Environment : Notes about your surroundings.

The Birds--Fall’s migration has just about ended for all but some species of waterfowl, which are still arriving in the county. Land birds, raptors and shore birds have either passed through to points farther south or have set up camp here for the winter.

That means lots of white-crowned sparrows and yellow-rumped warblers--the most ubiquitous of the wintering land birds--at such birding hot spots as Huntington Central Park. Shore birds are abundant at such wetlands reserves as Upper Newport Bay and Bolsa Chica.

Among the wintering raptors are ferriginous hawks (declining with the loss of open fields for foraging), red-tailed hawks (seen all year, their numbers swell with the arrival of wintering birds that breed farther north), sharp-shinned hawks and the larger but similar Cooper’s hawk, merlins and peregrines. The numbers of most owl species and the red-shouldered hawk stay fairly constant throughout the year.

The end of fall migration often brings an odd collection of vagrants--birds not normally found in the county that have somehow strayed from their normal migration paths. Finding rare and unusual vagrants is a favorite pastime of veteran birders.

According to Doug Willick, who compiles rare bird sightings in the county, the highlight thus far this season is a black-billed cuckoo seen Oct. 4 and 5 in Huntington Beach. It was the first recorded county sighting of the bird, and only the third in Southern California.

A prothonotary warbler, the second in the county, was spotted Sept. 27 at Westminster Memorial Park. A native of the southeastern United States, the lone bird somehow traveled directly west instead of south.

Oct. 6 saw the third county record of a painted redstart, a distinctive red, black and white bird normally found in southeastern Arizona. A Philadelphia vireo, also the third county record, was seen Oct. 15.

Other vagrants recorded in October: Tennessee warblers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, an ovenbird, indigo bunting, black-and-white warbler, clay-colored sparrow, American redstart, blackpole warblers, a male black-footed blue warbler and a Lewis’ woodpecker.