Spring is really flowing along here in Southern California. The flowers are blooming, the trees are approaching full leaf, and, of course, the birds are on the move. This is my favorite season for birding. Fall brings more rare birds, which is fun, but Spring brings back all the familiar species of the summer as well as through-passing migrants. Everything is new and bright and happy, and the birds are singing everywhere.
We took advantage of Spring to go birding at El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach. We hadn't been there in a long time, not since our first spring birding (2005). Libby had gone there with her class, and then she brought me along later. We both remember ticking lifers there, too. Libby had her first Oriole ever there - a Bullock's, and she thinks she saw her first Common Yellowthroat there, too. And I remember ticking my first Black-throated Gray Warbler and my first Song Sparrow there. We both even remember the very spots where we saw them!
No lifers this time, of course, but we did see some new birds for the Spring, and we had a good time. It was actually fairly quiet in some spots there, and we came out with a very low species total - 36. That's a very low total for any spot in Southern California, but we had a slow day. It was overcast all morning, and that might have had something to do with it. We had our first of season Black-throated Gray Warbler in a big mixed flock with Townsend's Warblers and Yellow-rumped Warblers. We also had our FOS Wilson's Warbler and our first of season Black-headed Grosbeak - an attractive male. The highlight to me was a Cassin's Vireo that we saw on our way out. That's only the second time I've ever seen a Cassin's Vireo, and the other time I saw one it was in Madera Canyon last Spring in Arizona. Cassin's Vireos aren't rare in Southern California, but I always seem to miss them, somehow.
Otherwise, the birding was ordinary. Lots of egrets and herons - 5 species - and tons of Song Sparrows, House Wrens, hummingbirds, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Pictures are up here: http://flickr.com/photos/rowleypics/sets/72157604443642565/.
On the theme of new birds for the year: I saw my FOS Black-chinned Hummingbirds yesterday (a female at Biola followed by a male on my way home in Creek Park), and my FOS Warbling Vireo (finally!) at Creek Park this morning on my way to work. Right now the most common warblers are still Yellow-rumped, but there are a lot of Orange-crowned Warblers around, also, to complement a scattering of Townsend's. I'm trying to get pictures of them, but they're usually really high in Eucalyptus or Sycamore trees.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I definitely saw my first Common Yellowthroat there.
Post a Comment