernon) |
CENTRAL AZ |
Phoenix, Greenwood Cemetery: White-throated Sparrow (around Section 7) |
|
NORTHERN AZ |
Jerome CBC: White-throated Sparrow; Cassin's Vireo (1); Hammond's Flycatcher (1) (last two on north side of Mingus) |
|
WESTERN AZ |
FRI |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Portal: Broad-billed Hummingbird (2) |
CENTRAL AZ |
Tres Rios Overflow Wetlands: Swamp Sparrow; Red-shouldered Hawk
Phoenix, Greenwood Cemetery: White-throated Sparrow (2) |
|
NORTHERN AZ |
near Tuba City: Northern Shrike (between Tuba City and Kayenta near milepost 360) |
|
WESTERN AZ |
Yuma West Wetlands: Crissal Thrasher (4) |
SAT |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Sierra Vista EOP: Long-tailed Duck Patagonia Lake SP: Ruddy Ground-dove (2); White-throated Sparrow (3) (both species near Visitor Center) |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
Camp Verde CBC: White-throated Sparrow (3) |
|
WESTERN AZ |
Wellton: Winter Wren (E County 10, 3.2 mlies west of Wellton); Ruddy Ground-dove (Green Acres RV Park) |
| CALIFORNIA Rare Bird Sightings - December 16-22, 2012 | ||
SUN |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
Crown Point: Swamp Sparrow San Diego Zoo: Plumbeous Vireo |
IMPERIAL CO. |
||
RIVERSIDE CO. |
Blythe: Black Scoter Parker Dam: Neotropic Cormorant Murrieta: Lewis's Woodpecker (Santa Rosa Ecological Preserve) |
|
MON |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
Pantoja Park: White-throated Sparrow (northwest corner of park) |
IMPERIAL CO. |
Brawley: Eastern Phoebe (entrance road to Rio Vista Country Club); Chestnut-sided Warbler (alley just west of Rio Vista and in between H and J Streets); Summer Tanager (near El Cerrito between J and K Streets) |
|
RIVERSIDE CO. |
Desert Center, Difficult and Boulder Canyons: Dusky-capped Flycatcher (off Hayfield Rd; N 33.73106, W 115.50416) |
TUE |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
La Jolla Cove: Great-winged Petrel |
IMPERIAL CO. |
Imperial County CBC: Cave Swallow (2; along Alamo River about 1/2 mile west of the north end of Garst Rd); Franklin's Gull (2); Harris's Sparrow (just north of new River at se corner of Salton Sea); American Redstart (3; one at Pound Road Gun Club, two at fun club at Foulds and Bruchard); Swamp Sparrow (2; Imperial irrigation District Managed Marsh); White-throated Sparrow (Noffsinger sw of Niland); |
|
RIVERSIDE CO. |
Desert Center, Difficult and Boulder Canyons: Dusky-capped Flycatcher (off Hayfield Rd; N 33.73106, W 115.50416) |
WED |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
La Jolla Cove: Short-tailed Shearwater |
IMPERIAL CO. |
||
RIVERSIDE CO. |
Chiriaco Summit: Rufous-backed Robin |
FRI |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
Nestor Park: Summer Tanager; Clay-colored Sparrow; Black-and-white Warbler; American Redstart Pantoja Park: Summer Tanager |
IMPERIAL CO. |
||
RIVERSIDE CO. |
North Salton Sea, Whitewater Delta: Black-throated Blue Warbler (along west side of river in foliage) |
SAT |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
Jacumba: Bullock's Oriole (female) San Diegito Valley: Thick-billed Kingbird and Tropical Kingbird (near SE corner of polo field just east of El Camino Real and south of Via del la Valle) Rancho Sante Fe CBC: Orchard Oriole (Sun Valley Road in Solana Beach); Red Crossbill (3; along West Lane); Plumbeous Vireo; Swamp Sparrow (2); White-throated Sparrow Famosa Slough: Swamp Sparrow |
IMPERIAL CO. |
Brawley: Eastern Phoebe (Del Rio Country Club) Finney Lake: Tropical Kingbird (near primitive campground) |
|
RIVERSIDE CO. |
| ARIZONA Specialty Bird Sightings - December 16-22, 2012 | ||
SUN |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Patagonia Lake: Black-capped Gnatcatcher |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
Yuma West Wetlands: Crissal Thrasher (2) |
|
MON |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Palominas: Crested Caracara Florida Canyon: Mexican Jay Patagonia Lake: Botteri's Sparrow (Patagonia Lake Rd within 1/2 a mile of SR-82) |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
|
WED |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
|
CENTRAL AZ |
Tres Rios Overflow Wetlands: Ferruginous Hawk Phoenix, Greenwood Cemetery: Harris's Hawk (2) |
|
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
FRI |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
|
CENTRAL AZ |
Tres Rios Overflow Wetlands: Black-bellied Whistling-duck (10) | |
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
SAT |
SOUTHEAST AZ |
Ramsey Canyon: Spotted Owl (2; just west of Split Rock) Sabino Canyon: Harris's Hawk (2) |
CENTRAL AZ |
||
NORTHERN AZ |
||
WESTERN AZ |
Gila Bend: Harris's Hawk; Ferruginous Hawk; Prairie Falcon (all along Melon Road) Paloma Ranch: Sandhill Crane (150+) |
| CALIFORNIA Specialty Bird Sightings - December 16-22, 2012 | ||
SUN |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
|
IMPERIAL CO. |
||
RIVERSIDE CO. |
||
TUE |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
|
IMPERIAL CO. |
Imperial County CBC: Yellow-footed Gull (multiple along shoreline near Obsidian Butte) | |
RIVERSIDE CO. |
SAT |
SAN DIEGO CO. |
Jacumba: Nuttall's Woodpecker; Scott's Oriole (2 male) |
IMPERIAL CO. |
Salton Sea, Unit 1: Sandhill Crane (190) |
|
RIVERSIDE CO. |
Last update: December 23, 2012