April 26, 2016
Photo of us in the snow Today
We had another great day with Wes today. We started out at 7 am to head north to the Sierra Madre Mountains. Along the way in the prairie and oil country area we saw the Tricoloured Blackbirds. These stunning birds were already on their nest in the swamp and we saw them fly in and fly out, no doubt bringing food for their young. In the scrub and sand area of the first drilling rig oil leak in 1910, Wes located Bell's Sparrow, a very pretty mostly grey sparrow. We also tried for the Le Conte's Thrasher but did not have success.
From there we drove up to 8,000 feet to Mount Pines area. We looked for the California Condor here and the girls had a look at four of them in the far distance. The day was beautiful and these flying birds are surprisingly fast. There one second and gone the next. So we hoped for better looks and we really tried following them from pull-out to pull-out. We did see other raptors such are the Red-tailed Hawk. Wes has seen this group of Condors many many times.
From here we went to the top of Mount Pinas which still had snow on the ground to try for the White-headed Woodpeckers which have a special significance to us as we tried for these birds in Washington State 7 years ago. This time we were successful and had great looks at the pretty clownish-looking birds. It was a sweet moment and we had big smiles on our faces. Wes also found the Red-breasted Sapsucker for us and this is a beautifully coloured woodpecker. Wes is a great birding guide and enjoyable to travel with and the day went so quickly.
Here is the Red-breasted Sapsucker
Here are some of our photos taken today, thanks to Jane again. There is the delicate looking Black-necked Stilt, the Sage Sparrow and the White-headed Woodpecker pair. All are spectacular birds. The last one is the Tri-coloured Blackbird
After we finished birding with Wes we bid Buellton and Wes a fond goodbye and drove south to Long Beach where we will bird the Huntington Beach area with our birdingpal Harriet tomorrow. The drive was fine and we arrived at the motel around 10 pm. So a late night and an early start tomorrow, so just a short blog tonight.
On the home front, no baby yet for J and Ashley. Any day now, like tomorrow maybe. We are so excited for them!
Photo of us in the snow Today
We had another great day with Wes today. We started out at 7 am to head north to the Sierra Madre Mountains. Along the way in the prairie and oil country area we saw the Tricoloured Blackbirds. These stunning birds were already on their nest in the swamp and we saw them fly in and fly out, no doubt bringing food for their young. In the scrub and sand area of the first drilling rig oil leak in 1910, Wes located Bell's Sparrow, a very pretty mostly grey sparrow. We also tried for the Le Conte's Thrasher but did not have success.
From there we drove up to 8,000 feet to Mount Pines area. We looked for the California Condor here and the girls had a look at four of them in the far distance. The day was beautiful and these flying birds are surprisingly fast. There one second and gone the next. So we hoped for better looks and we really tried following them from pull-out to pull-out. We did see other raptors such are the Red-tailed Hawk. Wes has seen this group of Condors many many times.
From here we went to the top of Mount Pinas which still had snow on the ground to try for the White-headed Woodpeckers which have a special significance to us as we tried for these birds in Washington State 7 years ago. This time we were successful and had great looks at the pretty clownish-looking birds. It was a sweet moment and we had big smiles on our faces. Wes also found the Red-breasted Sapsucker for us and this is a beautifully coloured woodpecker. Wes is a great birding guide and enjoyable to travel with and the day went so quickly.
Here is the Red-breasted Sapsucker
Here are some of our photos taken today, thanks to Jane again. There is the delicate looking Black-necked Stilt, the Sage Sparrow and the White-headed Woodpecker pair. All are spectacular birds. The last one is the Tri-coloured Blackbird
After we finished birding with Wes we bid Buellton and Wes a fond goodbye and drove south to Long Beach where we will bird the Huntington Beach area with our birdingpal Harriet tomorrow. The drive was fine and we arrived at the motel around 10 pm. So a late night and an early start tomorrow, so just a short blog tonight.
On the home front, no baby yet for J and Ashley. Any day now, like tomorrow maybe. We are so excited for them!
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