Birding Los Angeles and Beyond

Today was an enjoyable one with a repeat client from Michigan. Highlights included LeConte's Thrasher, Tricolored Blackbird, Townsend's Solitaire, Clark's Nutcracker and White-headed Woodpecker. I only really had time to photograph this Bald Eagle though.

The Los Angeles River. Beautiful birds, less than beautiful scenery. I found this lovely (and rare) pink washed Franklin's Gull along the river on Saturday. Other highlights on the day including Western, Summer and Hepatic Tanager and Dusky-capped Flycatcher as well as some introduced target species like Swinhoe's White-eye, Red-whiskered Bulbul and Pin-tailed Whydah.

A magical California Condor moment was a highlight of today's guiding. We spent half-an-hour with thirteen birds, so close that you felt like you could almost reach out and touch them.

A fun day guiding on Thursday which required some quick thinking and local expertise after winter rains made higher elevations inaccessible due to mud and rock slides on mountain roads. In the end we still managed to have a great day birding and dig out a few montane species at lower elevation: White-headed Woodpecker, Steller's Jay etc. Other highlights included Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Bell's Sparrow and this self found Lark Bunting. Probably the rarest bird I've discovered while guiding clients (apart from the time we found the 4th record of Gray-capped Cuckoo for Panama).

A possible new species to look for on a visit to SoCal? There's a proposed split of the western elegans subspecies of Red-shouldered Hawk from the eastern birds and an elevation to a full species. Here in Los Angeles the birds are typically found in riparian areas or dense suburban "woodlands".

I'm looking forward to some more guiding later in the week and will be keeping my eyes peeled for this stunning raptor. It's a particularly good time to find this species as they are very vocal right now and displaying as we head into breeding season.

Another remarkable set of images from Mike May from our three days birding together around Los Angeles. Often a high priority for visiting birders, we were treated to a real Ridgway's Rail show: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtuCw1aKurG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MjAxZDBhZDhlNA==

My last post on the recent few days in Los Angeles and the big highlight of the trip - Ridgway’s Rail - a localised split from Clapper Rail extending into California from Mexico. Luke Tiller @ucskies took me to the Bolsa Chica reserve in Orange County, one of the best places to see it if you are lucky from the boardwalk that crosses the salt Marsh. Given that it was low tide we didn’t rate our chances, but one appeared, and didn’t hesitate to approach, coming closer until it walked right under the boardwalk where we were standing…….(last photo)

One of the main targets for visiting birders to LA is the elusive Mountain Quail. Though it took about three hours, while we also saw Bell's and Black-chinned Sparrows, we eventually got killer looks at a pair of quail last week. Amazing photos from Mike May on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtUJ_y5qdCH/

The highlight of the day - Mountain Quail - apparently one of the most difficult North American birds to see. It took all the skills and patience of @ucskies over a couple of hours to get us in the right position to wait for them to emerge. The birds have a lovely call, and the male throws his head back to do it. Once he had understood they were safe, his mate followed him out (swipe).

A fun couple of days around Los Angeles and Orange County with Ridgway's Rail, California Gnatcatcher, Mountain Quail, Bell's and Black-chinned Sparrows among the many highlights. Report in the comments.

A fun weekend of birding with Eric and Karl from Michigan and Colorado. Over our three days we tallied 165 species including Ridgway's Rail, Mountain Quail, California Gnatcatcher and LeConte's Thrasher. Highlights beyond that might have been either a morning of migration at Bear Divide or a last gasp lifer Vaux's Swift on the way to the airport.

Often a top target here in Los Angeles, these Mountain Quail were kind enough to play ball for Evan from Illinois this past weekend. Though they are never guaranteed, this time of year is peak time to see Mountain Quails as the males are calling and looking for love. Thanks to Evan Smith for the photos.

Fun couple of days at the San Diego Birding Festival with ZEISS. Co-led an Anza Borrego/Salton Sea trip (two of my favorite SoCal spots) with a couple of fun and knowledgeable festival regulars: Bruce Aird and Kurt Leuschner. We found a few decent birds including a light Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk, Whimbrel, Least and American Bittern, big flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese and what look to be some Sagebrush Sparrows (as they are currently identified in counties outside of Los Angeles).

Nice to catch up with a few old friends in San Diego too. I had a nice day on the ZEISS booth and a fun evening eating pizza and listening to a very punk rock juke box at a typically San Diegan dive bar.

Mountain Quail is perhaps the most often sought after species that people ask me to find for them here in Los Angeles. Over the years I've seen quite a lot of this enigmatic and often hard to see species - probably a fair amount more than listed in eBird. I've shown them to people in every month of the year now, though the are much easier to find March through June when the males are actively calling.

I actually haven't eBirded the last ones that I saw just a week or so back with clients from NY State. Views are often brief of these wary birds, and this particular encounter was one of just a handful where a bird sat out in the open unaware of our presence allowing for walkway views.

It's always a special thrill to see this species and to share it with people.

Currently planning a day chasing some of the weird and wonderful exotic birds that call Los Angeles home for a birder from Vermont. Many are countable these days and some, though still provision, are well worth seeing anyway in my opinion.

Winter along the coast in Los Angeles offers interesting possibilities including Surfbird, Wandering Tattler, Short-billed Gull, Black Oystercatcher and Black Turnstone. There's always the chance of something less expected like this Pacific Golden Plover too. All these photos were taken on the on a recent day guiding a client in Los Angeles.

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