First record San Diego County White Wagtail?

On Sunday, February 10, 2013, Matt Sadowski reports that he was driving south on Bay Blvd., just south of Ada St. in Chula Vista (San Diego County, USA) ... 

when all of a sudden there was a Say's Phoebe chasing a black and white bird flashing white in the wings and white outer tail feathers right in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes and veered off the road while the phoebe settled on a fence and a WHITE WAGTAIL landed on the road and proceeded to walk to a pothole and take a drink. I snapped off a few shots as the wagtail walked to the middle of the road. I picked up my cell phone and started calling people I knew were in the immediate area. Unfortunately the wagtail hopped up onto a fence and immediately took off to the south and quickly gained altitude flying out of sight and slightly south/southeast. Duration: ~45 seconds. I had to keep looking at the few shots I got to convince myself of what had just happened.

Many local birders reportedly flooded the area looking for the bird, but without luck.

The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine of the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. This species breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and in parts of north Africa. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. In the British Isles the darker sub-species the Pied Wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates.

The White Wagtail is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and man-made structures.

The California Record Birds Committee reports 38 California White Wagtail sightings, with two having been accepted at Doheny State Beach in nearby Dana Point (Orange County).  The Nevada Bird Records Committee has also accepted at least one recent sighting from June 3, 2010, when Sara Wittenberg photographed a White Wagtail at Ruby Lakes NWR (Elko County).

Nevertheless, this may well be the first plausible San Diego County record of a White Wagtail.

Nice spotting, Matt!

Photo by Matt Sadowski - Copyright 2013

PS.  Let's be clear though.  This doesn't mean there's never been a White Wagtail in the county.  It just means no one was ever in the right place, with the right knowledge, at the right time, to identify one!