We traveled south from Long Beach only 10 miles to Bolsa Chica State Beach for a week. Across from the beach is the Ecological Reserve that we walked to almost every day. Amazing birds winter in this large wetlands, and many diverse creatures dwell here.
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| Yellow-chevroned Parakeet at Walmart parking lot |
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| Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve - Santa Ana Mountains in the distance |
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| Colorful Bufflehead drake |
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| Lesser Scaup tips upside down for preening |
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| Hundreds of Black Brant geese feed and rest at the wetlands |
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| Snowy Egrets greet us on the boardwalk into the wetlands |
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| Northern Pintail drake |
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| Green-winged Teal drake |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
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| Rare to Orange County CA. This Mountain Plover brought birders from all over, and it stayed here for over a month. |
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| The Mountain Plover spent most of the time near the Least Tern nesting structures. |
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| Small flocks of Horned Larks shared the same space. |
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| Glaucous-winged Gull came in to rest on the sand bar |
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| Semipalmated Plover on the beach |
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| Sunlight shines through this American White Pelican's pouch |
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| Whimbrel searches through the wetland's vegetation |
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| Peregrine Falcon sits on the edge of the marsh and then upsets all the shorebirds as he hunts for a meal. |
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| Reddish Egret dances his way through the shallows looking for a fish |
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| Time to try a new spot |
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| Say's Phoebe comes in for a landing |
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| Say's Phoebe finds a good perch |
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| Here we are at the Bolsa Chica Beach scoping for Snowy Plovers |
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| Multi-banded Snowy Plover on the beach |
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| Not many places to hide but they blend into the sand well |
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| Winter plumage Red-throated Loon |
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| Great Blue Heron brings nesting material to the palm tree |
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| What do you mean? You want more? |
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| A Coyote prowls the wetland's island. Sorry, no roadrunners here! |
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| Wintering Golden-crowned Sparrow |
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| The rare Large-billed Savannah Sparrow |
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| The Ridgeway Rail takes a swim before sunset |
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| Sunsets over Santa Catalina Island looks like a volcano erupting. |
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| New Moon after sunset |
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| American Kestrel at Mile Square Park |
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| Western Bluebird |
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| White-tailed Kite soars over the brushy hillside |
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| Oceanside Pier, hundreds of surfers wait for "The Wave". |
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| Red-crowned Parrots fly through each morning and evening |
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| Red-crowned Parrot at the Cemetery |
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| Red-shouldered Hawk pair nesting at Oceanside cemetery |
We are at Paradise by the Sea RV Park for the weekend and tomorrow we head east to the desert and the Salton Sea. Being by the Pacific Ocean has been great but it is time to move on. Heading across Arizona, New Mexico and Western Texas to help with Spring Hawk count in Mission Texas for March & April.
Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann
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