Your Most Recent "Life" Bird (5 Viewers)

[Paul Chapman]

Day 33 of 40 added Scripps' Murrelet & Cassin's Auklet but neither were photographed. Well the former as a couple of distant pixels...

Trip list now 545 of which 254 lifers. We will see how logistics and birding are kind to us this point forwards as we dock & disembark Los Angeles tomorrow.

All the best

Paul

 

[Jacana]

2164. Bonelli's Eagle

Probably my last possible one in this area of Portugal- unless an early Red-necked Nightjar makes an appearance...

 

[Paul Chapman]

Day 34 of 40 of the trip was mainly spent getting off the boat, getting through Immigration & collecting car hire but a couple of hours birding was spent productively at one site this afternoon & yielded 12 lifers in the day.

So the day ended with 266 lifers from a trip list of 565 species so far.

A few pics - California Gnatcatcher, Anna's & Allen's Hummingbirds, Wrentit, Bushtit, California Towhee, Bewick's Wren, Hutton's Vireo & Spotted Towhee.

All the best

Paul

 

[TicoTyler]

Day 34 of 40 of the trip was mainly spent getting off the boat, getting through Immigration & collecting car hire but a couple of hours birding was spent productively at one site this afternoon & yielded 12 lifers in the day.

So the day ended with 266 lifers from a trip list of 565 species so far.

A few pics - California Gnatcatcher, Anna's & Allen's Hummingbirds, Wrentit, Bushtit, California Towhee, Bewick's Wren, Hutton's Vireo & Spotted Towhee.

All the best

Paul

I was in Los Angeles area almost this exact date a year ago and didn't manage the Gnatcatcher or Hutton's Vireo. Congrats.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I was in Los Angeles area almost this exact date a year ago and didn't manage the Gnatcatcher or Hutton's Vireo. Congrats.

On reflection, I have corrected the Hutton's Vireo to a Ruby-crowned Kinglet...

All the best

Paul

 

[Paul Chapman]

Hopefully with the corrections done pre-publication this time...

Today saw a further 11 lifers taking me to 276 lifers from a trip list of 592 species. I have recorded 72 species in California including 22 lifers so far. Tomorrow, we are booked to go to Santa Cruz Island.

A few pics from today - Townsend's Solitaire, Northern Pygmy-Owl, White-headed Woodpecker (two pics), Mountain Chickadee (two pics), Steller's Jay, Oak Titmouse, Pygmy Nuthatch (two pics), Nuttall's Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, Lawrence's Goldfinch (two pics) & White-throated Swift (two pics).

All the best

Paul

 

[TicoTyler]

Hopefully with the corrections done pre-publication this time...

Today saw a further 11 lifers taking me to 276 lifers from a trip list of 592 species. I have recorded 72 species in California including 22 lifers so far. Tomorrow, we are booked to go to Santa Cruz Island.

A few pics from today - Townsend's Solitaire, Northern Pygmy-Owl, White-headed Woodpecker (two pics), Mountain Chickadee (two pics), Steller's Jay, Oak Titmouse, Pygmy Nuthatch (two pics), Nuttall's Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, Lawrence's Goldfinch (two pics) & White-throated Swift (two pics).

All the best

Paul

I missed the Pygmy Owl too. Funny story that one. Here in Costa Rica someone came through who (ironically enough his English last name nearly translated to "stringer" in Spanish) was reporting all kinds of super rare species on almost every list. At first his descriptions were believable at places where rare birds can appear but they became increasingly unbelievable at places that didn't even have the right habitat for said species on top of having to have been the luckiest birder alive. In other words, definitely a stringer. When I was in CA I got excited to see a recent report of the Pygmy Owl quite close to our lodging... I open up the list and it was the same guy who had been stringing in Costa Rica a few months before!

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Five gull species were reported yesterday's afternoon at one of the small lakes close to where I live. When I arrived, the sun was low already and there was an awful glare from the viewing point. The only gulls seen, or heard, were about 60 Black-headed Gulls. It took half an hour for the sun to be shielded by some trees, and we noticed a gull that just looked a bit bigger and had a different head pattern -- Mediterranean Gull.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Day 36 of 40 saw 6 lifers around a trip to Santa Cruz Island where the highlights were Island Scrub-Jay in addition to a superb Humpback Whale display and Island Fox. A couple of other pics of lifers from the day with Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone & Clark's Grebe. We headed back inland where the main target was LeConte's Thrasher. Who knew the versatile tennis player had a Thrasher named after him? John McEnroe must have ranted about that. 😀

All the best

Paul

 

[Mysticete]

I know birders go for the Jay but really the fox is the main attraction.

On my one trip I think we got the Jay before the boat even docked at the landing!

 

[Paul Chapman]

I know birders go for the Jay but really the fox is the main attraction.

On my one trip I think we got the Jay before the boat even docked at the landing!

Pic of the two together.

All the best

Paul

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Not the most common bird in Zurich, and I unfortunately missed it a couple of times this winter. Whinchat, it was pretty far away at first, but then came a bit closer:

 

[Paul Chapman]

Day 36 of the trip saw a further seven lifers before heading to the coast. 35 lifers of 116 species in California & 289 lifers of 614 species on the trip.

A few pics - Western Kingbird, Tricoloured Blackbird, Sage Thrasher, Bell's Sparrow, LeConte's Thrasher, Brewer's Sparrow & Western Meadowlark.

All the best

Paul

 

[Bewick]

Finally managed to see a Water pipit, a species that has eluded me for years now. Showed distantly and only briefly before flying south.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I got yesterday's update wrong. That was day 37 of 40...

Day 38 of 40 saw a further 9 lifers. My lifers were 298 species from a trip list of 636 species with 44 lifers from 116 species on the Californian leg. Almost time to head home. 😀

A few pics - Pigeon Guillemot, Californian Thrasher, Long-billed Curlew, Hutton's Vireo (not Ruby-crowned Kinglet this time...), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-headed Grosbeak & Yellow-billed Magpie.

All the best

Paul

 

[Paul Chapman]

Almost finished.... One last day tomorrow. Maybe some birding will be possible...

Three lifers today - Californian Condor, Golden-crowned Sparrow & Pacific Wren.

All the best

Paul

 

[Paul Chapman]

My trip ended today & I am now waiting to head home at San Francisco Airport. I've sent a photo of myself to my wife so she recognises me at the airport. Hopefully, we haven't moved.

One tick today being Ridgway's Rail means my final tallies were 303 lifers from 652 species & 49 lifers from 164 species on the Californian leg.

All the best

Paul

 

[WACCOE]

My trip ended today & I am now waiting to head home at San Francisco Airport. I've sent a photo of myself to my wife so she recognises me at the airport. Hopefully, we haven't moved.

One tick today being Ridgway's Rail means my final tallies were 303 lifers from 652 species & 49 lifers from 164 species on the Californian leg.

All the best

Paul

What fantastic trip you've had Paul, would love to able to do a trip like this one, although think I'd struggle with identifying some of the seabirds.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

Hutton's Vireo (not Ruby-crowned Kinglet this time...)

Despite having seen Hutton's in Arizona, I still miss-identified a Kinglet as the vireo on my last trip to Texas... I feel a bit better now that other people make the mistake!

 

[Oregonian]

Lifer Stock Dove in Holland Park, London this morning!