For my fourth and final submission to this year’s GBBC, which took place February 15 – 18, I returned to the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve for the second time during the weekend. My visit was shorter and covered less area than the prior day so I didn’t see as many species. Also, there were more people in the area as well which detracted somewhat from the experience. I did manage to see some species that I didn’t see the prior day but nothing to get that excited about.

I spent some time following around a male Allen’s hummingbird (see the photo I took). This is a common bird but difficult to photograph in motion. I still need lots more practice…

Here’s my list:

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Los Angeles, US-CA
Feb 17, 2013 3:55 PM – 5:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
37 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose – 45
Wood Duck – 1
Gadwall – 3
American Wigeon – 40
Mallard – 30
Mallard (Domestic type) – 3
Hooded Merganser – 2
Ruddy Duck – 15
Double-crested Cormorant – 40
American White Pelican – 4
Great Blue Heron- 2
Great Egret – 7
Black-crowned Night-Heron – 8
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
American Coot – 5
California Gull – 1
Mourning Dove 10
Anna’s Hummingbird – 5
Allen’s Hummingbird – 5
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – 2
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Black Phoebe – 8
Say’s Phoebe – 1
Cassin’s Kingbird – 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow – 4
Bushtit – 30
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 5
Western Bluebird – 1
California Thrasher – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – 30
Spotted Towhee – 3
California Towhee – 10
Song Sparrow – 2
White-crowned Sparrow – 30
Red-winged Blackbird – 20
House Finch – 20
Lesser Goldfinch – 10 3 months ago

The breakwater at Playa del Rey is another one of my favorite places to bird, especially at this time of year when many of the wintering ducks and loons are around. I come here specifically to find birds that like being on the rocks, such as pelicans, cormorants, turnstones, willets and oystercatchers. I think that mid-April and mid-October are when the species diversity is the greatest here, but there can be surprises at any time of the year. On this morning, I did not see any birds other than the “usual suspects”. I most like coming here in the morning, like I did this particular day, because on the weekends, especially when the weather is good, the jetties can be crowded with runners, bicyclists, fisherman and people going for a stroll. Also, the marina gets filled with lots of boat traffic, and the UCLA rowing team also practices here.

The photo, which I submitted to this year’s GBBC photo contest, is a black-bellied plover without its black belly in non-breeding plumage.

Here’s my list:

Playa del Rey—breakwater, Los Angeles, US-CA
Feb 17, 2013 7:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
26 species

Surf Scoter – 150
Red-breasted Merganser – 1
Red-throated Loon – 1
Common Loon – 1
Horned Grebe – 4
Eared Grebe – 10
Western Grebe – 15
Brandt’s Cormorant – 200
Double-crested Cormorant – 10
Brown Pelican – 250
Great Egret – 2
Snowy Egret – 1
Black-bellied Plover – 1
Black Oystercatcher – 5
Willet – 10
Whimbrel – 1
Ruddy Turnstone – 6
Black Turnstone – 10
Sanderling – 3
Least Sandpiper – 5
Heermann’s Gull – 10
Ring-billed Gull – 2
Western Gull – 100
Glaucous-winged Gull – 2
Royal Tern – 1
Rock Pigeon – 5 3 months ago

Lake Balboa, a suburban park near Encino, California is another one of the locations at which I bird frequently, usually quick stops on my way to work some weekday mornings. It’s a very popular weekend destination, and this particular Saturday afternoon was no exception. It was difficult finding parking, and there were lots of people picnicking, barbequing, fishing, flying kites, riding bikes and walking around the lake. The lake’s popularity amazes me somewhat because it is filled with reclaimed water which despite being heavily treated does have an odor that is not so fresh. It wasn’t an ideal time for birding, and the crowds deterred me from checking the entire area thoroughly. For instance, there’s a large population of domesticated ducks and geese that I mostly missed, and I made no effort to locate the mixed flocks of blackbirds that are normally present here.

The highlight of today’s visit was seeing a mountain bluebird in the trees in the field behind the lake (see the photo I took). I have seen a female mountain bluebird occasionally here since December, but since last week I have also been seeing a male. Today I only saw the male and couldn’t find the female. Mountain bluebirds are not that common around LA; in Southern California they are mostly found in the high desert this time of year.

Here’s my list:

Lake Balboa, Los Angeles, US-CA
Feb 16, 2013 3:25 PM – 3:58 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
23 species (+1 other taxa)

Mute Swan – 2
American Wigeon – 50
Mallard – 50
Mallard (Domestic type) – 20
Hooded Merganser – 7
Ruddy Duck – 80
Pied-billed Grebe – 40
Western Grebe – 5
Double-crested Cormorant – 10
Great Egret – 2
Snowy Egret – 1
American Coot – 600
Ring-billed Gull – 70
Western Gull – 3
California Gull – 5
Rock Pigeon – 50
Mourning Dove – 1
Black Phoebe – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Mountain Bluebird – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – 10
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
House Finch – 50
Lesser Goldfinch – 10 3 months ago

The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve is a location that I have covered in each GBBC I’ve participated in and is in fact the place where I bird most often year-round. It is adjacent to a suburban park with trees and cricket fields and includes many acres of open habitat with a small lake. Recently, without informing the public, the Army Corps of Engineers which oversees the area destroyed a large section of the reserve in the name of vegetation management though they later admitted to ulterior motives (removing homeless encampments and wooded areas where lewd conduct could occur). Bird activity is predictably almost non-existent in the devastated area, but fortunately in the many acres that were untouched many birds can still be found.

Most of the birds I saw that are listed below are normally expected for this time of year with a couple of exceptions. Ash-throated flycatcher is a common spring and fall migrant in the area, but it is extremely rare for them to stick around during the winter. Northern cardinal is a very common bird in the eastern United States, but it is not native to California. The Sepulveda Basin is one of only two locations I know of in Southern California where small, introduced populations of this species exist.

The photo is a female Townsend’s warbler. This was one of the photos I submitted to the GBBC photo contest for this year. I didn’t get any photos that are truly outstanding and that would win the contest, but I submitted anyway because you never know. I take excellent photos on occasion, like an osprey catching a fish at the same location the prior weekend, but I haven’t had luck shooting them during the GBBC weekend to be eligible for the contest.

Below is my list. One of the things that I liked about this year’s GBBC is that the data input was integrated with eBird where I already enter my checklists year-round.

Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Los Angeles, US-CA
Feb 16, 2013 1:10 PM – 3:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
52 species

Canada Goose – 6
Gadwall – 5
American Wigeon – 30
Mallard – 30
Ruddy Duck – 7
Pied-billed Grebe – 40
Double-crested Cormorant – 30
American White Pelican – 6
Great Blue Heron – 3
Great Egret – 5
Snowy Egret – 2
Black-crowned Night-Heron – 2
Turkey Vulture – 2
Osprey – 1
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 2
American Coot – 50
Killdeer – 2
Spotted Sandpiper – 1
Ring-billed Gull – 1
Rock Pigeon – 7
Mourning Dove – 4
Anna’s Hummingbird – 5
Allen’s Hummingbird – 10
Belted Kingfisher – 1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 1
American Kestrel – 2
Black Phoebe – 8
Say’s Phoebe – 1
Ash-throated Flycatcher – 1
Cassin’s Kingbird 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow – 2
Tree Swallow 2
Bushtit – 10
White-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Bewick’s Wren – 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Western Bluebird – 4
California Thrasher – 1
European Starling – 7
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – 40
Townsend’s Warbler – 1
California Towhee – 15
Chipping Sparrow – 10
Song Sparrow – 10
White-crowned Sparrow – 10
Northern Cardinal – 1
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
House Finch – 50
Lesser Goldfinch – 20 3 months ago

My third and final checklist for the 2012 GBBC was based on my visit to the jetties of Playa del Rey where I had hoped to see some beach dwelling birds. I got what I came for, including literally over a thousand Brandt’s cormorants on the rocks in the harbor. I actually took several photos of the rocks and counted the birds in each disjoint segment to arrive at a final estimate of 1,300 birds, an impressive number to see the least. The highlight for me, however, was get some close-up views of a brant, a goose that prefers saltwater environments (see the photo I took). Here is my complete list:

Brant – 1
Surf Scoter – 12
Bufflehead – 1
Horned Grebe – 4
Eared Grebe – 8
Western Grebe – 20
Clark’s Grebe – 2
Brandt’s Cormorant – 1,300 Confirmed
Double-crested Cormorant – 20
Pelagic Cormorant – 2
Brown Pelican – 410
Great Egret – 2
Black Oystercatcher – 1
Willet – 30
Whimbrel – 1
Surfbird – 2
Sanderling – 340
Bonaparte’s Gull – 16
Heermann’s Gull – 30
Western Gull – 150
California Gull – 1
Glaucous-winged Gull – 1 14 months ago

My second GBBC list was based on my visit to the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, located in the Van Nuys and Encino area in the San Fernando Valley. This place is very close to where I live, and the place that I bird most frequently. In a sense, I consider it like my own backyard since living in an apartment I don’t actually have a backyard. Anyway the highlight of this visit was flushing out some Wilson’s snipes, which are very secretive sandpipers, from thick vegetation near the river. I’ve never been able to get good photographs of them as I never know they’re there until I’ve scared them away. My favorite of the ducks that were present was the green-winged teal (see the photo I took of a male in flight). Here is my complete list:

Canada Goose – 3
Gadwall – 8
American Wigeon – 60
Mallard – 30
Mallard (Domestic type) – 10
Cinnamon Teal – 1
Green-winged Teal – 2
Hooded Merganser – 2
Ruddy Duck – 1
Pied-billed Grebe – 30
Double-crested Cormorant – 30
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 3
Snowy Egret – 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron – 1
Turkey Vulture – 1
Osprey – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 2
American Kestrel – 1
American Coot – 50
Killdeer – 2
Spotted Sandpiper – 1
Wilson’s Snipe – 4
Ring-billed Gull – 1
Rock Pigeon – 1
Mourning Dove – 1
Anna’s Hummingbird – 1
Allen’s Hummingbird – 1
Black Phoebe – 5
Common Raven – 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow – 3
Bewick’s Wren – 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Western Bluebird – 3
Northern Mockingbird – 1
American Pipit – 2
Common Yellowthroat – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – 15
California Towhee – 2
Chipping Sparrow – 1
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – 30
White-crowned Sparrow – 20
Red-winged Blackbird – 1
House Finch – 30
Lesser Goldfinch – 10
American Goldfinch – 2 14 months ago

Bonelli Park is located in the foothills east of Los Angeles near San Dimas. The park is large and includes a fishing lake and many hiking trails. I thought to stop here for my first 2012 GBBC list because I could get a large variety of birds given the diverse range of habitats that the park covers. I was not disappointed. The highlight was watching a bald eagle chasing an osprey carrying a rainbow trout in its talons. My photo didn’t come out so great though. My counts included birds I only heard but did not see (like cactus wrens), and some are estimates rather than exact numbers. Here’s my complete list:

Graylag Goose (Domestic type) – 20
Wood Duck – 1
Mallard – 30
Mallard (Domestic type) – 20
Lesser Scaup – 8
Bufflehead – 4
Ruddy Duck – 70
California Quail – 1
Pied-billed Grebe – 1
Western Grebe – 1
Double-crested Cormorant – 35
Great Blue Heron – 1
Osprey – 2
Bald Eagle – 1
Northern Harrier – 2
American Coot – 50
Killdeer – 2
Spotted Sandpiper – 1
Ring-billed Gull – 2
California Gull – 1
Mourning Dove – 2
Anna’s Hummingbird – 1
Allen’s Hummingbird – 1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
Black Phoebe – 3
Cassin’s Kingbird – 1
Western Scrub-Jay – 2
Bushtit – 10
Cactus Wren – 8
Bewick’s Wren – 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 1
California Gnatcatcher – 2
Wrentit – 1
California Thrasher – 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – 20
California Towhee – 4
Song Sparrow – 10
White-crowned Sparrow – 10
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) – 5
House Finch – 30
Lesser Goldfinch – 10 14 months ago