They're here all year, so you wouldn't be wrong to wonder why there are more Dark-Eyed Juncos lately. The reason is that our local Juncos have been joined by migrants from farther north up the coast. They will stay all winter, foraging on the ground for seeds, especially where they have some open ground and can watch for predators.

                              Right: Slate-colored Junco on the ground

Among the migrants joining our local Juncos for the winter are the “Slate-Colored” Juncos, who are charcoal gray overall with a white front. It's easy to confuse these with Black Phoebes, who are here all year. But they a very different birds. While the Juncos hop and forage on the ground for seeds, the Phoebes swoop and dart in the air, catching bugs. Still, you're likely to see both, because they are among our most common neighborhood birds.

Left: Black Phoebe with nesting materials

As the fall migration starts, we can be happy that one species always stays around, Hummingbirds. The tidy little nests that they built in spring are still there and can be used for many years. So, don't start your fall pruning until October to be sure they have finished with their last broods. Then, cut carefully around those exquisite little nests, which may well see another thriving family next year.

It's time to start watching the warblers. They are coming through this area in great numbers. Most don't stay, but certainly provide great bird-watching and listening in your garden. Some of the common visitors include Townsend's Warblers, Yellow Warblers and McGillivray's Warblers.

          Below: A Lazuli Bunting on a rock contemplates the long journey ahead.

They don't hang around in the summer, but right now Western Tanagers and Lazuli Buntings are migrating through, going southward. Both birds love water, so keep an eye on your birdbath. The Buntings are headed for western Mexico as are most of the tanagers. However, a flash of red and orange may mean your yard is where a few tanagers camp out for the winter. They might be joined by a Summer Tanager or two, rare birds for us, but seen on the Westside and near the LA River this year.

Left: Beautiful juvenile Double-Crested Cormorant perched near a dock (Larry Naylor)

Shorebird migration is under way. If you're on the beach, watch for big concentrations of black Double-Crested Cormorants moving down the coast with their brownish juveniles. Or you might see gray Red-Throated Loons arrive for the winter. Large concentrations of these birds can show up in the morning and be gone at night, if weather is favorable.

By late September, we will begin to see some of our common fall migrants. The White-Crowned Sparrows are most familiar,

As September ends, the last orioles, grosbeaks and tanagers have gone south to Mexico.