Long Beach, California.

Now, correct me if I am wrong (after my previous posts, I know with some confidence that you will), but does the sun not rise in the east and set in the west? Isn’t this one of the constants in the bedrock of assumed wisdom?

So why then, when I am standing on the coast of California, did I see the sun coming up out of the Pacific Ocean?

I had assumed that by being on the west coast of North America, I would be looking out across the water in a westerly direction, with the sun rising behind me in the east. This would have provided me with perfect conditions to sea-watch from Long Beach’s harbour wall, but instead I found myself looking straight into the sun and being blinded to any potential birds on the calm waters in front of me.

Of course the old rising sun adage only holds true for 2 days each year, at the equinoxes. For the other 360+ days, the sun’s rising point strays a little to the south during the northern winter and back to the north for the summer. Its furthest wanderings (to the tropic lines at 23.5° either side of the equator) are marked by the solstices in June and December, but the degree will vary slightly depending on the observer’s latitude. If you ever wondered what druids do at Stonehenge, they are celebrating Wiltshire’s most northerly sunrise point on June 21st (research suggesting that the site was originally built to observe the winter solstice (summer sunrise being diametrically opposite winter sunset means that the stones can be used for either purpose) is conveniently ignored by those who don’t want to get frost-bitten in a frock on a cold morning in late December).

And another thing; I had forgotten that the coastline at Long Beach was not strictly north to south. In fact, it is east to west and the marine path veers round to point almost north-east. So the water is to the south and I had arrived during the season when the sun was rising south of east and therefore appearing to come up out of the Pacific Ocean. Well, I am glad that’s settled.

I solved my dilemma by walking as far out along the harbour wall as I could, then began birdwatching on the return journey. On the rocks of the harbour wall a Black Turnstone stood quietly while Willets were taking advantage of the mussels revealed as the tide flowed out. Across the mouth of the LA River, Pelicans were plunge-feeding in front of the Queen Mary. Forster’s terns were feeding too, a little closer.

A noisy group of Western Gulls chased an Osprey which had a fish grasped tightly and arranged aerodynamically, facing the line of flight.

A Whimbrel, flushed by one of the many feral cats that live in the rocks, alighted just in front of me. These pictures are taken with my Nikon P100 today after the DSLR failed again yesterday.

It took rather a fetching picture of a Great Blue Heron without much input from me. The background should have been dirty water, but I rather like the way that the camera decided to up the contrast and go for black.

I followed the path around noting Western Grebes, Surf Scoters and BufflEheads on the river mouth. In the harbour amongst the boats were some Heerman’s Gulls, American Coots, and a Belted Kingfisher which sat watchfully at the prow of a boat.

Bird species; 32

Eared Grebe 4, Western Grebe 20, Brown Pelican 25, Double-crested Cormorant 50, Great Blue Heron 3, Snowy Egret 2, Black-crowned Night Heron 3, Mallard 1, Surf Scoter 25, Bufflehead 15, Osprey 2, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 7, Black Oystercatcher 5, Marbled Godwit 12, Whimbrel 1, Spotted Sandpiper 4, Willet 40, Black Turnstone 1, Heerman’s Gull 8, Ring-billed Gull 4, California Gull 2, Western Gull 30, Caspian Tern 1, Forster’s Tern 15, Anna’s Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher 1, American Crow 10, Common Starling 6, House Sparrow 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler 5, White-crowned Sparrow 6.


Long Beach, Los Angeles, LAX, California, USA

LA River, Long Beach, California, USA, LAX

Regular readers will recognise a post from the LA River and a few might even ask about Callie the naked lady ( http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/08/come-on-in-waters-great.html ). She is still there, where Del Amo Blvd crosses the drain and she is still naked.

Perhaps she had been skipping through the shallows this morning as there were no birds in this part of the drain, but plenty either side.

As usual, Black-necked Stilts made up the bulk of the biomass as I walked downstream. Small flocks of Least Sandpiper held a few Western Sandpiper.

After long consideration I have decided upon Long-billed Dowitcher among the “peeps”. Most of the short-bills would have passed through by the end of September, with the long-bills over-wintering in greater numbers. A few juvenile birds showed relatively un-patterned tertials with narrow edges. Some of the winter plumaged adults showed broad edges and appeared to have a shorter bill, but there is too much overlap to distinguish between non-breeding adults. So despite having seen 200-plus dowitchers, I was only able to be sure about very few of them.

It is quite possible that the Short-billed Dowitchers inhabit the upper reaches of the drain in the open areas while the Long-billed Dowitchers prefer the extra cover provided by the little islands in the lower stretches. If I had known that I was coming to LA, I could have brought an appropriate field guide to help, but I was called at very short notice from standby, so I couldn’t predict which book to pack. Since carrying my full collection of guides would produce a few tonnes of emissions through fuel burn, I prefer to leave them behind and put myself to the test.

Dragonflies were already up and flying when I arrived this morning. The weather is still very warm and was forecast to top the 90’s today. Not bad for the second week of October. I followed Dominguez Gap for a while and noted five types of heron, Pied-billed Grebe and a Belted Kingfisher.

Double-crested Cormorants were sunning themselves on low snags. I was hoping that there might be a snake warming itself on the sunny bank, but there was no sign of any this morning.

Back on the drain, the highlight of the day was an Osprey that made a couple of low passes before landing in the shallow water.

It was great to be on an elevated bank and able to look down on an Osprey as it flew by.

Beyond Wardlow Rd, is a spot that the gulls seem to like as a roost. You can often see a few different species here and today there were 3 types. Conveniently, they all got together for a group picture with the Ring-billed Gull at the left, a California Gull, with the dark spot on its bill, in the middle and the larger, darker-backed Western Gull on the right.

Just up from Willow St., sediment has settled enough to form little islands. The greater concentration of birds here seems to indicate that they like this feature.

Ducks here included Cinnamon Teal, Blue-winged Teal and Mallard. A few American Avocets were joined by one or other of the dowitchers.

Downstream from Willow, the drain becomes a proper river with deeper water and probably a tidal influence this close to the ocean. Beyond this point one might find a few Kildeer, but most of the waders will remain upstream in the shallow water of the overspill from the main channel.

On reflection, I think that I would be best to start from this point in the future. Walking upstream from here in the morning would keep the sun over my right shoulder and behind me as the day progresses and I work my way upstream. Google coordinates for the section are are;

From Del Amo Blvd, 33*50’ 47”N, 118*12’16”W to Willow St., 33*47’18”N, 118*12’16”W

The Metro tram station at Del Amo is 750m to the west of the river on Del Amo Blvd.

Bus 181 runs north and south on Magnolia which is 600m east of the river on Willow.

Both tram and bus can be caught from the  Transit Mall at 1st St., Long Beach.

Today, I returned to Del Amo to take the Metro tram back to Long Beach. On the way back, I passed through Dominguez Gap, hoping to find a few dragonflies to photograph, but my lens had suffered a prolapse. The focussing element came loose from its guides and was clunking around inside. It was possible to achieve a limited range of focus by pointing the camera downwards and shaking the element to the end, but I would have to adjust my own position rather than rely on zooming or refocusing on a moving subject.

I only stopped once for a picture of a Bushtit as it had become fearfully hot and even Carrie had headed for the shade.

For other posts about Redgannet in California, follow these links;

Los Angeles, Ca.

LA River
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/06/la-river-los-angeles.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/08/come-on-in-waters-great.html
El Dorado Nature Center
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/06/la-river-los-angeles.html
Orange County and Santa Anna Mountains
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/los-angeles-california.html
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve,
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/01/bolsa-chica-ecological-reserve-los.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/05/bolsa-chica-los-angeles-california.html
Long Beach
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/los-angeles-california.html

San Francisco, Ca.
Palo Alto Baylands
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/palo-alto-baylands-san-fancisco.html

For more posts from other sites in America try the USA and Canada page tab at the top of each post.

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/p/posts-from-usa-and-canada.html

Birds Seen; 42
Pied-billed Grebe 3, Double-crested Cormorant 20, Great Blue Heron 6, American Great Egret 18, Snowy Egret 1, Green Heron 4, Black-crowned Night Heron 5, Mallard 30, Blue-winged Teal 8, Cinnamon Teal 15, Turkey Vulture 2, Osprey 3, American Coot 80, Black-necked Stilt 400, American Avocet 12, Grey Plover 1, Killdeer 30, Long-billed Dowitcher 6, Greater Yellowlegs 4, Western Sandpiper 60, Least Sandpiper 300, Dunlin 2, Ring-billed Gull 4, California Gull 25, Western Gull 12, Mourning Dove 8, Belted Kingfisher 1,Black Phoebe 7, Say’s Phoebe 1, American Barn Swallow 8, Northern Mockingbird 6, Bushtit 25, Western Scrub-jay 4, American Crow 60, Lesser Goldfinch 1, Common Yellowthroat 2, Song Sparrow 4, White-crowned Sparrow 4, Red-winged Blackbird 1, Brewer’s Blackbird 35, Great-tailed Grackle 1, Scaly Munia 1.

El Dorado Park, Area III, Long Beach, California, LAX, USA

Perhaps it is time that I started reading my own blog; after all, the post describing El Dorado Nature Center clearly states that it is closed on Mondays. I felt very foolish on this Monday morning as I stood outside the gate, but was determined to salvage something from the day.

El Dorado Park, Areas II and III are directly across the road from the Nature Center and, more importantly, they were open. So I took a chance and I’m glad I did.

Another gamble that paid off was bringing the camera with me. My big lens had broken the day before, and only had a very limited range of focus and zoom but with a bit of shaking and jiggling, I might be able to use it.

I began by following an American Great Egret which was stalking the edges of a lake near the entrance. I was intending to circle it anti-clockwise, which coincidentally appeared to be the Egret’s plan too. It was very approachable and never strayed more than about 5 meters ahead of me.

Most of the duck on the lake were Mallard which looked acclimatised to picnickers. A single American Wigeon was much shyer.

On a grassy slope in the distance, a Great Blue Heron was standing very still and watching the ground intently. It was still there when I reached that side of the lake and I noticed that it had its eye on a gopher hole. A plug of darker, damp earth had been pushed out onto the spoil heap of excavated dirt, indicating an active gopher beneath.

I was later told that the herons love them and that Black–crowned Night Herons could also often be seen staking out the gopher holes in the early morning hoping to catch one.
Comment received from Liz gives a link to gopher-chomping egret. Don't go there if you are squeamish.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamsina/3398537379/in/set-72157611556463477/ 

The lake by the entrance is fed by a stream that crosses the road at a ford. The birds were enjoying a sunny bathe in the shallow water. Western Bluebirds, House Finches and American Goldfinches made a very colourful soup.

An alien Scaly-breasted Munia brought some earthy brown tones to the palette.

I was happy to see that a couple of the drivers who were visiting the park were considerate enough to stop and glance in my direction to check that I had finished shooting before crossing and putting the birds to flight.

I didn’t mind them driving through the water as the birds returned very quickly and it was very pleasing that strangers could be so thoughtful.

I met a few other people in the park and they were universally polite. Merri even offered me breakfast!

A photographer named Jeff (Geoff?) was generous with his information, telling me about the Ospreys that liked to fish in the other lakes within the park. Apparently, when the weather cools off a little, the Parks team stock the lakes with trout which attracts the Ospreys. This attracts photographers too who line up at the lakeside hoping to capture that classic “talons out” picture.

I followed the stream up to the next lake which was surrounded by a concrete path. There was no vegetation or features in the lake which left me feeling a little empty until I found the next lake across Wardlow Rd.

This lake had a more natural feel to it with tule beds along the bank. There was still a concrete path, but it was much nicer than the other one. 3 Ospreys circling overhead added to the ambience.

I have another trip to Los Angeles rostered for November. Perhaps if it has cooled down enough and my lens has been fixed.....

Areas II and III are markedly different to Area I. The El Dorado Nature Center is sited in Area I and is thickly wooded with a stream meandering through the woods to connect 2 mature lakes. There are managed trails and an interpretation centre. Area II is across the road on the north side of Spring. Area III is the furthest north after crossing Wardlow. These areas are parkland with pine and mixed plantings of deciduous trees. A couple of lakes have a natural look to them, but the fishing lake in the middle of Area II is very sterile in appearance.
There is an issue with this site in that it is sometimes used as a film shoot location. When the cameras are in, the park is often closed to the public. I don't know where to check for filming schedules and I am told that they can over-run and the park will remain closed as long as the cameras are rolling.

But....., if you are the type that never tires of bluebirds, then this park is the one for you. In every tree, on every snag and on every patch of lawn, there were Western Bluebirds. I was wondering if this was a seasonal abundance, but am not sure about bluebirds' migrating habits. Perhaps they were coming down from the hills as the days grow shorter? Yellow-rumped Warblers were abundant too with their "chip"s coming from all directions it seemed. 

I wished that I had brought my field guide when I came across a yellow flycatcher. Cassin’s and Western Flycatchers are superficially very similar. I had been called to do this trip while I was doing standby from the airport. So I had elected to leave my vast collection of guides at home and to rely on my skill and experience, both of which proved inadequate. I used my dictaphone to note down as many field notes as I could, but the only mark that really separated the two was the pale outer tail feathers, a distinguishing characteristic of the Western Flycatcher. Cassin’s Flycatcher has pale ends to the tail feathers.

I caught the 173 bus from stop F at the temporary transit mall in Long Beach. About 30-40mins later, shortly after passing the pyramid at University of California Long Beach, we arrived at Studebaker and Spring. There is parkland and a golf course on the right as the bus drives along Studebaker. Get off at the intersection, turn east onto E Spring St and walk with the park and golf course on your right. Cross the drain after 700m. The fenced area on the right is El Dorado Nature Center. The entrance is 400m further on (at Google Earth ref; 33*48'35"N, 118*05'09"W). On the other side of Spring you will see archery butts and then the entrance to the El Dorado Park, Area III.

For other posts about Redgannet in California, follow these links;

Los Angeles, Ca.

LA River
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/06/la-river-los-angeles.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/08/come-on-in-waters-great.html
El Dorado Nature Center
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/06/la-river-los-angeles.html
Orange County and Santa Anna Mountains
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/los-angeles-california.html
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve,
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/01/bolsa-chica-ecological-reserve-los.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/05/bolsa-chica-los-angeles-california.html
Long Beach
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/03/los-angeles-california.html

San Francisco, Ca.

Palo Alto Baylands
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/palo-alto-baylands-san-fancisco.html

For more posts from other sites in America try the USA and Canada page tab at the top of each post.
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/p/posts-from-usa-and-canada.html

Birds seen; 31

Pied-billed Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 3, American Great Egret 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 4, American Wigeon 1, Mallard 60, Ruddy Duck 4, Turkey Vulture 2, Osprey 3, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 3, California Gull 3, Mourning Dove 4, Downy Woodpecker 1, Black Phoebe 3, Western Kingbird 7, Northern Mockingbird 3, Western Bluebird 40, Western Scrub-jay 4, American Crow 15, Common Raven 2, House Finch 20, American Goldfinch 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 30, Black-throated Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 3, Western Tanager 1, Chipping Sparrow 1, Brewer’s Blackbird 25, Scaly Munia 1.

Los Angeles, California

My target bird for this week was the California Thrasher, Two elements needed to be fulfilled to have any chance of finding one. First, go to California (Long Beach, Los Angeles was my scheduled trip for this week), secondly, find the right habitat i.e. chaparral. To this end, I found myself at Santiago Oaks Regional Park near Villa Park in Orange County, California (Google Earth 33 49 18N 117 46 31W). I received a very warm welcome from the lady who mans the gate from 07.00 ‘til sunset and takes the $5 fee per car.
Birds were apparent as soon as I stepped out of the car. Some Western Scrub-jays and a Northern Mockingbird flew over, a California Towhee watched from a wall and a flock of parrots, possibly red-crowned, probably alien, called raucously. Rather gallingly, Red-crowned Parrot would be a red crayon bird in other circumstances. Another non-native, a Nutmeg Mannikin, flitted through the Historic Orange Grove.
A belt of trees and bushes run alongside the creek. Here were Acorn Woodpeckers, Bushtits, Spotted Towhees and in the higher branches, Yellow-rumped Warblers. Two woodpeckers landed in a tree just ahead, stopped very briefly and flew off, but they stayed long enough for me to get a good look and identify them as Red-naped Sapsuckers. That made up for the parrots. A persistent drumming proved to be a Nuttall’s Woodpecker which is a handsome bird in the binoculars, but I was unable to do him justice with the camera.
The weathermen had predicted rain, but I have come to take their forecasts with a pinch of salt and had applied my customary factor 30. To spite me it seemed, the sky remained dark, but at least the rain was holding off for the moment.
A flock of birds caught my attention from the top of a leafless tree. It was a mixed flock of House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches. Below them a Cottontail Rabbit was feeding watchfully.
Beyond the riparian zone, trails led up onto the canyon’s slopes and a low scrubby habitat. To my inexperienced eye, this was the chaparral habitat that I hoped would harbour the California Thrasher. Chaparral is a heath-like community of plants characterised by low-growing drought-resistant plants such as Black Sage and California Buckwheat, with emergent individuals such as Yucca and Sugarbush. The actual constituents can vary with altitude and distance from the coast. The normally arid conditions in which it grows makes it prone to fire.
On meeting a group of flower-spotters however, it became clear that the area had suffered a fire a couple of years before and the growth I was looking at was made up of early colonising plants rather than the classical chaparral. I continued for a short while in the pleasant company of a lady named Valerie, before deciding to move on. A White-tailed Kite gave us a fly-by as we made our way back down the canyon slopes.

Bird species; 26

Turkey Vulture 4, White-tailed Kite 1, Red-tailed Hawk 3, White-throated Swift 8, Anna’s Hummingbird 2, Allen’s Hummingbird 1, Acorn Woodpecker 4, Red-naped Sapsucker 2, Nuttall’s Woodpecker 3, Northern Flicker 1, Black Phoebe 2, Bewick’s Wren 2, Northern Mockingbird 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Bushtit 6, Western Scrub-jay 20, American Crow 30, Common Starling 12, House Finch 30, Lesser Goldfinch 60, Yellow-rumped Warbler 15, Spotted Towhee 4, California Towhee 6, Song Sparrow 3, White-crowned Sparrow 6, Dark-eyed Junco 4.

Valerie kindly showed me the way to Tuckers Wildlife Reserve at the top of Modjeska Canyon (Google Earth 33 42 38N 117 37 09W). On the right side of the road, opposite the visitors centre, is a reserved parking area.
A family of Acorn Woodpeckers were maintaining their food store in a utility pole while Western Scrub-jays undermined them by stealing their acorns.
A fenced area contains a small circuit leading visitors through well-attended feeders with the added facility of a comfortable, rain-proof porch to watch from. California Quail, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Spotted and California Towhees pecked for feed on the ground. A Northern Mockingbird watched from the top of a cactus.
The day had turned brighter and Valerie heard a thrasher calling from the slopes across the road from the feeder garden. She pinpointed the area with some advice from the warden and we climbed the trail to see if we could find it.
Thrashers respond well to playback and it took only one try to get the result we were after. Valerie called my attention to a sugarbush (?) where a large, curve-billed bird sat in full view. It was a California Thrasher. He sat well for a few photos and even gave his own regional variation of the song. At this point I would like to urge the responsible and conservative use of playback as the breeding season approaches. I am building up a large beer debt with the latest going to Valerie.
Back down in the garden I had a good look at a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons with their distinctive white hind-collar.
The very interesting visitors centre is run by Marcella who offered to let me in early for photographs in her pyjamas. I wonder if I heard her correctly?

Species seen; 19

Turkey Vulture 4, California Quail 5, Band-tailed Pigeon 16, Mourning Dove 6, Anna’s Hummingbird 2, Acorn Woodpecker 4, Northern Mockingbird 1, California Thrasher 1, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Western Scrub-jay 8, American Crow 8, Common Raven 1, House Finch 6, Yellow-rumped Warbler 16, Spotted Towhee 6, California Towhee 6, White-crowned Sparrow 25, Golden-crowned Sparrow 2, Dark-eyed Junco 4.

The rain had held off and the sun had even come out for a while to make a very pleasant afternoon, but the clouds were gathering again as I closed the circle with a fly-past at Bolsa Chica (for a detailed tour of Bolsa Chica, I refer you to the post of January 2010).
The wind was cold now and the rain was starting, but a quick trot along the boardwalk produced 20+ species. Snowy Plover, Royal Tern were species not seen on the previous visit and a very close look at a Surf Scoter made the discomfort worth while.
Species seen; 25

Pied-billed Grebe 2, Eared grebe 2, Brown Pelican 5, Double-crested Cormorant 60, Great Egret 2, Snowy Egret 8, Mallard 4, Blue-winged Teal 2, Northern Shoveler 2, Greater Scaup 20, Surf Scoter 200, Bufflehead 6, Red-breasted Merganser 2, Ruddy Duck 80, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 40, Snowy Plover 2, Short-billed Dowitcher 120, Marbled Godwit 12, Willet 16, California Gull 80, Western Gull 120, Royal Tern 16, Forster’s Tern 4, Song Sparrow 2.

Without the car on the second day, I took a gentle stroll down to the harbour at Long Beach ostensively to do a bit of gull-watching. A Willet and a Marbled Godwit showed very well on a tiny patch of sand left by the retreating tide.I had never noticed an Eared Grebe’s pre-dive routine before today. The usual appearance of this species on the surface is like a fluffy ball. Just before it dives, it contracts it’s feathers, expelling all the air and dramatically reducing in size and buoyancy. Then it is ready to submerge which it does with an elegant dive. A Snowy Egret allowed me to approach closely and this time I remembered to underexpose by a couple of thirds to prevent his whiteness burning out the detail.
A pair of Black Oystercatchers were working a mussel bed by the Aqualink ferry at Dock 4. It struck me that a boat ride might be a nice idea. At $5 for a 20 minute trip to Alamitos Bay Landing, it seemed good value, so much so that I came back again. As an added treat we made a stop beside the Queen Mary at her permanent mooring.
Birds on the water within the ocean wall included Western Grebe, Double-crested and Brandt’s Cormorants and a Western Gull that took exception to it’s own reflection in the cockpit window.
Surf Scoters were especially common within the docks at Belmont Shore. They gave great picture opportunities when they took to the air as the boat approached.Today was my highest ever Peregrine Falcon count. The first was seen flying straight at me from my hotel window. The second, from the boat and the third was circling the top of the Wells Fargo building at the corner of Pine Street. With such close proximity, the chances are that it was the same bird or part of a pair, but each was separated by enough time, distance and direction to count separately.

Species seen; 20

Horned Grebe 1, Eared Grebe 8, Western Grebe 15, Brown Pelican 8, Double-crested Cormorant 25, Brandt’s Cormorant 2, Snowy Egret 1, Mallard 2, Surf Scoter 600, Peregrine Falcon 3, American Coot 15, Black Oystercatcher 2, Marbled Godwit 2, Willet 8, Common Sandpiper 2, Heerman’s Gull 4, Ring-billed Gull 6, Californian Gull 14, Western Gull 40, Yellow-rumped Warbler 15.