Ventura County reporting list 

In an effort to learn more about the birds that occur in our county, this is a request for information on bird sightings, mainly for the Ventura County North American Bird files, but also for the general public knowledge. The list below is not all-inclusive, but provides some information on the type of data we are interested in receiving.  More information is always better.  This list does not include the Channel Islands in Ventura County; however we are interested in all trip reports from the islands (Anacapa and San Nicholas).  Some of the information can be reported privately to us, but please report all rarities (unless on private property) to the Ventura County list serve (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturacobirding/). A page with some general information on the North American Birds (NAB) quarterly publication is at (http://www.americanbirding.org/pubs/nab/index.html).

General Information not included below:  Observations that we would like reports of include: all rarities, including all CBRC review species (http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/review.html), departure and arrival dates for all migratory species, arrival dates of migrants (i.e. the first fall migrant passerines away from breeding areas may show up while breeding birds are still present)  high counts, “out of season” (“summer” birds “wintering” and “winter” birds “summering”) sightings, records away from usual habitats, or absence of a species where/when it was expected. We request that all breeding records be submitted using standard Breeding Bird Survey Codes if possible (https://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/breedcodes.htm). 

This list is intended to provide a basic outline of what birds are considered rare in the county, aside from the CBRC review species, which have not been included on this website for the sake of brevity. However, we still request that these species be reported publicly and privately. Also, documentation for those species on the CBRC review list is requested (photos, video, written description), as all those reports are forwarded on to the CBRC for review (unless requested otherwise).

As some areas aren’t that well covered we would also like to receive all reports (species list/numbers) from the following areas; the Mountains, Cuyama/Lockwood Valley areas, and the back-country, as well as all pelagic trips in Ventura County Waters.  A great way to do this is by using e-bird (http://ebird.org) and you can easily forward us all of your trip reports.

Species Specific:

Fulvous Whistling Duck, Geese, Swans: all records, except for Canada Goose and Brant (but summer records of both those species and winter records of Brant).

Wood Duck: All records, especially breeding records.

Dabbling Ducks (Anas): Breeding records of all species except Mallard.  All records of summering birds except Mallard, Gadwall, and Cinnamon Teal.  Late summer/fall arrival of all species except Mallard, Gadwall and Cinnamon Teal.  High Counts.  All records of Eurasian Wigeon and Blue-winged Teal.  Records of hybrids.  Records of birds on the ocean.

Diving Ducks: Records for any species (except Ruddy Duck) between 1 May and 30 September; breeding records for any species; records of Redhead, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Oldsquaw, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded and Common Mergansers; arrival and departure dates; Red-breasted Mergansers and scoters away from the ocean; species except scoters and Red-breasted Merganser, on the ocean.

Chicken-like Birds:  All records of Chukar and Blue Grouse. All records of Mountain Quail from the Santa Monica Mountains, and reports from below approximately 3500 feet. 

Loons: Summer records from 15 June through 31 August; quantitative counts of migrants (i.e., birds/unit time); records away from the ocean or flying overland; arrival dates of fall migrants.

Grebes:  All breeding records and counts of nests.  Pied-billed Grebe on the ocean.  Arrival and departure dates for Horned, Eared, Western (for both breeding and non breeding birds) and Clark's Grebes (for both breeding and non breeding birds); all records of Red-necked Grebes; records of Horned Grebes away from the ocean; records of Horned and Eared Grebes between 1 June and 15 September.  High Counts of the winter flocks of Aechmophorus on the ocean and lakes.  

Albatrosses:  All records.

Fulmar:  High counts, and all records between 1 June and 31 August.

Pteradroma Petrels: All records.

Shearwaters:  High counts of all species and all counts from shore.  All records of Flesh-footed, Short-tailed, and Buller’s Shearwaters.  Records of Pink-footed Shearwater from 1 November – 31 March.

Storm-Petrels: All records of Fork-tailed, Wilson, and Least Storm Petrels. Counts of other species.  Leach’s Storm Petrels in the channel or close to the islands.  All records from shore, and all records, except Leach’s, 25 October - 10 April.  Ratio’s of Leach’s light to dark forms and identification to subspecies if possible.  

Tropicbirds, Boobies, Frigatebirds: All records.

Pelicans:  All records of American White Pelican. Brown Pelican: high counts at roosting locations, age ratios, sightings away from the ocean and coastal lagoons.  

Cormorants:  Any nesting records and all counts 1 June – 31 August.  

Bitterns:  All records.

Herons and Egrets:  All breeding records.  All records of Cattle and Reddish Egrets, and of Little Blue Herons.  Counts from roosts, all counts over 40 of an individual species.

Ibis: All records of Wood Stork. White-faced Ibis records 31 January – 31 July.  High counts during the fall and winter.

Vultures:  All Condor sightings. All breeding records of Turkey Vultures, roosts, and any counts of more than 50.

Osprey: All breeding records and records from 1 June – 31 August, high counts in winter.

Eagles:  All records of Bald Eagle. Golden Eagle breeding records and records away from the Cuyama/Lockwood Valley areas.

White-tailed Kite: Breeding records, roosts, and all counts of more than 15 birds.  Records away from the coastal slope (coastal slope includes Santa Clara River Valley and Simi Valley).

Harriers:  All records from 1 May – 31 August, and from montane areas.

Accipiters:  All Goshawk records.  Breeding records of Cooper’s Hawk.  Records of Sharp-shinned Hawk from 1 April – 20 September.   Any migratory movement involving multiple birds.  

Buteos:  All records of birds other than Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks.  Records of Red-shouldered from the Cuyama/Lockwood Valley or montane areas.  

Falcons:  All breeding records, all Merlin and Peregrine Falcon records.  All Prairie Falcon records away from the Cuyama/Lockwood Valley areas. All records of Merlin from 20 April - 15 September and all records of non columbarius subspecies.

Rails:  All breeding records and records from May 1 – August 31, except coots.  All Black and Clapper Rail records.  All records away from the coastal plain.  All survey counts using tape playback.

Plovers:  Arrival and departure dates for adults and juvenile Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, records of summering birds, all June records (indicate plumage and condition, age if possible).  All records of Golden and Mountain Plovers.  All counts of Snowy Plovers and of breeding birds.  

Oystercatchers:  All mainland records.

Stilts/Avocets:  All breeding counts, high counts, records away from the coast.

Sandpipers: Arrival and departure dates for adults and juveniles, all June records (indicate plumage and condition, age if possible), high counts, and all counts from thoroughly surveyed areas (include water levels).  Spotted Sandpiper records from potential breeding habitat.  All records of Solitary Sandpiper, Red Knot, Semipalmated, Baird’s, Pectoral, Sharp-tailed, Buff-breasted, and Stilt Sandpiper, Ruff.  Records of Lesser Yellowlegs, Wandering Tattler, Surfbird, Ruddy Turnstone, Short-billed Dowitchers, Phalaropes, and counts of Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, October 1 – March 31.  Sanderlings away from the immediate coast.  All Dunlin records May 15 to September 15.  Red Phalaropes onshore.  High counts of Red-necked Phalaropes both onshore and offshore.  

Jaegers/Skuas:  All records of Skuas and Long-tailed Jaegers.  Counts of more than 10 of a species, all from shore and on shore observations, all migration counts including duration of observations, all records Nov 1 – March 31, and June 1 – July 31.  Include age if possible and condition with reports.

2 year Gulls:  All Franklin Gull records.  Arrival and departure records of Bonaparte Gulls, all June 1 – August 31 records.  All Kittiwake and Sabine’s Gull records.  Include age with reports.

3 year Gulls: All records of Laughing Gull.  Records of Mew Gull from May 1 – September 30.  Heermann's Gull records away from the immediate coast, birds present March 1 – June 1, and high counts during migration and winter.  Include age with reports.

4 year Gulls:  All Glaucous and Thayer's Gull records.  Records of Herring and Glaucous-winged Gull from May 1- September 30.  Arrival and departure dates of all species except Western. Western Gulls inland from Santa Paula and Simi Valley.  Include age with reports.

Terns:  All records of Common (onshore and counts offshore), Arctic (onshore and counts offshore), and Black Terns, and Black Skimmers.  Caspian Tern counts from Nov 1 – March 15.  Royal Tern records May 1 – Oct 31, Elegant Tern records from Nov 1 – May 15 and concentrations of 500+.   

Alcids: All records of Marbled, Ancient, hypoleucus Xantus’s, scrippsi Xantus’s and Craveri’s Murrelets, and both puffins.  Any alcid seen from shore.  Pigeon Guillemot records away from the Channel Islands and all records Oct 1 – Feb 28.  Common Murre records March 1 – Nov 1 and any counts of more than 25.  Cassin’s Auklet numbers in excess of 50.   Rhinoceros Auklets from April 15 – September 31 and any numbers in excess of 50.

Doves: All records of Spotted and White-winged Doves.  Records of Eurasian Collared Dove away from Ventura and Oxnard.  Records of Common Ground Dove away from orchards on the Oxnard Plain and the Santa Clara River Valley.  Any concentrations of 100+ doves or pigeons (aside from Rock Pigeon).  

Cuckoos:  All records of Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  Any records of Roadrunners on the coastal plain.  

Owls: All records of Flammulated, Saw-whet, N Pygmy, Burrowing, Spotted, Long-eared, and Short-eared Owls.  All breeding records.  

Nightjars:  Records of migrants, all records of Common Nighthawk and Whip-Poor-Will.  Records of Lesser Nighthawks away from the Santa Clara River and Cuyama Valleys and the period September 20 – April 15.  Records of Poorwill from November 1 – April 15.  

Swifts:  All records of Black and Chimney Swifts.  All records of Vaux’s Swift away from April 10 – May 15 and September 1 – Oct 10 and all concentrations greater than 100.  White-throated Swift breeding records and concentrations in the hundreds.  

Hummingbirds:  All records of Calliope and Broad-tailed.  Black-chinned Hummingbird records September 15 – March 31.  Costa’s records from September 1 – March 31.  All Selasphorus records October 1 – January 15 (Allen’s) or January 31 (Rufous).  Records of Allen’s from montane and cismontane.  Sex and age for all Selasphorus records are wanted.  

Kingfisher:  Breeding records and all records from June 1 – August 31.  

Woodpeckers:  All records of Lewis’s Woodpecker, Red-naped, Yellow-bellied, Williamson’s and hybrid Sapsuckers.  Records of Red-breasted Sapsucker from May 15 – August 31 and arrival and departure dates from the coast.  Records of Hairy and White-headed Woodpeckers away from the mountains.

Flycatchers: All records for Eastern Phoebe, Vermillion Flycatcher, Tropical and Eastern Kingbirds, and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Arrival and departure dates for regular species; records of Olive-sided Flycatcher and pewees from 1 October to 20 April; all Empidonax records except for Pacific-slope Flycatcher (but report Pacific-slopes seen from 15 October to 15 March) and Willow Flycatcher records outside the migration period (May 15 – June 10 and September 1 – 31); all Say's Phoebes in spring and summer after 15 March and before 10 September; all records of Ash-throated Flycatchers from September 20 - April 10. All breeding records of Willow Flycatcher.  Records of Western Kingbird September 20-March 15.  Counts of Cassin’s Kingbirds from October 1 – March 31.  

Shrikes:  All records of Northern Shrike.  Arrival and departure dates for wintering Loggerheads and all records from April 10 – August 31.  

Vireos: All records of Gray, Plumbeous, Philadelphia, and Red-eyed Vireos.  Arrival and departure dates for Bell’s Vireo and all records away from the Santa Clara River Valley upstream of the Highway 101 Bridge.  Records of Warbling from October 10 – March 10.  Records of Cassin’s Vireo June 10 – March 30 and all breeding records, plus counts of singing males.  Breeding records of Warbling Vireo.

Corvids: All records of Pinyon Jays and Yellow-billed Magpie.  Records of Clark’s Nutcrackers away from Mt Pinos.  All records of Steller’s Jay in the lowlands (below Wheeler Gorge and canyons off upper Ojai Valley.  American Crows in the mountains.  Counts of more than 30 Ravens.  

Larks:  All breeding records.  Arrival and departure dates of flocks.

Swallows:  Records of Purple Martin and Bank Swallow; arrival dates for the usual species; records of any species except Tree Swallows from 1 October to March 1; winter counts of more than 50 Tree; Cliff Swallow breeding records from natural substrates (i.e., cliffs).  

Chickadees, Titmice, Bushtits:  All records of Chestnut-backed Chickadee, records of Mountain Chickadee’s away from montane breeding areas.  

Nuthatches:  Records of Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, and Brown Creeper away from montane breeding areas.

Wrens:  All records of Winter Wren and records of Canyon, Rock, and Cactus Wrens away from typical habitat.  Records of Marsh Wren from May 1 – July 31.

Dipper:  All records

Kinglets/Gnatcatchers:  All records of Golden-crowned Kinglet and California Gnatcatchers.  Arrival and departure dates for Ruby-crowned Kinglet and all records May 1 – September 15.

Thrushes:  All records of Mountain Bluebird, Townsend’s Solitaire, and Varied Thrush.  Records of Western Bluebirds away from oak or pine woodland.  Arrival and departure dates of Hermit and Swainson’s Thrush, and all records of Hermit Thrush May 1 – September 31 and all records of Swainson's Thrush October 15-May 1.  

Thrashers:  All records of Sage, Brown, and Bendire’s Thrashers, and Gray Catbird.  Records of Northern Mockingbird from the mountain areas.

Starlings:  Records of large concentrations or away from human development/altered habitats.

Pipits:  All records of Red-throated Pipit.  Arrival and departure dates for migrants and the wintering flocks of American Pipit.  All records of the Japonicus subspecies of American Pipit.

Waxwings/Phainopepla:  All records of Bohemian Waxwing.  Records of Cedar Waxwing May 10 – September 15.  Information of fall/winter influx, arrival and departure dates.  

Warblers:  All records of “eastern” (including Palm, Black-and-white, Am Redstart, Northern Waterthrush), “southwest” (such as Lucy’s and Virginia’s), and Nashville Warblers (except April 5 – May 5).  All records of the “gray-headed” subspecies of Orange-crowned Warbler and breeding records and records away from the coastal plain of the subspecies sordida.  Arrival and departure dates for all species (except Orange-crowned).  Records from October 20 - March 31 for any species except Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, and Townsend's Warblers or Common Yellowthroat.  Counts of breeding species except Yellowthroat.  Records of Chats away from breeding areas and all records of migrant chats.

Tanagers:  Arrival dates of Western Tanager, records away from breeding areas June 1 – August 31, and records from 1 November to 1 April. All records of Hepatic and Summer.

Towhees/Sparrows/Longspurs: All records of American Tree, Clay-colored, Black-throated, Grasshopper (away from known breeding areas in the Santa Monica Mountains), Nelson’s Sharp-tailed, “Red” Fox, Swamp, White-throated, and Harris’s Sparrows, and Lark Bunting, juncos other than “Oregon”, and all longspurs.  Arrival and departure dates for all species, all “winter” sparrows April 30 – September 15.  Records of Green-tailed Towhee and counts of “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrows away from breeding areas.  Counts of “Slate-colored” Fox Sparrows.  Coastal plain records of Lark and Vesper Sparrows.  

Grosbeaks/Buntings/Dickcissel:  All records of Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and Dickcissel.  Arrival and departure dates for all species.  Records of Lazuli Bunting and Blue Grosbeak away from breeding areas.  Records of Black-headed Grosbeak October 15 – March 20.  

Blackbirds/Bobolink/Meadowlark:  All records of Bobolink, “Bicolored” subspecies of Red-winged, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.  Records of Great-tailed Grackles away from Lake Casitas and Ventura Harbor/SCRE; records of Tricolored Blackbirds from 1 April to 15 August.  Counts of large concentrations of any species.  

Orioles:  All records of Orchard, Baltimore, and Scott’s Orioles.  Arrival and departure dates of breeding species, and records of any species September 25 – March 15.  

Finches:  All records of Red Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak.  All coastal records of Lawrence’s Goldfinch and large concentrations of that species.  Records of American Goldfinch from montane areas.  Lowland “breeding” season records of Purple Finch.  Records of Cassin’s Finches away from montane breeding areas.  Records of Pine Siskins May 1 – September 31.  Information regarding fall/winter incursions of crossbills, siskins, goldfinches, or grosbeaks.

House Sparrows:  Records away from human disturbed areas.  

Please send reports to:

Oscar Johnson, Ventura County NAB compiler (henicorhina@yahoo.com)