SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 
Northern Goshawks successfully fledged young in July 2009 from nests in the mountains of Santa Barbara County and the Kern County por- 
tion of Mount Pinos, with fledged young photographed at the Santa Barbara County site on 1 8 July (left) and at the Kern County site on 24 
Juiy. Photographs by Thomas A. Blackman (left) and Bill Schmoker. 
impressive sight. A Red-billed Tropicbird was 
far from shore 129 km w.-sw. of San Nicolas I. 
25 Jul (TMcG). Brown Boobies continue to 
forage northward from the Los Coronados Is. 
into the waters off San Diego, as indicated by 
one at the Nine Mile Bank 12 Jun (PAG), 3 
there 13 Jul (DWP), and one at the entrance 
to San Diego Bay 2 Jul (DWP). Two Brant’s 
Cormorant nests with young on a sea stack 
off Crescent Bay Pt. in Jul (NAG, KLP) pro- 
vided the first nesting record for Orange. 
An American Bittern, a rare nesting bird as 
far s. as San Diego, was in suitable breeding 
habitat in the Tijuana R. Valley 18 Jun (GLR). 
The Little Blue Heron at Marina del Rey/Playa 
del Rey, Los Angeles 31 May remained through 
the summer (RS) and was the only one away 
from coastal San Diego. Reddish Egrets away 
from coastal San Diego and Orange were one 
at P.M.N.A.S. through the summer (DaP), an- 
other in Goleta, Santa Barbara 30 Jul (WTF), 
and one inland at S.E.S.S. 20 Jun-24 Jul 
(GMcC). The pair of Yellow-crowned Night- 
Herons present in Imperial Beach, San Diego 
since 2005 successfully fledged at least one 
young in Jul (GMcC); one paired with a 
Black-crowned Night-Heron at North Island 
N.A.S., San Diego fledged 2 hybrids in Jul 
(TS), and at least one ad. and an imm. were 
around Famosa Slough in Ocean Beach 
through the period QP). A Glossy Ibis pho- 
tographed at Owens Lake ll-12Jul (C& RH) 
provides the 2nd record for Inyo, and another 
was in the Riverside portion of the Prado 
Basin 29 Jul OEP)- The first of the post-breed- 
ing Wood Storks reached S.E.S.S. 8 Jun 
(KCM), with numbers building up to a high 
count of 45 on 10 Jul (GMcC). 
A pair of Cooper’s Hawks that fledged 3 
young in Ridgecrest 14 Jun QSi) provides the 
first record for nesting in e. Kern. A pair of 
Northern Goshawks that successfully fledged 
2 young in the mts. of Santa Barbara in Jul 
(PG) provided the first nesting record for that 
county, and another pair successfully fledged 
2 young on the Kent side of Mt. Pinos (WTF). 
A Red-shouldered Hawk near Seeley, Imperial 
9 Jul (JMcM) establishes the earliest date for a 
fall migrant/winter visitor in the Imperial Val- 
ley. The long-staying Crested Caracara 
around the Tijuana R. valley, San Diego was 
still present 7-11 Jun (TRS, CH). A pair of 
Peregrine Falcons that fledged 2 young at 
Keller Cliffs in the San Bernardino Mts. in Jun 
(DG) provided the first evidence of nesting in 
this area in recent years. 
RAILS THROUGH GUILLEMOTS 
A Clapper Rail on the Oxnard Plain, Ventura 
24-28 Jun (DK) was away from any known 
breeding area. Sora is exceptionally rare any- 
where in s. California in summer, so one at 
S.J.W.A. 2 Jun (HBK) was of note. A Solitary 
Sandpiper at C.L. 3 Jul (LLA, TEW) was the 
earliest of the seven southbound ads. report- 
ed this year. A Baird’s Sandpiper on the Los 
Angeles R. in Long Beach, Los Angeles 23 Jul 
(KSG) was the only one reported. Two Wil- 
son’s Snipe in the Prado Basin 23 Jun (JEP) 
were unexpected at this time of year. A Red 
Phalarope inland near Lancaster, Los Angeles 
12 Jun OSF) was clearly lost. A first-summer 
Franklin’s Gull at Owens Lake 15 Jun 
(C&RH) and another in Chula Vista, San 
Diego 17 Jun (PEL) were evidently late spring 
stragglers. For the 2nd year in a row, a pair of 
Heermann’s Gulls nested at S.E.S.S. (KCM), 
but the eggs were infertile; elsewhere inland, 
an ad. was in Borrego Springs, San Diego 4 
Jun (RT), and another was closer to the coast 
in Santee, San Diego 20 Jun QSt). A bedrag- 
gled Mew Gull at S.E.S.S. 5-11 Jun (GMcC) 
probably did not survive the summer. Not 
surprisingly, following last winter’s influx of 
Glaucous-winged Gulls, small 
numbers remained along the coast 
through the summer, as indicated 
by 6 in Laguna Beach, Orange 29 
Jun (NK) and at least 4 around San 
Diego during the period. 
A Sooty Tern at Bolsa Chica, Or- 
ange 27 Jul-30 Aug (PK, BED) was 
the 12th to occur in California and 
first in the Region since 1998. Up 
to 6 Least Terns remained inland at 
S.E.S.S. through 5 Jun (GMcC). 
Black Terns, now rare on the coast, 
were in Oceano, San Luis Obispo 
25-26 Jul (DSn) and Irvine, Orange 
3 Jul OOi both singles. An Arctic 
Tern inland at P.P 9 Jul (MSanM) 
was unexpected. Elegant Terns 
continued to push northward from 
the Gulf of California into the Salton Sink, 
with up to 3 near Seeley 5-11 Jun (GMcC) and 
another at S.E.S.S. 5 Jun (GMcC). A South Po- 
lar Skua was at the Nine Mile Bank off San 
Diego 13 Jul (DWP), and another was 20 km 
se. of Santa Rosa I. 25 Jul (TMcG). A Parasitic 
Jaeger, rare in summer, was at La Jolla 25 Jun 
(PEL). A Long-tailed Jaeger photographed at 
Owens Lake 15 Jun (C&RH) was one of a very 
few found inland at this time of the year; sin- 
gle birds 129 km w.-sw. of San Nicolas 1. and 
74 km w. of San Nicolas 1. 25 Jul (TMcG) were 
early fall migrants. Single Common Murres at 
Newport Beach, Orange 13 Jul (BED), La Jolla 
13 Jun (PEL), and at the Nine Mile Bank off 
San Diego 13 Jul (DWP) were well s. of the 
species’ breeding range. Single Pigeon Guille- 
mots at Del Mar, San Diego 12 Jun (DH) and 
La Jolla 19 Jun (PAG) were at the s. extreme of 
the species’ range. 
DOVES THROUGH FLYCATCHERS 
The only White-winged Dove on the coast 
was one at Morro Bay 3 Jul OSR)- An Inca 
Dove in Redlands, San Bernardino 24 Jul 
(AEK) was nw. of the species’ expanding 
range. Only seven pairs of Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo had been located at the species’ last 
remaining nesting stronghold at the S.EK.R.R 
by the end of Jul (BB); single birds along the 
Santa Clara R. near Oxnard, Ventura 14 Jul 
(DaP), the Rio Hondo near Whittier, Los An- 
geles 28 Jun (DSC), and San Felipe Cr. in 
Anza Borrego Desert S.P 24 Jun-13 Jul (PJ) 
were in suitable breeding habitat, but one 
near in Blythe, Riverside 22 Jun (RH) and an- 
other in El Centro, Imperial 4 Jul (BK) were 
late spring migrants. 
The presence of up to 4 calling Flammulat- 
ed Owls on Pine Mt., Ventura 10 Jul-4 Aug 
(DaP, OJ) provides the first evidence of nesting 
at this location. Common Nighthawks appear 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 4 
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