Earlier this month my wife and I were at the far southern end of Tijuana Slough NWR, south of San Diego, right up against the border. There's a Tamarisk Grove at a trailhead. Nancy heard a very strange jay call. We tracked it down and there were three Black-throated Magpie-Jays. They never came out in the open; this was probably the best photo I could get through the long needles.
I emailed the secretary of the California Bird Records Committee about the sighting, and he was kind enough to respond:
Two or three pairs of Black-throated Magpie-Jays are now resident in and around the Tijuana River Valley. Young are hatched most years. These birds are believed to have escaped from one of the bird-markets in Tijuana, and not wandered north from Siniloa in west Mexico (the nearest area where this resident species occurres naturally). The status of Black-throated Magpie-Jay does not meet the requirements of the California Bird Records Committee or the American Birding Association Checklist Committee requirements for adding to the California or North American list. Fun birds to see, but not "countable" on local, state-wide or national lists.
It's still a lifer for me. The unexpected ones are the best kind. The staff said as many as 15 have been seen at one time. Perhaps at some date in the future, these will be countable. In the meantime, I'm delighted to have this bird.
Sandy just told me about Tijuana Slough NWR. Magpies certainly make it more interesting. I looked for magpies in Saskatchewan a few years ago, but only saw one. It flew across the road right in front of our vehicle.
Your post now gives me a more exciting mission beyond being in San Diego for a business trip.
Posted by Richard Ditch on March 1, 2012 at 11:27 AM
A good find. There were similar sightings along the AZ border a few years if memory still serves me.
I haven't been to the border in CA in many years. The last time I was there the rangers were very discouraging about the safety of even being there. I hope things are better there these days.
Pretty neat that you got to see them, Jim. I was pretty excited the first time I saw one down there too. The old timer birders just rolled their eyes at me and said "Oh, yeah... we knew that." This is just one bird on a long list of introduced species that is making San Diego home these days. Let me know when you're back in town.
Discussion
5 repliesI emailed the secretary of the California Bird Records Committee about the sighting, and he was kind enough to respond:
It's still a lifer for me. The unexpected ones are the best kind. The staff said as many as 15 have been seen at one time. Perhaps at some date in the future, these will be countable. In the meantime, I'm delighted to have this bird.
Thanks for posting this good info !
Sandy
Your post now gives me a more exciting mission beyond being in San Diego for a business trip.
I haven't been to the border in CA in many years. The last time I was there the rangers were very discouraging about the safety of even being there. I hope things are better there these days.