Bolsa Chica #4

Date:  4 December 2011
When: 0830 - 0945
Where:  Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach

I try to go birding at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve every time I go over town. [As an aside -- "over town" means the mainland, "to town" means Avalon, and (often) "downtown" means Two Harbors.] I was over town getting some Christmas shopping done and didn't get to the birding thing until Sunday morning...


What a great day!  The highlights:

• an American bittern.  How many times have I searched the edges of the vegetation for them, hoping to catch a glimpse?  And today one was right out in the open.
• a Eared grebe swimming underwater. I was on a trail right next to the water and I could watch the little guy swim right under the water.  Too cool.
• Surf scoters up close and personal. We see lots of these in the winter, but still -- getting close enough to really see the colors in their bills is wonderful.
• Green-winged teal.  Again, not a rare sighting, but today the sunlight was just perfect for seeing the velvety smoothness of their cinnamon and green heads.
• A Reddish egret. There have been one or two of them at Bolsa Chica for the past year (and maybe longer, I don't know). Today one was doing the crazy reddish egret dance while foraging in the water. I love that crazy dance.
• A pair of White-faced ibis flying overhead.  Only the second time I've seen this species!

On my last several visits, I have parked at the small lot on Pacific Coast Highway, rather than the parking lot next to the visitor's center (on Warner).  Both places have great bird habitat though. There were lots of shorebirds and gulls, but I didn't have time to figure out what they were -- so only more obvious species are listed here.

The sort-of complete species list: (39 total)

Horned grebe
Eared grebe
Pied-billed grebe
Western grebe
Brown pelican
Double-crested cormorant
American bittern
Great blue heron
Reddish egret
Great egret
Snowy egret
Black-crowned night heron
White-faced ibis
Mallard
Northern pintail
Northern shoveler
American wigeon
Green-winged teal
Lesser scaup
Surf scoter
Bufflehead
Common merganser
Ruddy duck
Northern harrier
Red-tailed hawk
American coot
Black-bellied plover
Semipalmated plover
American avocet
Yellowlegs (lesser or greater???)
Whimbrel
Long-billed curlew
Marbled godwit
Willet
Dowitcher (short- or long-billed?)
Western gull
Forster's tern
Savannah sparrow
Black phoebe