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The Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma california) is a non-migratory member of the Corvidae family found in scrub and dry woodlands of oaks and piñon pine from Washington to Baja California. They are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, taking mostly arthropods and fruit in the spring and summer and nuts like acorn and pine in the fall and [...]

As I have already mentioned in my post about finding and identifying a California Gnatcatcher I spent quite a bit of time wandering what little open spaces are left in the small portion of Yorba Linda I could reach on foot from where we were staying over the holidays.  I did this both because I [...]

One great aspect of visiting southern California in winter is that birds are everywhere that there is even marginal habitat.  On my trip we stayed in Yorba Linda in northern Orange County, which, you will be unsurprised to learn, is pretty much the archetype of sprawl.*  Despite the developed nature of the landscape there were [...]

After the sheer joy of finding my own life Thayer’s Gull I made an attempt to visit the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, which is down a dirt road that, after all the rain, was more of an obstacle course than a road.  The borrowed truck I was driving, which proved itself capable of handling relatively [...]

After seeing my life Burrowing Owls in San Bernardino I still had until 5 PM when I was supposed to pick my brother-in-law up at work.  That meant that I had about six hours of birding time ahead of me and I was determined to make the most of it!  What better place than the [...]

As I have probably already mentioned, I was in southern California over the holidays.  Before I headed out there from my home in New York I was monitoring the local listservs in California for birds I had never seen in the hopes of adding some birds to my life list during my time in the [...]

There was something missing in all of the birding that I did in southern California over the holidays.  Sea birds!  And I am not a huge fan of seawatching unless it is done from a boat, in which case it becomes the much more enjoyable pelagic birding.  Being in a boat looking for birds is [...]

I have long wanted to see a Burrowing Owl.  They are owls, which automatically gives them a certain cachet, and they are little, which makes them cute, and they live in the ground, which makes them even more interesting than your run-of-the-mill owl.  Several years ago I had the perfect opportunity to see Athene cunicularia [...]

After leaving San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary behind I made my way back out to Jamboree Road and headed downhill, west, towards the coast.  Before actually reaching the ocean I cut right onto Back Bay Drive and started making my way along Upper Newport Bay.  The tide was just past high, the sun was shining, and [...]

Approaching the Highway 44 off ramp for Turtle Bay from either direction you will find life-sized metal sculptures of Bald Eagles, like this one above, poised to catch fish jumping from the median strip. If that doesn’t catch your attention, with the completion of the bridge construction, which included a walking and bike trail along [...]

When it is the first day of a new year and you are a birder and you have nothing you have to do all morning long you better believe you are out birding.  My biggest problem when this situation was presented to me on 1 January 2011 was figuring out which of Orange County’s marvelous [...]

The last time I visited the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which is the breeding facility affiliated with the San Diego Zoo and a tourist attraction in its own right, I was hoping to see the long-staying, out-of-place Wood Stork and perhaps a Zone-tailed Hawk among the many Turkey Vultures.  I was successful finding the [...]

Driving down Rupert Road you will undoubtedly see lots of birds as you make your way toward the Anderson River Park entrance. As you enter the park, across from the boat ramp, on your right, there are soccer fields where the Yellow-billed Magpies hang out. Atop one of the soccer field light poles is an [...]

Just occasionally, seemingly ordinary conditions or events can combine to create a blissfully perfect moment during which the weight of all our stresses and worries is lifted from us. Warm, moving moments such as these, comfort and inspire us, reminding us of how rich life can be. It would require no great leap of faith to [...]

Lema Ranch is one of Northern California’s birding hotspots. It is located in Shasta County, in the northern most part of the Sacramento Valley, in the city of Redding (pdf map here), about 160 miles north of Sacramento. The property is the headquarters for the McConnell Foundation, a philanthropic organization working for the betterment of [...]

This being my inaugural post here on 10,000 Birds as the West Coast Beat Writer, I thought it appropriate to introduce a species found no where else on Earth.  The Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli, is a true California endemic species. They are found primarily in the Central Valley, the southern Coast Ranges, and the foothills [...]

Business brought me out to Orange County, CA for a week in mid-October. Despite the length of my stay, I had precious few available moments for birding. My dear pal Amy brought me for some Upper Newport Bay birding not once but twice. The first attempt was undermined by the severity of Santa Ana winds [...]

Upper Newport Bay has a sterling reputation as a locus for some of the best coastal Orange County birding around. This is a big deal, considering both the outstanding avifauna this part of California can deliver as well as the other superlative sites along this stretch of the Pacific. Unfortunately, my first taste of the [...]

Business has brought me once again to a shiny section of the Golden State. It is the height, indeed the very definition, of privilege to rise up after breakfast over a variegated expanse of autumn hues to arrive for lunch in a portion of the Pacific coast where one is far more likely to spot [...]

Finding efficient ways to fit birding into business travel has me on the hunt for ideal locations as close to airports as possible. So far, my two favorites have been Jamaica Bay right down the road from JFK and Arrowhead Marsh practically connected to the car rental lots at the Oakland airport. Now, to add [...]