And they’re along my work commute!
October 19 & 20, 2026 – Tustin, California
I subscribe to the Rare Bird Alert from eBird and I sometimes wonder why considering I skip the vast majority of alerts I receive. I really do not care to chase a lot of North American birds that are just not abundant in California. Nonetheless, I of course check it routinely while bored at work. There have been a lot of opportunities this fall except many were a 40 minute drive away making them easy skips. So when one was less than a mile from my work this week, I could not resist the opportunity.
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Monday after work I went to a park in Tustin in hopes to spot the Clay-colored Sparrow that showed up a few days prior. Along with it has been a Brewer’s Sparrow associating with a larger group of Chipping Sparrows.
I arrived around 3pm greeted by a sunny and warm fall afternoon. Fortunately, almost immediately I spotted a group of Chipping Sparrows but no immediate luck with the Clay-colored Sparrow who all fled to the safety of the trees after being a bit spooked by my arrival. Assuming if I spent some time on a nearby bench, the birds would settle and return to their feeding amongst the fallen leaves on the ground. This proved correct!
As I scanned the grass and fallen leaves I saw some House Finches and Chipping Sparrows and came across one of the rare migrants in the area, the Brewer’s Sparrow who was reported often associating with the Clay-colored Sparrow at this park. Unfortunately I could not find the Clay-colored Sparrow! Nonetheless, I had my first nice photos of a Brewer’s Sparrow, a bird I have far more often heard than seen while in the Mojave Desert, a place I have found quite reliable for coming across the species.
I decided to try looking in another portion of the park and came across a sprinkler system was leaking. Here I came across again, the Brewer’s Sparrow and several other common species to the area enjoying the plentiful water that was pooling.
The big highlight at this spot was in the tree above. Below is the first ever adult male Vermilion Flycatcher I have ever seen! I have seen this species 5 times prior, but have only seen adult females, an immature male, and an immature female. A real treat to see this gorgeous bird.
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I gave up, fairly satisfied with a unique outing for the area, but figured I would try again the next day if a report came in during the morning of the Clay-colored Sparrow. Fortunately for me, one did! I arrived around the same time on Tuesday, once more greeted with another sunny, warm mid-October Southern California day, and repeated my strategy to locate the Chipping Sparrows and try and pick out the Clay-colored Sparrow. Today I came across the Chipping Sparrows quickly and once more, spotted the Brewer’s Sparrow but again, no Clay-colored Sparrow! Frustrating! Felt like I was going to have an identical outing as yesterday.
I decided to start heading out of the park, but slowly scanned around repeating my strategy as I headed for the exit. As is a common theme in my posts, right at the exit for the park as I succumbed to defeat, I stumbled across a couple more Chipping Sparrows in the fallen leaves. I looked through the small birds that, in the tall grass, hid exceptionally well within the fallen autumn-colored leaves. Then a pair of parkgoers walked by and flushed all the birds into the trees. In the tree directly next to me was a pale looking sparrow and to my joy, was my target! A phenomenal look at the Clay-colored Sparrow! Not even obscured by leaves or branches! The bird had a face pattern that really captured my interest. I loved the contrasting dark line running behind its eye and the malar stripe around its cheek. Sparrows can be so frustrating for me to identify in the field, but when side-by-side and so clearly seen, their unique features really begin to stand out.
A great half-hour detour on the way home from work!
And that’s the story of my first Clay-colored Sparrow (#493)!
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