17 June 2001 nr San Lucas MTY
The BLUE GROSBEAK is a fairly common local summer breeder in riparian thickets in hot lowlands near water in the Central Valley and southern California. Fall vagrants regularly reach the coast in small numbers as do spring overshoots away from breeding locales. Winter records are exceptional.
The only California records are listed below are (1) my personal "state bird" and (2) those with unusual dates or locales. All my other observations are well within normal status & distributional limits. Those preceded by H were vagrants found or co-found by me personally. Within these parameters, these are my personal Blue Grosbeak records of interest:
6/8/72 Bard IMP maleSee the family page for county abbreviations. All photos & text © 2001 Don Roberson; all rights reserved.
H 9/11/80 Esplanade, Pacific Grove MTY imm; description in my notes
H 9/9/84 Carmel R. mouth MTY imm
5/27/85 Oasis MNO pair; they must nest here but near the edge of their range
H 5/28-6/17/90 Paris Valley Rd. nr San Lucas MTY nesting pair
During the MTY Breeding Bird Atlas, I discovered this pair and eventually a nest with young. This was the first MTY nesting record in 40 years. Birds have been present every year since and a larger population in the vicinity has been documented by Jim & Helen Banks. I visit "my" local population most springs; the male shown above was attending an active nest that I discovered in June 2001
H 10/8/95 Big Sur R. mouth MTY imm
9/26/97 Salinas ponds MTY imm
H 9/29/97 Crespi Pond, Pt. Pinos MTY heard only
H 10/16/97 Pt. Pinos MTY imm