For the last week or so, I’ve noticed groups of individuals carrying cameras and binoculars and hanging out in a green space near my house on Coronado Avenue at the top of 8th – just next to the North Island base. What could be hatching, I wondered? I saw quite a group last weekend, but some were still there this week and so I decided to stop.
Matthew and Dave, avid birders from Carlsbad and Leucadia, were there and happy to share the news of a Cassin’s Sparrow, a rather rare bird for this area. They told me that this sighting was the fourth ever recorded in San Diego. Apparently, Cassin’s Sparrow resides in Arizona and Texas (just like many other part-time residents of Coronado, I thought!), but moves south with the change in season. Dave said, “I’ve seen a lot in Arizona, but never one in California.”
“So, what is this one doing here?” I asked.
“Probably lost,” he said.
At first, I was worried about the bird, but Dave assured me that it looked like it was thriving: “It’s foraging like crazy.”
Matthew and Dave directed me to Ebird.org, a website devoted to data collection on sightings of birds globally. From it, I learned that the exact location of the Cassin’s Sparrow is 32.693985,-117.190656 and that it was first sighted on Saturday by Johnny Galt and later in the day by Gary Nunn. I also learned that in the last couple of days alone, some fifty observers marked themselves as having viewed our Cassin’s Sparrow.
According to Audubon, Cassin’s Sparrow or Peucaea cassinii is apparently still widespread and common. So, not such a rare bird, just rare for Coronado. But, Audubon says, “With their nomadic tendencies, they sometimes turn up far outside their normal range, with scattered records from coast to coast.” This is one of those times, I guessed.
Matthew and Dave told me that rare birds are often found in this area – particularly next to the base. They speculate that it’s because there are a lot of mature trees there. In any case, they said that San Diego is one of the best cities for birding in the country.
Matthew told me that birders are often a little crazy, trying to fill up their county lists, or global lists of birds they have seen. His goal, he said is to “try to get photos of as many species as possible.” Lucky for us, he agreed to share one of his photos of Coronado’s Cassin’s Sparrow here.
So, if you have the inclination for a little outing, stroll up 8th St. with your camera and binoculars. You might get a peep at the Cassin’s Sparrow.
