Green Valley Wildlife Yard List 2023

WILDLIFE YARD LIST (1988-2023)

Callyn Yorke

N 34 36.960′ W 118 24.079′ Los Angeles County, California (Elevation 3,000 ft.). Ecotone: Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) – Upland Chaparral (Eriogonum, Adenostoma, Eriodictyon, Ceanothus); Riparian (artificial ponds, mature plantings of Sycamore and Cottonwood) with predominately native vegetation of Southern California.

KEY

C = common (3-10 individuals); U = uncommon (1-2 individuals; absent some years); R = rare (three or fewer occurrences); B = breeding locally; WR = winter resident; T = transient (i.e. seasonal); I = introduced; E = locally extirpated; (m/d/y) = date of initial sighting with additional notes; FS = feeding station, including mixed seed on the ground and suspended suet; hummingbird feeder added in 2023.

Amphibians and Reptiles (10 Species)

• Western Toad Anaxyrus boreas U
• Pacific Tree Frog Pseudacris regilla U
• Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis C
• Side-blotched Lizard Uta stansburiana C
• Blainville’s Horned Lizard Phrynosoma blainvillii U
• Western Whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris U
• Northern California Legless Lizard Anniella pulchra (I – a released captive found in the yard about two years later)
• Southern Alligator Lizard Elgaria multicarinata U
• California Whipsnake Masticophis lateralis U
• Southern Pacific Rattlesnake Crotalus oreganus helleri U

BIRDS (107 Species)

• Canada Goose Branta canadensis R, T
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos R, T
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus I, R – probably an escapee from a local game bird ranch.
• Mountain Quail Oreortyx pictus R, T
• California Quail Callipepla californica C, B; FS
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus I, R – probably an escapee from a local game bird ranch.
• Feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia I, U
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata C; FS
• Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto I, C; FS (2/6/2010)
• Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis I, E; FS (formerly fairly common in Green Valley; apparently replaced by a congeneric exotic, S. decaocto, around 2008).
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura C; FS
• Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus R, (B?)
• Vaux’s Swift Chaetura vauxi U, T
• White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis R, T
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archochilus alexandri C, T, B, FS
• Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna C, B, FS
• Costa’s Hummingbird Calypte costae U, T, FS
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus U, T, FS
• Allen’s Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin, U, T, FS
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis R, T
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias R, T
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura U, T
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus U, T
• Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii U, B
• Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis R, T (1/14/2012 – one sighting – alighted briefly atop an oak tree in the front yard)
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus U, B
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis U, B
• Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni R, T (3/13/22)
• Barn Owl Tyto alba U, B
• Western Screech Owl Megascops kennicottii U, B
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus U, B
• Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis U, T
• Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus C, B; FS
• Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber U, T
• Nuttall’s Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii C, B, FS
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubesens U, T; FS
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus U, T
• Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker Colaptes auratus U, T, B; FS
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius U, T
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi U, T
• Western Wood Pewee Contopus sordidulus U, T
• Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis U, T
• Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans U, B
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens C, B
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis U, T
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus U, T
• California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica C, B; FS
• Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri U, T; FS (2/2022;23)
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos C, B; FS
• Northern Raven Corvus corax C, B
• Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli U, T; FS
• Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus C, FS
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota U, T
• Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus U, B
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula U, T
• Wrentit Chamaea fasciata C, B
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis C, B; FS
• Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus U, T
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon U, B
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii C, B
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea R, T
• Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris I, U, B
• California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum U, B; FS
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos U, T
• Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana U, B
• Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus R, T
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus U,T
• American Robin Turdus migratorius C, T
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius R, T
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum C, T
• Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens U, T
• House Sparrow Passer domesticus I, U, B; FS
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus C, B; FS
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus U, T; FS
• Cassin’s Finch Haemorhous cassinii U, T; FS (2/25 – 3/22, 2023)
• Pine Siskin Spinus pinus U, T; FS
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria C, T; FS
• Lawrence’s Goldfinch Spinus lawrencei U, T
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis U, T
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus C, B; FS
• California Towhee Melozone crissalis C, B; FS
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina U, T; FS
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus R, T (9/21/94)
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus R, T (4/15/94)
• Sooty Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis U, WR, T; FS
• Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii U, WR; FS (2/14/2020)
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii C, T, WR; FS
• Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla C, T, WR; FS
• Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco Junco hyemalis thurberi C, WR; FS
• Dark-eyed (Pink-sided) Junco Junco hyemalis mearnsi R, WR; FS
• Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco hyemalis hyemalis U, WR; FS
• Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus U, T, FS
• Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii C, B
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus U, T; FS
• Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus U, T; FS
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molthrus ater U, T
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta R, T
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata U, T
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla U, T
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia U, T
• Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler Setophaga coronata C, T
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens U, T
• Hermit Warbler Setophaga occidentalis U, T
• Townsend’s Warbler Setophaga townsendi U, T
• Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla U, T
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana U, T
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus R, T
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus, C, T, B; FS
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena U,T

Mammals (16 Species)

• Opossum Didelphus virginiana U, B
• Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus U, B
• Black Bear Ursus americanus R
• Raccoon Procyon lotor C, B
• Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis U, B
• Coyote Canis latrans U, B
• Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus R, B
• California Ground Squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi C, B; FS
• Western Gray Squirrel Sciurus griseus R, B? (nearly extirpated, apparently replaced by invasive exotic, S. niger, since about 2010; largely absent in Green Valley for several consecutive years; one adult present at bird FS, 3/21/2023).
• Eastern Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger I, C, B; FS
• Merriam’s Chipmunk Tamias merriami C, B; FS
• Valley Pocket Gopher Thomomys bottae C, B
• Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus C, B
• Dusky-footed Woodrat Neotoma fuscipes C, B; FS
• Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus U
• Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii U, B