Poking around Peters

One of the primary reasons my family moved to this particular corner of Orange was its proximity to three large parks: Santiago Oaks, Irvine, and Peters Canyon Regional Parks. All are within two miles of my house, so it's easy for me to ride my bike to any of them for a couple hours before or after school. They're decent birding spots--they don't attract the number of rarities coastal places like Huntington Central Park do, but there's always something interesting to see. The first few weeks after I moved were exciting, to say the least...Wrentits! California Thrashers! Spotted Towhees! California Gnatcatchers!

Though these parks have lost their initial mysteriousness and wonder, I still enjoy birding them. Sadly, I've been neglecting the trio this winter, particularly Peters Canyon. Early Friday, I woke well before sunrise for a long-overdue hike at Peters Canyon.



If you have the choice, start your hikes before sunrise. The moments when it is not quite light--sparkling dew clinging to the grass, gray mist rolling through the valleys, the sky glowing pink and yellow--are magical.



Wildflowers offered another incentive to pry myself out of bed early Friday morning. With the warmer temperatures we've been having the last couple weeks, wildflowers are going crazy! (Note to local readers: if you get the chance, drive down the 261 toll road. The number of lupines are phenomenal!)



Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus)



California Goldfields (Lasthenia california)



Cleveland's Cryptantha (Cryptantha clevelandii)



California Encelia (Encelia californica)



Parry's Phacelia (Phacelia parryi)



Oh yeah, birds! Mid-March is a fun time of year to bird Southern California. Some of the wintering birds (e.g., ducks) are thinning out, though an interesting mix of winter species remain and early migrants are coming through. I saw relatively few land bird migrants--some Bullock's and Hooded Orioles, three Wilson's Warblers, and swallows, though the latter have been coming through since January. And, of course, the local residents are around, most of them singing. Everywhere you look, you see courtship displays, nest building, even a few adult birds carrying food. Cassin's Kingbirds are always around (the seasonal movements of this species are interesting, since it isn't sedentary--at least some of the wintering birds are different from the local breeders), but always fun to see.



Audubon's Warblers are ubiquitous winter residents in Orange County, to the point that a hike with none detected is almost a pleasure. I like them, though. If you're bored in the winter, there will ALWAYS be a butterbutt to look at. Many of the males--experiencing prealternate molt--are looking spiffy. Apparently their hormones are beginning to really kick in, too, since they've suddenly started singing in the last week or so.

From a purely technical standpoint, it was a boring hike--no Yellow-billed Loons, Bar-tailed Godwits, or Painted Redstarts. In fact, the most unusual bird was a Western Gull--the first I've had at the park. Good thing I'm not looking at it from a technical standpoint. I love hearing the Common Yellowthroat's whitchity-whichity-whichity-which, seeing my first migrant Wilson's Warblers of the year, and watching a male House Finch singing his heart out and courtship-feeding a female. It's part of the magic of birding.

Beware of Rattlesnakes

California is home to more snakes - particularly rattlesnakes - than Michigan. Still, I've had only a handful of encounters with wild snakes in the two years I've lived here, which is odd given that I spend so much time outside. Snakes seem to like to keep to themselves, so I suppose I could see more by actively seeking them out. Somewhat to my disappointment, I've seen only one rattlesnake in California, a South Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) that I saw briefly at Peters Canyon last fall. Last week, I had my second-ever encounter with this species, again at Peters Canyon.

I've fallen into the habit of biking to Peters Canyon Regional Park several times a week to scope the lake to see what new waterbirds have arrived. One day last week, as I was jarring my way down the rough trail on my mountain bike toward a viewpoint of the lake, I looked down to see an enormous rattlesnake draped across the trail only a couple feet in front of my front tire! My mountain bike needs new brake pads, but I stopped on a dime despite my old brakes. The snake nonchalantly slithered off under some nearby bushes, and when I stuck my head down there to check it out, I spotted it coiled up, staring at me.



Eventually it came back out, quickly crossing the trail to another bush where in hunkered down to escape the small crowd that had gathered to watch the snake. I was down on my belly a few feet from the snake, avidly photographing it. The bystanders, obviously less educated about snakes, stood well over ten feet back, jumping whenever the snake made the slightest move.



This snake was surprisingly laid back, not appearing to mind when I joined it under the bush to photograph it from about a yard away. Some venomous snakes are much more aggressive, so don't try that with any old snake. After a couple minutes I left him in peace. All the birds I saw after that couldn't compare to this rattlesnake!

Migration Takes Off

School started on Monday. I haven't let the beginning of school foil some quick birding forays, though. On the contrary, I've seen some really great birds this last week. I hope to keep up my daily doses of birding, but I've haven't even started two of my classes, so I may be pressed for time. If that's the case, I'll have even less time for blogging, so expect a dry period.

Last week I got a surprise email from my good friend Chris West. He's been "working" as a bird guide in Southeastern Arizona this summer, and he was coming out to California for a week. So, last Friday, he showed up at my house and we spent literally all day Saturday birding Orange County. We birded along the coast in the morning, beating the beach crowds and the head, and then foolishly birded some inland areas in the heat of the day. We ended up with over a hundred species for the day, including one lifer for Chris (Wandering Tattler) and a bunch of other year birds for him. Other neat birds we saw included a Black Tern at Bolsa Chica, two Solitary and a Semipalmated Sandpipers at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, and others. Our morning visit to the beach included a round of the Sanderling Game, a long-time tradition that Chris and I began several years back.



Chris had to leave Sunday to head up to Monterey to catch a pelagic trip. After our quick visit to Peters Canyon Regional Park on Saturday afternoon, I decided to go there every day to comb through the shorebirds for a Baird's Sandpiper. The lake is rapidly drying up, creating excellent shorebird habitat.



It only took a couple days. On Monday evening, I spotted a gorgeous juvenile Baird's Sandpiper on a dry mudflat near the lake. I was excited enough to make a few loud outbursts and dance a little jig. This species, a rare but annual fall migrant in California, has eluded me the past two summers. It was a state, county, and bigby bird for me!



So far this summer, I have recorded an astonishing total of fifteen shorebird species at this lake. This is hardly impressive if you compare it to Orange County standards; a day of birding along the coast can net a couple dozen shorebird species. Fifteen species for a small lake twenty miles inland, however, is quite good. Other interesting species of shorebirds I've noted there include Willet, Solitary Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Semipalmated Plover. The summer is hardly over, either. I hope to find a few more shorebird species there before shorebird migration is over.

One bird that I missed for my bigby list this spring was Willow Flycatcher. A rather common spring migrant in Orange County, Willow Flycatchers are considerably less common in the fall, so I had low hopes of crossing paths with one. Yesterday morning, while birding at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, a soft whit called my attention to an empid foraging in some low brush along the creek. It remained frustratingly hidden for several minutes, but after it finally emerged I was able to confirm it as a Willow Flycatcher. Bigby bird number 230!



Two bigby birds in two days late in the year is good. Three in three days in a row is even better. I biked over to Peters Canyon again this evening in hopes of seeing the Baird's Sandpiper or some other shorebirds. I was walking through a weedy area to get to a good observation point for scoping the mudflats when a slim sparrow flushed and landed in a nearby bush. It was obviously different from all the Song Sparrows I had been seeing, and it gave a Spizella call. I managed to find it in my scope and carefully studied it, particularly the face pattern, for several minutes before the bird disappeared for good. It was immediately obvious that it was no Chipping Sparrow, the default Spizella. Fortunately, the bird stuck around long enough for me to jot down some quick notes on the face pattern. My gut instinct was that the bird was a Brewer's Sparrow, and a quick check in my field guide back at home (I don't have too much experience with non-Chipping Spizellas) confirmed my impression. Brewer's is a decent bird for the county (one one or two are seen most autumns.) It was a new county and bigby bird for me.

The Brewer's Sparrow detracted from some of my shorebird studying, but my few quick scans revealed nothing more unusual than some Wilson's Phalaropes and a couple Semipalmated Plovers among the more common shorebirds. I also noted a single White-tailed Kite and four Vaux's Swifts.

I hope my lucky streak continues. Three Bigby birds in a week in September is not crummy at all. My total now stands at 231. I'll try to keep this blog updated, but school promises to bog me down pretty soon.

Beware of Grosbeaks

If you plan on birding at Peters Canyon Regional Park anytime soon, you must take into account certain dangers of the place. I don't mean the commonplace dangers - Mountain Lions, rattlesnakes, or poison oak - I'm talking about Blue Grosbeaks. They can be vicious!

While birding at Peters Canyon Regional Park on Friday, I was surprised to notice a male Blue Grosbeak perched on the side mirror of a car in the parking lot. The bird was savagely attacking the mirror and shiny windows of the car, flapping against the mirror and viciously pecking its own reflection.



If you are sensitive about having your car mirrors smudged and pooped on, I would strongly advise avoiding Peters Canyon Regional Park. The Blue Grosbeak methodically attacked the mirrors, windows, windshields, and even hoods of the innocent parked cars. It was so intent on dirtying the cars that it ignored me as I sneaked up.



I edged closer until I was only six feet from the beautiful blue bird. He only stopped when his lady friend came by. He serenaded her from a nearby tree before they flew off together. However, I'm sure he is still lurking out there. Your car is in danger!

Behind the Times

Recently, I've been consistent in only one thing: neglected my blog. While it may seem as if I've dropped off the face of the earth, I am still here, alive and well. School takes up roughly 98% of my waking hours, and the other 2% I spend birding. That leaves 0% of my time for blogging, so technically I really shouldn't be typing this right now. I've finished my work for the week, so I'll try to catch up.

Precisely one week ago, I made an interesting discovery, but hardly an unexpected one. Last winter, I heard rumors of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, but I didn't actually get around to confirming the bird until late February. The bird departed a few weeks later. I was surprised to learn that last winter was the sixth winter in a row it had wintered in the same tree. Six years is a long time in the bird world, but I hoped it would be back. So, last Friday, I rode my bike to Santiago Oaks Regional Park, walked to the pepper tree it favored last winter, heard tapping, raised my binoculars, and spotted the bird. It doesn't get much easier than that. Incredibly, this is the seventh winter this same individual bird has gone hundreds, if not thousands, of miles out of its way to winter in the same tree at Santiago Oaks. Wow. Hats off to you, Mr. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.



I spent another hour or so wandering around Santiago Oaks Regional Park, and in that short time I found two more species of sapsuckers: Red-breasted and Red-naped. The Red-naped Sapsucker was my first for the fall. Santiago Oaks nearly always is alive with birds, and last Friday was no exception. In addition to the sapsuckers I found Northern Flickers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Fox Sparrows (photo at top of post), and multitudes of others.

Fast-forward to Wednesday. I rode my bike to Irvine Regional Park for a while in the morning, shivering a little as I rode (temperatures in the low fifties!). The mowers and leaf blowers were out in force, but I birded around them the best I could. I moseyed around, finding nothing extraordinary (another Red-naped Sapsucker and three Red-breasted Sapsuckers were nice... I'm already loosing count of how many sapsuckers I've seen this fall). The Lewis's Woodpecker still has not returned, much to my dismay. As I stared at its vacant snag, my mind conjured up images of the unfortunate woodpecker being nabbed by a hawk, or being hit by a car.

As I was biking along one of the roads in the park, I noticed a big dark bird in the top of a sycamore tree. Now, most big dark birds at Irvine Regional Park are Common Ravens; hundreds pour in late in the afternoon to roost in the tall trees. Dozens loiter around the park all day, raiding garbage cans and getting in all kinds of trouble. However, this bird wasn't a raven - it was a Turkey Vulture, and a young one at that. Turkey Vultures aren't very exciting for most people, but I hardly ever see them perched at close range. As I watched, it spread its wings to warm up.



Here's where the weird stuff starts. I circled around behind the vulture to try for an artistic backlit shot. This is what happened.



I have no clue how this happened, but it's pretty neat. This is picture right out of the camera - no photoshopping or anything. I couldn't replicate this effect either, no matter how long and hard I tried.

Also at Irvine Regional Park was a cooperative Say's Phoebe. This species is a fairly common wintering bird in the area, and this bird has been sitting on the same post the last three weeks I've birded Irvine Regional Park. Talk about a homebody.



Lastly, this morning I took a hike around the lake at Peters Canyon Regional Park. It has been interesting to compare the numbers and variety of waterfowl on the lake this year with what I saw last year. This year, water levels are much lower, and waterfowl numbers are also way lower. At this time last fall, there were hundreds of Ring-necked Ducks on the lake. Today there was one. This is undoubtedly not a drastic decline of duck numbers - I'm sure roughly the same number of ducks are around this fall, but they're just in different places. The lake probably had better food resources and habitat last fall, so the ducks moved on to try to find somewhere better. Still, I'm hoping that more will show up.

The lack of ducks today was made up by the presence of a couple Bonaparte's Gulls. I've seen this species only once or twice here, and surprisingly enough this was a new Bigby bird for me (#222). Somehow it eluded my grasp all of last winter. I was glad to finally snare it, since I was getting a bit worried about missing it.

Speaking of Bigbying, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. I plan to ride down to the coast, birding Little Corona City Beach, Upper Newport Bay, San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mason Regional Park. There have been some nifty birds reported around that area, including Clay-colored Sparrow, Pacific Golden-Plover, and Pectoral Sandpiper. All three of these would be new for my Bigby list, and there are also a few others that I could potentially find. We'll see...

Random Recent Photos

I've managed to get behind with blogging recently. I've got a lot of stuff going on, my school load is crazy, and I'm also trying to go birding as often as possible. That doesn't leave a lot of room for blogging, so I apologize for my lack of good posts the last couple months. I thought I should at least post up some photos from some of my unposted birding jaunts this month.


Wrentit at Peters Canyon Regional Park, 10/15/08. This little guy was obliging enough to hop out into the open, which is a very rare thing for Wrentits to do; they really like to stay berried under cover.


Townsend's Warbler in my neighborhood, 10/17/08. Yes, this photo is right side-up, and no, it is not cropped at all.


Osprey at Peters Canyon Regional Park, 10/15/08.


Western Fence Lizard at San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, 10/20/08. Almost scary!


Cooper's Hawk at Mason Regional Park. It blasted in right over my head when I began "squeaking", and landed for several seconds just about a dozen feet away.


Lesser Goldfinch at Peters Canyon Regional Park, 10/19/08.


Ah, the worst photo of the lot. Eastern Phoebe in my neighborhood, 10/20/08. This species is quite rare in Orange County (only one or two per year), so I was really surprised to come across it. Thirty seconds after I found it, it flew off never to be seen again.

Well, that's it folks. October has been an interesting month, though the migration has been really weird. There seemed to be very, very low numbers of all migrants except Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers. In the entire month, I saw only a handful each of Black-throated Gray and Townsend's Warblers, two Western Tanagers, and zero Western Wood-Pewees around my local patches, but certainly not for lack of trying. I'll be out looking the rest of the month to see what else I can turn up!

Surprise, Surprise!

I'll admit it - before Tuesday, I was a bit down on birding in Orange County. I was stuck in a sort of birder's hell; some nifty birds were being reported from other areas that I couldn't visit, and my local patches were practically dead. However, I managed to turn that around and find a couple nifty birds of my own this week.

On Tuesday afternoon, I finished up my schoolwork fairly early, so I decided to ride over to Peters Canyon Regional Park to search the lake for something out of the ordinary. I've utterly lost hope of ever finding a Baird's Sandpiper in Orange County, much less Peters Canyon, but I was holding out for a Pectoral Sandpiper. To make the Baird's situation even worse is the fact that a certain friend of mine seems to take delight in recounting all his Baird's Sandpiper sightings he had over the summer in certain parts of Los Angeles County. Ugh.

I was training my scope along the edge of the mudflats at the lake's edge when a gigantic black and white bird flashed through the field of view. Huh, that Osprey looked weird, I almost said aloud. This goes to prove how horrible I am at birding; adult Bald Eagles are considered to be unmistakable by just about everyone. Wait, Bald Eagle?! It swooped across the lake and landed in some trees for several minutes before dropping down to the edge of the dam to take a drink. Way cool! A truly majestic bird... I know everyone says that, but there's a reason why. Back in the Midwest, Bald Eagles weren't that exciting, since they were all over the place. Here in Orange County, however, they are quite rare. It was a new Bigby bird for me.



This unexpected sighting inspired me to bike over the Irvine Regional Park on Wednesday to see what was around. I coasted down the hill into the park at an alarming speed, locked my bike to a tree, and promptly spotted a Chestnut-sided Warbler hopping around on the grass nearby (see photo at top of post). Stunned, I watched as it grabbed an unlucky Fiery Skipper and barely managed to swallow it.



I followed it around for several minutes as it associated with a swirling mass of Yellow-rumped Warblers before loosing it high in the trees. A very nice surprise! Additionally, it was another new Bigby bird for me. Chestnut-sided Warblers are rare, albeit annual vagrants to Orange County. Interestingly, I saw one last October in my neighborhood... I guess I'm just talented at locating Chestnut-sided Warblers.

These two interesting birds were a nice break from the monotony of the general lack of migrants that I've experienced this fall. I haven't even seen a Black-throated Gray Warbler this fall... last fall by this time, I had seen dozens. Still, I won't complain. I guess the moral of the story is to get out and look for birds, even if the birding is slow!

Killing Time

I'll admit it is difficult to keep my mind off birds while wrestling with my schoolwork - after all, would you rather spend your days blissfully wandering the great outdoors birding, or cooped up indoors all day studing AP Chemistry, Precalc/Trig, and other wonderful subjects? I'm sure you can guess what I'd rather do. Still, I do the best I can and try to fit birding into my ever-narrowing cracks of open time.

My heavy load of schoolwork, in addition to a pestering cold that keeps me sniffling constantly, has not kept me from slipping out for quick birding jaunts around the neighborhood. In these few moments of respite this week, I've found my first MacGillivray's Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, and Wilson's Warblers of the fall. However, I got my most exciting bird on Sunday.

I've gotten into the habit of biking over to Peters Canyon Regional Park with my scope early every Sunday morning - I've convinced myself that something like a Baird's Sandpiper will show up at the lake. Every week, after diligently scanning the entire lake without a sign of a Baird's Sandpiper or anything else terribly interesting, I would bike home and think "Next week it will be there." Well, it was there last Sunday, but it wasn't what I expected.

It was a dreary morning, and after I rode up I began scanning the lake with bleary eyes. I dutifully scanned through the same Western and Least Sandpipers scampering over the mudflats, when something different popped out. No, not a Baird's Sandpiper; I've never seen an all-black Baird's Sandpiper with a yellow head. There isn't really another bird that looks like a Yellow-headed Blackbird, so I instantly recognized it. I eagerly tracked with my scope as it flew about and joined a little flock of Red-winged Blackbirds foraging on the mudflats. Yellow-headed Blackbirds are by no means common in Orange County, though they do show up annually. It was my first in the entire state, and a Bigby bird that I was definitely not expecting.

Still, as I pedaled home, I cursed Baird's Sandpipers under my breath and thought "Next week..."

June Gloom

Most Orange County residents associate the phrase "June Gloom" with the heavy marine layer that blankets the sky many days early in the summer. The marine layer usually burns off by the late morning, but occasionally lasts all day. Recently, however, we've had more heavy-duty clouds roll in. Genuine rain clouds! Even as I type this, I can hear the soothing patter of rain on the roof above my head and the occasional distant rumble of thunder.

The birder's summer does not last long. For a few weeks between the departure of the last spring migrating warbler and the first fall migrant dowitcher, birding can be rather dull - hence the term "June Gloom". Sure, locally breeding birds are fun to watch, but the excitement of migration just isn't there. Many birders are not aware that migrants are almost always around. In southern California, migrating swallows and hummingbirds begin to show up in early January. Spring migration tapers off in late May, but the first migrant shorebirds of the "fall" often show up before summer even officially starts!

On Wednesday, I pedaled over to Peters Canyon Regional Park and birded for a couple hours before school. Maybe I'll find a some late migrants. A Willow Flycatcher would be nice! I thought as I pulled into the park. No luck. I saw exactly two migrants the whole morning - singles of Warbling Vireo and Swainson's Thrush. The willows were shedding their fuzz in such excessive quantities that safety glasses and a mask were almost required to survive. That's serious fluff.


Birding is never boring. I was right with this thought. The summer residents were out in great numbers. Several flavors of swallows were swirling about gleefully snapping up the plentiful insects. I managed to spot one Greater Roadrunner perched up on a fence post, but it was too distant for a photo. California Towhees (aka Plain-brown Shufflers) were plentiful, as always.


Discordant squawking alerted me to the presence of several Red-crowned Parrots in some trees in a backyard backing up against the park. Even though they are gaudily splashed with bright green and red, these birds are difficult to spot against the foliage. Oftentimes, I only spot them when they noisy burst out of the treetops.


I'm looking forward to fall migration! In the meantime, I need to work on my Bigby list a bit more; my total is perched at one ninety-nine. My latest addition was an Olive-sided Flycatcher last week. I think a long ride is in order...