Hi all,
The indigo bunting appears to have moved on. We looked for the bird in the past few days and it has not been heard or seen. I checked out nearby reserves across the street and freeway, including private areas, and I did not see any sign of it.

For anyone who goes looking for the "shrimp pond" GRSP, please do not walk into the pond area, this is not where that particular male hangs around. There are a lot of squashed toads and trampled vernal pool vegetation because of recent foot traffic into this site, and one birder I talked to said this is where he thought the bird was supposed to be. The individual GRSP in question actually hangs out along the fence posts about 300 feet E of the pond, usually in the low grass on the other side of the fence. Today he was hopping between the fence posts between 8 and 9am at close range.

If you arrive early the birds are usually confiding at this time of the year. I saw at least 8 birds today, with 5 birds visible at once during exceptionally fortunate circumstances. But the point here is that there is no need to cut trails through grassland looking for them. If you cannot find the "shrimp pond" GRSP, there are 2 males that sing close to the trail on the SW side of the reserve, 1 on either side. Even though a lot of the grassland vegetation is not very sensitive at this time of year, it is best to stay on trail. The birds flew across the main walking path multiple times while I was set up there. They are regularly singing in the mustard plants at the moment, which often makes them very visible. No playback is required.

James Bailey
Lake Forest