If you’re a birder, you’ve heard of the spring ‘fall outs’ of birds, where migrating birds meet cold weather fronts and drop to the ground, exhausted and hungry,
In years of birding on the Southern California coast, I’ve discovered we can have mini-fall outs of birds when strong north or northwest winds are blowing. The birds are coming north from Mexico or Central America where they spend the winter.
As they make their way along the coast near Santa Barbara — which trends east/west–the birds will stay down and take shelter from the cold north winds blowing down the canyons of the Santa Ynez Mountains, thus delaying their migration.
My yard is situated about a mile from the ocean on the coastal plain, and we are subject to northeast winds below passes and canyons in spring.
When the wind blows at night, migrants heading north are forced to linger on the coastal plain. The next morning: you might have a minor fall out of birds that are bottled up on the coastal plain, waiting for the wind to stop so they can follow routes north over our Santa Ynez Mountains.
This morning was a bonanza!
From 8 to 9 a.m., I counted 27 different species in my garden, and many were multiple individuals! The sky was shaking out birds!
One of the primary attractions is a mature 45 foot tall red Bottlebrush tree ( Callistemon viminalis ) in full bloom now. I think this tree attracts the hummingbirds, warblers, and orioles. Then, once they notice the pond (very small) and the seed feeders (very simple), the birds linger before heading on.
Most birds seemed purposefully flying on a course from east to west across my yard. Are they taking a horizontal direction to avoid the strong winds? I think so.
When you see a little pond like mine full of Bullock’s Orioles, Nashville Warblers, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, and even 3 Chipping Sparrows (where did they come from? a new species for the yard!), you realize that something is going on.
Winter visitors like the White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows are on their way out of here, and the subtropical summer visitors are on their way into California. Since we get many windstorms, alas instead of rainstorms, these wind events can resemble a rainstorm and result in the birds taking cover, or at least delaying their migration.
In addition, it appears that many species are choosing to migrate using the coastal corridors rather than some inland locations. This doesn’t happen every spring, but it’s happening this year!
For example, the number of Rufous Hummingbirds moving through over the past three weeks has been phenomenal. This doesn’t happen every year.
See below for a complete list of the birds in my yard on April 5, 2014 from 8-9:30 a.m. What good fortune awaits those of us who go outside when they hear bird song on the wind!
(high numbers may be rough estimates for certain species)
Mourning Dove – 2
Anna’s Hummingbird – 12
Rufous Hummingbird – ~30-40 maybe more!
Allen’s Hummingbird – 8
Selasphorus (sp.) – 15 (probably female Rufous)
Acorn Woodpecker – 1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – 1
Western Scrub-Jay – 2
Oak Titmouse – 1
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1 (heard from neighbor’s yard)
Bewick’s Wren – 2
Orange-crowned Warbler – ~ 20
Nashville Warbler – 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler – ~25
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Wilson’s Warbler – 1
Spotted Towhee – 1
California Towhee – 5
Chipping Sparrow – 3
White-crowned Sparrow – 12
Golden-crowned Sparrow – 4
Black-headed Grosbeak – 5
Hooded Oriole – 2
Bullock’s Oriole – 6
House Finch – 6
Lesser Goldfinch – 3
Nutmeg Mannikin – 6
