SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 
This Worm-eating Warbler at San Dieguito County Park, San Diego County 31 October 2008 stayed into the winter (here 16 
November) and was one of a remarkable eight recorded in the Southern California region in fall 2008. Photographs by 
Matthew Matthiessen. 
grant, with birds this fall at Fenner, San 
Bernardino 28 Sep-1 Oct (TB, GCH), G.H.E 8- 
9 Oct OS), Irwindale, Los Angeles 16-17 Oct 
(AKL), and Santa Barbara I. 21 Oct (WTF). 
WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES 
Warblers always captivate the interest of bird- 
ers during the fall period. Outstanding rarities 
during the season are detailed immediately 
below, after which we summarize records for 
the regularly occurring scarce migrants. Two 
Blue-winged Warblers were found in Inyo: 
one at Crystal Spring, Kingston Mts, 16-20 
Sep QEP) and another at China Ranch 1 1 Oct 
(SLS). A Pine Warbler was in Del Mar, San 
Diego 10 Nov (SES), with more to be noted in 
the winter season report. Five Bay-breasted 
Warblers, twice the recent seven-year mean, 
included birds at Cambria, San Luis Obispo 20 
Sep (OJ), Harbor R. R, Harbor City, Los Ange- 
les 12 Oct (MJB), Santa Barbara 1. 22 Oct 
(WTF), and inland at Tecopa, Inyo 4 Oct 
(TEW, LEA) and G.H.P. 9 Oct (SG). One of 
the season’s outstanding rarities was a 
Cerulean Warbler at Oceano 20 Sep QL); this 
species’ overall population decline is mirrored 
in its reduced pattern of westward vagrancy: 
this year’s bird was the Region’s 8th but the 
first (and only California’s 2nd) since 1997. 
An astonishing 8 Worm-eating Warblers were 
found this fall, with 2 different birds in Ven- 
tura 16 Oct (RMcM) and 22-27 Nov (MR), 2 
different wintering birds in San Diego 3 1 Oct+ 
(SB, SW) and 21 Nov-r (BM), and singles at 
EC.R. 4 Oct (C&RH), Baker 4-12 Oct (AEK), 
Daggett, San Bernardino 17-22 Oct (HLJ), and 
Riverside 7 Nov+ (CAM). A Mourning War- 
bler, less than annual in the Region, was at 
Crystal Spring 20 Sep OLD). 
It was a lukewarm fall for most of the “reg- 
ular vagrant’’ warblers. Twelve Tennessee War- 
blers were along the coast 1 Sep-14 Oct, with 
5 more on the n. deserts 16 Sep-12 Nov. 
Eleven Virginia’s Warblers wandered to coastal 
areas 30 Aug-4 Oct, with another at Crystal 
Spring 16-17 Sep OEP). Of the 7 coastal Lucy’s 
Warblers found 7 Aug-1 Nov, 4 were in Los 
Angeles. The only coastal Northern Parula was 
at Refugio State Beach, Santa Barbara 8 Sep 
(WTF); 8 more were on the n. deserts 16 
Aug-12 Nov. Eighteen Chestnut-sided War- 
blers on the coast 13 Sep-t- were augmented by 
6 on the n. deserts 13 Sep-18 Oct. Ten Mag- 
nolia Warblers were on the coastal slope 1 
Oct-26 Nov, with 6 more on the n. deserts 26 
Sep- 19 Oct. Surprisingly, only 2 Black-throat- 
ed Blue Warblers were found along the coast 
(5-13 Oct), but 5 were on the n. deserts 5 
I Oct-8 Nov, and another was on the s. deserts 
I at Borrego Springs, San Diego 13 Oct (AK), 
I The only Black-throated Green Warblers 
found were at Harbor Regional Park 12 Oct 
(MJB) and Coronado, San Diego 15 Oct (MS). 
Six Blackburnian Warblers were along the 
coast 13 Sep-13 Nov; others were in Bishop 9- 
13 Oct O&DP) and near Seeley, Imperial 10 
Nov (TE). The season’s 10 Prairie Warblers 
were all coastal, 1 Sep-13 Oct. Twenty-one 
Palm Warblers along the coast 23 Sep+ fol- 
lowed an exceptionally early bird at Arroyo de 
la Cruz, San Luis Obispo 18 Aug (RHZ); 5 ad- 
ditional birds were on the deserts 1 Oct-12 
Nov. Thirty-three Blackpoll Warblers were on 
the coastal slope 10 Sep-27 Oct, with addi- 
tional late birds at the San Jacinto W.A., River- 
side 2-11 Nov (CAM) and La Mesa, San Diego 
21 Nov QMcM); 5 more were on the Mojave 
Desert 16 Sep-28 Oct, and another in Brawley, 
Imperial 13 Sep (BK) established the first fall 
record for the Imperial Valley. 
A below-average movement of Black-and- 
white Warblers included 22 on the coastal 
slope 12 Sep-i- and another 5 on the deserts 2 
Sep-25 Oct. In contrast, American Redstarts 
appeared in numbers above the recent seven- 
year mean, with 33 birds on the coastal slope 
22 AugH- and 16 on the deserts 2 Sep-15 Oct. 
An exceptional 8 Prothonotary Warblers were 
along the coast 20 Sep-2 Nov, and others 
were at Morongo Valley, San Bernardino 30 
Aug-7 Sep (MG, WT), Baker 28 Sep (BD), 
and G.H.P. 30 Sep-1 Oct (S&DR). Six Oven- 
birds were along the coast 11 Sep-17 Oct, 
with 3 others on the n. deserts 28 Sep-7 Oct. 
Eighteen Northern Waterthrushes on the 
coastal slope 30 Aug-r were nearly matched by 
16 on the deserts 22 Aug-12 Oct. Hooded 
Warblers, always very rare in fall, were in the 
Santa Ynez Mts., Santa Barbara 18 Sep 
(WTF), at Oceano 23 Sep (BKS), and near 
Taft, Kent 27 Oct (DW). Seven Canada War- 
blers, all coastal, were found 12 Sep-30 Oct. 
Painted Redstarts at Bonelli R.R, Los Angeles 6 
Oct+ (RC), Monrovia, Los Angeles 20 Nov-i- 
(TB), and Pt. Loma 18 Sep-i- (SMB) were all 
returning wintering birds. Not out of range, 
but rarely reported, an apparent Yellow- 
rumped Warbler x Townsend’s Warbler hy- 
brid was well described from Arcadia, Los An- 
geles 8 Oct (TEW). Back for its 3rd winter was 
a Hepatic Tanager in Imperial Beach 1 Nov+ 
(EE, CH). An exceptional showing of Scarlet 
Tanagers involved different birds in San Diego 
11 Oct (DS) and 29 Nov+ (GMcC), on Pt. 
Loma 13 Oct (SES), Santa Barbara 1. 23 Oct 
(WTF), San Clemente 1. 5 Nov QTS), Prado 
Regional Park 26 Nov (HBK), and Hunting- 
ton Beach 29 Nov-3 Dec (ES). 
An American Tree Sparrow in Huntington 
Beach 26 Oct (LO) was early and only the 2nd 
for Orange' another was at Twentynine Palms, 
San Bernardino 11-12 Nov (TB). Eleven Clay- 
colored Sparrows were reported along the 
coast 28 Sep-16 Nov, with 7 more on the 
deserts 19 Sep-24 Nov. A migrant Black- 
chinned Sparrow on Santa Barbara 1. 13 Sep 
(WTF) was at an unusual locality. The only 
Lark Buntings reported were at Carpinteria 10 
Sep (AL) and in Bishop 5 Nov (J&DP). The 
first of up to 3 wintering Nelson’s Sharp-tailed 
Sparrows at Seal Beach N.W.R., Orange ar- 
rived by 16 Oct QF); others were in Imperial 
Beach 12 Nov+ 0N,JTS) and Mission Bay, Sail 
'VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 1 
159 
