Bolsa Chica to Oceanside, CA

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.

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet at Walmart parking lot

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve - Santa Ana Mountains in the distance

Colorful Bufflehead drake

Lesser Scaup tips upside down for preening

Hundreds of Black Brant geese feed and rest at the wetlands

Snowy Egrets greet us on the boardwalk into the wetlands

Northern Pintail drake

Green-winged Teal drake

Red-breasted Merganser

Rare to Orange County CA.  This Mountain Plover brought birders from
all over, and it stayed here for over a month.

The Mountain Plover spent most of the time near the Least Tern nesting structures.

Small flocks of Horned Larks shared the same space.

Glaucous-winged Gull came in to rest on the sand bar

Semipalmated Plover on the beach

Sunlight shines through this American White Pelican's pouch

Whimbrel searches through the wetland's vegetation

Peregrine Falcon sits on the edge of the marsh and then upsets all the shorebirds
as he hunts for a meal.

Reddish Egret dances his way through the shallows looking for a fish

Time to try a new spot

Say's Phoebe comes in for a landing

Say's Phoebe finds a good perch

Here we are at the Bolsa Chica Beach scoping for Snowy Plovers

Multi-banded Snowy Plover on the beach

Not many places to hide but they blend into the sand well

Winter plumage Red-throated Loon

Great Blue Heron brings nesting material to the palm tree

What do you mean?  You want more?

A Coyote prowls the wetland's island.  Sorry, no roadrunners here!

Wintering Golden-crowned Sparrow

The rare Large-billed Savannah Sparrow

The Ridgeway Rail takes a swim before sunset

Sunsets over Santa Catalina Island looks like a volcano erupting.

New Moon after sunset

American Kestrel at Mile Square Park

Western Bluebird

White-tailed Kite soars over the brushy hillside

Oceanside Pier, hundreds of surfers wait for "The Wave".

Red-crowned Parrots fly through each morning and evening

Red-crowned Parrot at the Cemetery

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

Long Beach plus birding field trips

Black Oystercatchers

Starting our seventh week here at Golden Shore RV Resort in Long Beach, CA.  Birds come in and out with the tides looking for goodies to eat.  Even walking the same path to the Bay and the mouth of the L.A. River can bring different sights.  Each week we make one trip out to different areas to find new birds, then pick up groceries on the way home.

Red-tailed Hawk

Marbled Godwits "fencing"

Great Blue Heron

 We drove south past Newport to Corona Del Mar to find a young Red-footed Booby that has been spending some time on one of the jetties.  Ty rock-hopped out to get a close-up photo while Ida used the scope from a safe distance.  Because this bird is a juvenile - no red feet yet.  This is a new North American bird for us, only seen by us before in Hawaii.

We then drove to San Joaquin Marsh in Irvine, a very nice wildlife area where we found a new "Life" bird - the Swinhoe's White-eye, formerly the Japanese White-eye, which has been nesting several years in this area.  Since this bird was not in the field guide, we didn't know what it was, but the local birders told us all about this introduced bird.

Cinnamon Teal

We then drove to Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley.  We got great directions from the aba birding news and some birders and found the Greater Pewee quickly.  This bird has strayed from it's fairly small territory in Arizona and Mexico.

Whimbrels taking a bath

Willets come in for a landing

American Coots need a long "run"way for take off

Female Belted Kingfisher

American Avocet and Short-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Curlew has been digging deep in the mud

Mid December and it is finally looking like Autumn

Sundog in the clouds, rain is coming!

Bolsa Chica Conservancy along the Pacific, saved from developement in the 1970's

Guess the binoculars aren't really needed for this Snowy Egret

Bufflehead's feathers change from green to purple when he turns his head

Eared Grebe goes for takeoff behind the Bufflehead

American White Pelicans find fish in the fresh water ponds

Belding's Savannah Sparrow found in this area, note larger bill.

Say's Phoebe watching for insects

White-faced Ibis

Green-winged Teal

The Pelicans, Great and Snowy Egrets have found a good fishing area

Female Hooded Merganser sports great head gear

A lone Snow Goose

Northern Pintails

Peregrine Falcon and an American Crow hassle each other

Black Brant finding some good vegetation for lunch

Successfully blending into the bare sands is a Mountain Plover

The newly named "Ridgeway" Rail was seperated from the Clapper Rails

Pyracantha bushes bear abundant fruit for wintering birds

Only ten more days till Christmas, so let us take this time to wish you all a most Blessed  Christmas!

Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann