My Little "Big Year"

Big Years (in other words years in which as many bird species are seen by one person as possible) are known to many people now, including many non-birders, thanks to various books and at least one movie!

I am not a very dedicated bird lister but I have been keeping year lists for quite a while - since around 2005.

Especially when I was more involved in insect study, I was a very lazy birder indeed and was lucky to top 200 species in a given year. But I've become more bird-oriented of late, and decided that it would be fun to try to see 300 different bird species in 2020. This is a decidedly puny number, especially when keeping in mind that the ABA (American Birding Association) area, United States, Continental U.S., and other big year areas as they are variously defined have records all exceeding 700 species or 800 species, depending on the area.

I don't believe I'll ever do one of THOSE Big Years, but I think it would be fun to shoot for a personal record, especially as we have a couple trips planned which should help quite a lot with the total tally (namely to Massachusetts and Maine next summer, and southwestern regions further afield of San Diego County here and there during the year).

So my current 2020 total is 116 species as of yesterday (January 20).

Most of these are easy San Diego County species, but a two day trip to the Salton Sea on the 19th and 20th of this month helped quite a bit.

Here are a few photos of some of those Salton Sea birds:

Burrowing Owl, with that "wise" look. along Schrimpf Road, E. of S,. end of Salton Sea, Imperial County, California. 

Burrowing Owl, along Schrimpf Road. Very cooperative regarding allowing photos from the truck-as-blind.

Burrowing Owl by its burrow, Schrimpf Rd. Sunday was sunny, allowing for better photos. Monday was very cloudy, unfortunately. 

Green Heron, Unit 1, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Flushed from the top of an embankment by a wandering birder. It then perched "hidden" in the nearby ditch as shown here. Spotted by Gary Waayers.

A rather blurry shot taken from a great distance of a Tundra Swan, a rarity in this part of the country. Unit 1, SBSSNWR.

A "nice" bird indeed - one of two Wilson's Snipes (spotted by Gary Waayers) seen from the northern platform, Unit 1, SBSSNWR. The bird to the left is a dowitcher.

Our Annual Diversion to the Salton Sea: Birding and Good Times with Friends!

Right at the beginning of the fresh new year, we made our usual trip to the Salton Sea, about an hour-and-a-half east of Cuyamaca Woods. This time our neighbors and friends, Bill and Susan Carter joined us. Bill generously shared his long camera lenses which fit on my Canon Rebel. This allowed getting some better bird shots than usual (as I STILL have not invested in my own long lenses yet, with all that macro photography distracting me most of the time).

As we drove in from Westmorland, we saw many American Kestrels perching on the wires, and the one below perched on the ground briefly.

American Kestrel, just south of the Salton Sea, California.

We were also lucky to see a cooperative Burrowing Owl on the drive in, as we saw no more the rest of the day (which is a bit unusual).

Keeping an eye on things in the morning sun.

The owl did some strange movements while we watched it - like this head bob-maneuver.

When we arrived at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, the usual suspects were around visiting the feeders and water sources put out for their benefit. That would be Gambel's Quail, Common Ground Doves, Abert's Towhees, and the ubiquitous White-crowned Sparrows. I didn't get good images of much, except this well-fed-looking Mourning Dove perched in a Palo Verde!

Mourning Dove, Sonny Bono SSNWR.

The walk out to the edge of the Sea was worthwhile as there was a Yellow-footed Gull hanging around with the Ring-billed Gulls and ducks. A good year bird, and a seldom-seen bird any time. It was so far away I could only get a rather blurry record image of it.

Yellow-footed Gull, Salton Sea, California.

We then headed over to Unit One, which had much less in the way of water-filled areas close to the viewing platforms than usual. The Sea is shrinking yearly, but this seemed like more than just the expected water level reduction.

Raccoon tracks in the mud, with salt at top of photo (as expected). Unit One, Salton Sea NWR, California.

All in all, we saw many good birds and had a great time with friends this day! Looking forward to next year's trip!

Susan and Bill, with Sandhill Cranes in background. Salton Sea, California.

A Diversion to the Salton Sea: Our Annual Visit

Usually, Gary and I take a trip out to the Salton Sea sometime when the year is still new and fresh. The air is not exactly fresh at the Sea, but the birds are pretty wonderful. This year was no exception.

Snow Geese in flight, Vendel Road. There were some Ross' Geese here and there in amongst the bigger Snows.

We only saw one Burrowing Owl this year, this one along Lack Road. Interesting to see its burrow (at lower right).

We encountered this scene along Vendel Road. This was the Wildlife Refuge, and clearly marked, so it's unfortunate that there was a need to post a sign saying "Don't gas the owls"!

I loved this assemblage of Cattle Egrets at Unit One. They definitely like to maintain a certain spacing between themselves! Many Snow Geese in the background.

Sandhill Cranes flying over Vendel Road.

Sandhill Cranes in a field along Vendel Road at last light. A tiny flock of the ubiquitous Snow Geese in the background.

A mass of clouds moved in during the afternoon, creating some moody lighting on these Snow Geese along Vendel Road.

Definitely one of the "usual suspects" anywhere in SoCal at this time of year - a White-crowned Sparrow.

This was one of many White-faced Ibis seen. In the non-breeding season, they lose the whitish facial markings near the base of the bill. This was shot with my Canon Rebel THROUGH the old spotting scope, handheld, as an impromptu experiment. Then  I Photoshopped the heck out it to get the painterly feel!