March has been an incredibly busy month for me at school, so I've had little time for posting on the blog. However, I have been out birding several times, and got lots of new birds for the Big Year.
On March 9th, I joined another young birder, Jasen Liu, on a walk around the Shoreline area. We both often go birding there, but we've never met. It was a great opportunity to both meet another young birder, and get some yearbirds. We both are on the Whatbird forums, and agreed to meet up at around 8:00 at the San Antonio Road entrance.
My mom drove me, and I got there first. There were a lot more birds in the forebay than there usually were. Waiting, I contented myself watching a Hermit Thrush and an Orange-crowned Warbler in a tree near the restrooms. Soon, I met up with Jasen, who was on his bicycle, and we set off to the "Sora spot." This is a pond near Coast Casey Forebay, where the elusive Sora is often seen (but never by me). We stayed near the pond for about five minutes, but there were no Soras. Nada - they weren't even calling. There were other good birds there: a county lifer Marsh Wren for me, and a first-seen for Jasen, a FOY Common Gallinule, a Belted Kingfisher flyover, a male Common Yellowthroat, and lots of Black-crowned Night Herons.
After having no success at the Sora spot, we moved on to Terminal Creek. We had no luck with the bittern being reported on-and-off there, but, as we were walking on a trail along the creek, Jasen pointed out a rather small bird in the open, right in front of the reeds. Sora! In fact, there was another one foraging slightly farther down the creek. I was surprised by how small the Sora was. It kept flicking its tail, showing off its white undertail, but I didn't get a shot of it doing that. Really awesome birds, that I would never have seen if Jasen hadn't pointed them out:
As we moved along toward the Charleston Slough trail, there were Barn and Tree Swallows flying overhead, both FOYs for me. Good views opened up:
We next decided to check the island in Charleston Slough for recently reported Black Skimmers. Bingo! There were at least five of them, mixed in together with Marbled Godwits, Willets, and Northern Shovelers. This was a lifer both for Jasen and for me! Unfortunately, the lighting was bad for photos, but still, really cool birds. Too bad they were sitting still - it would have been really interesting to watch them feeding.
We set out on the Charleston Slough trail, with Adobe Creek on our left, and Charleston Slough on our right. Some Western Meadowlarks posed nicely, singing their beautiful songs:
The trail was mostly quiet, with only Canvasbacks, Ruddy Ducks, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, Gawalls, and scaups. There were also some distant Northern Pintails at the point where we turned back. Somehow, these ducks had evaded me during all my trips this year, making it my seventh FOY of the trip.
As Jasen and I walked back the way we had come, we talked about school and birds, only interrupted when Jasen randomly cried out, "Greater White-fronted Goose!" Not believing him at first, I missed the lifer, which was swimming not fifty feet away from us in Adobe Creek with some Canada Geese! That's one bird I definitely wouldn't have gotten this year without Jasen. Thanks! This was a county Code 4 - our second of the trip, along with Black Skimmer.
A Herring Gull was sitting in Adobe Creek, and I improved my photos from Don Edwards the day before.
The Black Skimmers were still present on the island, and this time allowed for some better photos - these ones really showing how much bigger the lower mandible is. On the poles in the pond adjacent to Charleston Slough (not sure what it's called), we found a Forster's Tern, my last FOY of the day.
At Shoreline Lake, we found an Eared Grebe molting into breeding plumage, as well as a Ring-billed Gull and a Glaucous-winged Gull flying up with clams from the lake, and then dropping them on the ground to crack them. Interesting behavior I've seen almost every time I've gone to Shoreline Lake.
We then walked past Terminal Creek, looking for the bittern again, but with no luck. I told Jasen where I saw the Golden Eagle earlier this year, and we said goodbye and parted ways. It was great to meet another young birder, and to go birding at one of my favorite places with him. I look forward to birding with Jasen many more times in the future. Jasen also keeps a blog, and here's the link to it: http://insertcreativetitleheregkoprs.blogspot.com/
Today, Jasen helped me get nine FOYs, so I guess I'm supposed to get him at least nine FOYs sometime, too. Don't know where, though... Maybe Montebello Open Space Preserve? Now, I guess we're having a friendly county yearlist competition. As of 3/31/14, Jasen's just one behind me, at 140. Let's see what the month of April gives us...
Summary:
Birds seen: 54
New birds: 9
Big Year count: 131
On March 9th, I joined another young birder, Jasen Liu, on a walk around the Shoreline area. We both often go birding there, but we've never met. It was a great opportunity to both meet another young birder, and get some yearbirds. We both are on the Whatbird forums, and agreed to meet up at around 8:00 at the San Antonio Road entrance.
My mom drove me, and I got there first. There were a lot more birds in the forebay than there usually were. Waiting, I contented myself watching a Hermit Thrush and an Orange-crowned Warbler in a tree near the restrooms. Soon, I met up with Jasen, who was on his bicycle, and we set off to the "Sora spot." This is a pond near Coast Casey Forebay, where the elusive Sora is often seen (but never by me). We stayed near the pond for about five minutes, but there were no Soras. Nada - they weren't even calling. There were other good birds there: a county lifer Marsh Wren for me, and a first-seen for Jasen, a FOY Common Gallinule, a Belted Kingfisher flyover, a male Common Yellowthroat, and lots of Black-crowned Night Herons.
After having no success at the Sora spot, we moved on to Terminal Creek. We had no luck with the bittern being reported on-and-off there, but, as we were walking on a trail along the creek, Jasen pointed out a rather small bird in the open, right in front of the reeds. Sora! In fact, there was another one foraging slightly farther down the creek. I was surprised by how small the Sora was. It kept flicking its tail, showing off its white undertail, but I didn't get a shot of it doing that. Really awesome birds, that I would never have seen if Jasen hadn't pointed them out:
As we moved along toward the Charleston Slough trail, there were Barn and Tree Swallows flying overhead, both FOYs for me. Good views opened up:
We next decided to check the island in Charleston Slough for recently reported Black Skimmers. Bingo! There were at least five of them, mixed in together with Marbled Godwits, Willets, and Northern Shovelers. This was a lifer both for Jasen and for me! Unfortunately, the lighting was bad for photos, but still, really cool birds. Too bad they were sitting still - it would have been really interesting to watch them feeding.
We set out on the Charleston Slough trail, with Adobe Creek on our left, and Charleston Slough on our right. Some Western Meadowlarks posed nicely, singing their beautiful songs:
The trail was mostly quiet, with only Canvasbacks, Ruddy Ducks, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, Gawalls, and scaups. There were also some distant Northern Pintails at the point where we turned back. Somehow, these ducks had evaded me during all my trips this year, making it my seventh FOY of the trip.
As Jasen and I walked back the way we had come, we talked about school and birds, only interrupted when Jasen randomly cried out, "Greater White-fronted Goose!" Not believing him at first, I missed the lifer, which was swimming not fifty feet away from us in Adobe Creek with some Canada Geese! That's one bird I definitely wouldn't have gotten this year without Jasen. Thanks! This was a county Code 4 - our second of the trip, along with Black Skimmer.
A Herring Gull was sitting in Adobe Creek, and I improved my photos from Don Edwards the day before.
The Black Skimmers were still present on the island, and this time allowed for some better photos - these ones really showing how much bigger the lower mandible is. On the poles in the pond adjacent to Charleston Slough (not sure what it's called), we found a Forster's Tern, my last FOY of the day.
We then walked past Terminal Creek, looking for the bittern again, but with no luck. I told Jasen where I saw the Golden Eagle earlier this year, and we said goodbye and parted ways. It was great to meet another young birder, and to go birding at one of my favorite places with him. I look forward to birding with Jasen many more times in the future. Jasen also keeps a blog, and here's the link to it: http://insertcreativetitleheregkoprs.blogspot.com/
Today, Jasen helped me get nine FOYs, so I guess I'm supposed to get him at least nine FOYs sometime, too. Don't know where, though... Maybe Montebello Open Space Preserve? Now, I guess we're having a friendly county yearlist competition. As of 3/31/14, Jasen's just one behind me, at 140. Let's see what the month of April gives us...
Summary:
Birds seen: 54
New birds: 9
Big Year count: 131
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