SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 
With populations of Cerulean Warblers in steep decline, the species is becoming increasingly scarce as a vagrant to California; 
this one in Oceano, San Luis Obispo County on 20 October 2008 was only the second in California (and first in the Southern 
California region) since 1997. Photograph by Matt Brady. 
Unprecedented numbers of Common Mur- 
res moved into Southern California waters in 
Oct, as indicated by counts of 210 at La Jolla 
11 Oct (WTH). A Pigeon Guillemot at Pt. 
Dume, Los Angeles 17 Aug (KLG) and anoth- 
er at San Clemente 1. 2 Aug (JCF) were un- 
usually far south. Two Craveris Murrelets, 
scarce in California waters in recent years, 
were photographed 15 km s of Pt. Loma, San 
Diego 4 Oct (SNGH). 
DOVES THROUGH FLYCATCHERS 
At least 40 White-winged Doves along the 
coast and on the Channel Is. between 6 Aug 
and the end of the period appeared more 
than normal. A Black-billed Cuckoo in 
Huntington Beach 14 Oct QEP) provides the 
6th record for Southern California. A Black 
Swift picked up in San Luis Obispo 8 Oct 
(CD) was late for a fall migrant. A Chimney 
Swift in Long Beach 23 Aug (KGL) was a lin- 
gering bird from the summer, but one in 
Sunland, Los Angeles 19 Aug (KLG) and an- 
other in Harbor City 12 Sep (BED) appeared 
to be on the move. A Broad-billed Hum- 
mingbird freciuented a feeder in Arroyo 
Grande 31 Oct-i- (CL). 
An Acorn Woodpecker on San Clemente 1. 
6 Nov (MWY) and a recently dead one at 
Crystal Springs in the Kingston Range, Inyo 4 
Oct (TEW, LLA) were unexpected. Single 
Williamson’s Sapsuckers in Ventura 18 Nov-r 
(DVP) and Chula Vista, San Diego 3 Nov 
(MS) were on the coast, where rare, another 
in Sylmar, Los Angeles 25 Oct. (DMa) was in 
the coastal lowlands, and one at Zzyzx 3-28 
Nov (BD) was far out in the desert. Twelve 
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were found scat- 
tered throughout the Region, with the earliest 
being one at Crystal Spring 1-4 Oct QEP). 
A Western Wood-Pewee in Huntington 
Beach 10 Nov QEP) was very late. Least Fly- 
catchers, rare but regular in fall, were near 
Cantil, Kern 24 Sep (MSanM), at Inyokern 
25-28 Sep (SLS), and at Zzyzx 17 Sep (CAM), 
and coastally at Montana de Oro S. P. 8 Oct 
(SS). Migrant Eastern Phoebes were at Cali- 
fornia City, Kern 5 Oct (TEW, LLA), near 
Cantil 7 Oct (MSanM), at Pt. Loma 9 Oct 
(DWA), and at Orange 20 Oct (NAG); win- 
tering birds were near Seeley 26 Oct-i- (KZK) 
and at Santee, San Diego 26 Nov+ (RG, JK). A 
Dusky-capped Flycatcher at Zzyzx 17 Nov-6 
Dec (DG) established the hrst record for San 
Bernardino', one in La Mirada, Los Angeles 25 
Nov-r OoP) was, surprisingly, the hrst return- 
ing winterer to be found in California. Seven- 
teen Tropical Kingbirds were noted on the 
coastal slope after 15 Sep; additional birds 
were at S.E.S.S. 20 Sep (BG) and 11 Nov+ 
(GMcC). Eastern Kingbirds were near Imperi- 
al Beach 1-4 Aug (DMo), Point Loma 10-13 
Sep (DWA), Santa Barbara 1. 13-14 Sep 
(WTF), and on the e. Mojave Desert at Cedar 
Canyon, Sati Bernardino 16 Sep (RM et ah). 
VIREOS THROUGH PIPITS 
A White-eyed Vireo, casual in fall, was at Pt. 
Loma 1 1-27 Sep (DWA). A brightly plumaged 
Bell’s Vireo near Pt. Hueneme, Ventura 19 Oct 
showed characters of the nominate e. sub- 
species (TEW, LLA). Blue-headed Vireos were 
found on Pt. Loma 21-22 Oct (SES, DPo) and 
in Los Osos, San Luis Obispo 11 Nov-7 Dec 
QSR). Single Yellow-throated Vireos were 
near Lancaster, Los Angeles 18 Sep (KLG, 
JFG) and in Orange at Laguna Niguel 3 Oct 
(RMcN) and Huntington Beach 14 Nov-r 
(LO). Red-eyed and Yellow-green Vireos have 
occurred in roughly equal numbers in recent 
falls, a far cry from the situation 30 years ago, 
when Red-eyeds were more numerous than 
they are now. This year, Red-eyeds were along 
the coast in Santa Barbara at Solvang 19 Sep 
(WTF) and Carpinteria 5 Oct (MH), on Pt. 
Loma 27 Sep QMa)- arid inland at G.H.P. 30 
Sep (S63rDR). Yellow-greens were in Carpinte- 
ria 5-14 Oct OEL), VA.EB. 30 Oct CMC), 
Long Beach 11-12 Sep (KSG), and Pt. Loma 
21-22 Sep (MJB). 
Very early Ruby-crowned Kinglets were at 
Oceano 26 Aug (MLS), near Imperial Beach 
29 Aug (DWA), and in Rowland Heights, Los 
Angeles 6 Sep (AKL). The passerine highlight 
of the season was surely the Lower 48 United 
States’ first Bluethroat, found at Lemon Tank, 
San Clemente l.’s premier vagrant trap, 14-18 
Sep QTS et ah); this species was certainly an- 
ticipated to occur in the state, as all other 
Alaska-breeding passerines that normally 
winter in the Old World have been found here 
(some regularly); it is unclear, of course, 
whether such individuals originate from Alas- 
ka or from ne. Asia. A Wood Thrush, the 4th 
ever for Kent, was at G.H.P. 9 Oct (K&BK). A 
very cooperative Gray Catbird remained at 
Morro Rock, San Luis Obispo 10-30 Nov 
(TME); 4 others were on the n. deserts 28 
Sep-6 Nov, and another was on the Carrizo 
Plain, San Luis Obispo 13 Nov (DMcD). The 
only Brown Thrasher was on Pt. Loma 23 
Nov (MJB). 
An Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Goleta 1-2 
Sep (NAL) was a first for Santa Barbaia and 
only the Region’s 6th. An excellent showing of 
Red-throated Pipits took place this fall, with a 
minimum of 16 individuals noted (in all 
coastal counties except Orange, and including 
Santa Barbara and San Clemente Is.) 5 Oct-18 
Nov. As this species t)q)ically occurs coastally, 
additional individuals on the n. deserts at Bak- 
er, San Bernardino 20-21 Sep (TB) and 
Shoshone, Inyo 1 Oct OEP) were of great in- 
terest. American Pipits of the Asian subspecies 
japonicus often appear in autumns with big 
movements of Red-throateds; however, only 
one such report was received this year, a sin- 
gle bird at Port Hueneme, Ventura 30 Oct (DV, 
LH). Sprague’s Pipits are now known to win- 
ter regularly in agricultural areas the se. part 
of the Region, with this year’s first seen near 
Calipatria 11 Nov (TE) and up to 5 there by 
16 Nov; it is still casual elsewhere as a fall va- 
158 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
