Do NOT try this on a Sunday! I did, but I am a trained professional.Bolsa Chica is a quite extensive wetland and saltmarsh. Access is easy once you get there. It is immediately inland of the Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset Beach, Orange County.
I arrived at the top end of the reserve at Sunset Beach.
The bus stop is right by the beach and some Heerman’s Gulls were showing well. I took a few moments on the beach, scanning just beyond the surf line and seeing thousands of dark ducks which proved to be Surf Scoters with a few Brown Pelicans scattered amongst them.
A small roost of gulls held Californian and Ring-billed Gulls.The tide had reached it’s peak a couple of hours previously and was just starting to expose mud as it ebbed from the reserve. Birds were starting to feed. Most obvious were the dowitchers. Trying to choose between long and short-billed versions has always been tricky. Today I was close enough to hear the occasional sound from them. Long-billed Dowitchers chatter to each other while feeding. It was the absence of this that gave me their identity as Short-billed Dowitcher.
I was very lucky to be able to get so close and luckier still as other birds joined them. Western Sandpipers and Dunlin fed on the very edge while Marbled Godwits and Willets were able to wade a little deeper. 
A Double-crested Cormorant was huddled in the saltmarsh vegetation. On the deeper water, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead and Eared Grebe dived to feed. It was clear enough to be able to watch the grebe under water.
At the southern end of the first body of water, a sluice gate empties from a relief channel. This channel passes through the reserve draining it and annexing a freshwater area to the north. 
A Ring-billed Gull was posing nicely.I chose to walk up the Northern bank of the channel to explore the freshwater area. Here were ducks; Green-winged Teal, 
Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon and Mallard. A Harrier sat out on the marsh. 
On the bank below me I had my best ever view of a Western Meadowlark. The river behind me was full of Ruddy duck with some American Coots. In the river side vegetation, Belding’s Sparrows scuttled about like little mice.
Some locals who looked as if they should know, were admiring a Western Grebe, but I preferred to go for Clarke’s Grebe.
The lighter mottled sides, the brighter bill and lightness around the eye suggested I should.
I set up a shot waiting for the Harrier to fly, but was distracted at the vital moment by a mad woman. I usually resent people talking to me for no reason and today was no exception, but the people around here are keen to interrupt. A more generous blogger might observe how friendly people are. There certainly are a lot of them on a Sunday. Runners thundered along the board-walk shaking my camera. I wonder if that is why they are called joggers?
I returned to the sluice gate and walked up the other bank which put me into the salty area again.
One of the birds that I had hoped to see today was the Reddish Egret, and I was very pleased to see one although quite distant. It was dancing around like a drunken aunt kissing children at a wedding. The Reddish Egret is surely one of the most fascinating birds to watch and I took a while to enjoy it.
The picture was taken later on at a closer approach. Unfortuneately, it seemed to have run out of steam by then.
The sun had reached it’s highest point by now and was at my right shoulder giving beautiful views of Long-billed Curlew, Grey Plover and a fishing Forster’s Tern to my left.
The Western Sandpipers thronged the mud in their many hundreds. I had hoped to find a few Least Sandpipers Amongst them and had been combing the flocks for a more conspicuously marked pelage and yellowy legs. 
At last I found one and then two, three, four. From that moment on it seemed that all the tiny peeps were least. Beyond them I noticed a Little Ringed Plover and had to correct myself to a fellow birder. It was of course a Semi-palmated Plover.
I had nearly reached the short board-walk and was taking in some of the changes since my last visit. A lot of earthworks have been carried out and the inland water bodies have been linked to the ocean. View points have been furnished with benches for tired soldiers.
A gull roost on a nearby island held Western, Ring-billed and Californian gulls. Also on the island were Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and more Grey Plovers. One of the plovers had found something to eat which was drooping from his short bill.
Just for a second, I thought it was a Curlew Sandpiper.
At a rough guess, I could probably see about 20 species from where I was sitting; gulls, waders, ducks, cormorants and a Peregrine Falcon way off. It was hard to tear myself away, but I wanted to visit the board-walk by the car park. Here there were 5 Redhead among the scaup. Some Northern Shoveler put in their first appearance of
the day and a Red-breasted Merganser came close enough to show off her teeth.
It was time to start heading home and I retraced my steps to the relief channel.
More Least Sandpiper were joined by an American Avocet in the shallows. I turned inland with an idea to look up some burrowing owls that the mad woman had mentioned. 
A Green Heron sat well for me as I walked east, but joggers disturbed this American Kestrel immediately after the picture. 
Sadly, when I reached the described spot, some owl botherers had skipped the fence into the protected area and were creeping about very close to the burrow.
A close look at a Peregrine made up for missing the owls and two local ladies, Zorissa and Sammy, shared the sight. On a bank beneath the falcon, California Towhees and White-crowned Sparrows appeared not to have seen it.
The light was fading now on what had been a very productive day. The light had been good and the mercury had reached an un-seasonal 25C. It was a stiff walk back to Sunset Beach where I saw the tail-lights of the bus heading north up PCH.
It would be feasible to make this trip from Long Beach, but I would not recommend it to my colleagues staying in Redondo Beach, as I was on this occasion.
The 232 bus leaves from Beryl and PCH, just by Whole Foods Supermarket. Change at Long Beach Transit Mall, on 1st and Pine, to bus 91, 92, 93 or 94 towards 7th and Channel. Change again at the Veterans Hospital, taking the 1 to Sunset beach.
On Sunday most buses only go once an hour. The reserve is busy too with cyclists, joggers and families. On weekdays as I recall, the reserve is much quieter and the buses are more frequent.
Bird Species; 61
Eared Grebe 6, Clarke’s Grebe 3, Pied-billed Grebe 3, Brown Pelican 18, Double-crested Cormorant 80, Great Blue Heron 5, Great Egret 8, Snowy Egret 15, Reddish Egret 2, Green Heron 1, Canada Goose 40, Mallard 12, Northern Pintail 25, American Wigeon 25, Northern Shoveler 6, Blue-winged Teal 5, Green-winged Teal 15, Redhead 5, Lesser Scaup 100, Surf Scoter 1000, Bufflehead 120, Red-breasted Merganser 3, Ruddy Duck 100, Turkey Vulture 2, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Northern Harrier 3, American Kestrel 3, Peregrine Falcon 2, American Coot 60, Black-bellied Plover 12, Semi-palmated Plover 1, Kildeer 150, American Avocet 30, Greater Yellowlegs 4, Willet 200, Whimbrel 2, Long-billed Curlew 10, Marbled Godwit 35, Ruddy Turnstone 2, Sanderling 6, Dunlin 8, Western Sandpiper 1500, Least Sandpiper 200, Short-billed Dowitcher 1000, Ring-billed Gull 12, California Gull 40, Western Gull 60, Heerman’s Gull 20, Royal Tern 2, Forster’s Tern 8, Mourning Dove 12, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 2, Black Phoebe 5, Say’s Phoebe 3, American Crow 20, California Towhee 2, Savannah Sparrow 15, White-crowned Sparrow 8, Housefinch 40, Western Meadowlark 8.
Blue-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon and Mallard. A Harrier sat out on the marsh. On the bank below me I had my best ever view of a Western Meadowlark. The river behind me was full of Ruddy duck with some American Coots. In the river side vegetation, Belding’s Sparrows scuttled about like little mice.Some locals who looked as if they should know, were admiring a Western Grebe, but I preferred to go for Clarke’s Grebe.
The lighter mottled sides, the brighter bill and lightness around the eye suggested I should.I set up a shot waiting for the Harrier to fly, but was distracted at the vital moment by a mad woman. I usually resent people talking to me for no reason and today was no exception, but the people around here are keen to interrupt. A more generous blogger might observe how friendly people are. There certainly are a lot of them on a Sunday. Runners thundered along the board-walk shaking my camera. I wonder if that is why they are called joggers?
I returned to the sluice gate and walked up the other bank which put me into the salty area again.
One of the birds that I had hoped to see today was the Reddish Egret, and I was very pleased to see one although quite distant. It was dancing around like a drunken aunt kissing children at a wedding. The Reddish Egret is surely one of the most fascinating birds to watch and I took a while to enjoy it.
The picture was taken later on at a closer approach. Unfortuneately, it seemed to have run out of steam by then.The sun had reached it’s highest point by now and was at my right shoulder giving beautiful views of Long-billed Curlew, Grey Plover and a fishing Forster’s Tern to my left.
The Western Sandpipers thronged the mud in their many hundreds. I had hoped to find a few Least Sandpipers Amongst them and had been combing the flocks for a more conspicuously marked pelage and yellowy legs. At last I found one and then two, three, four. From that moment on it seemed that all the tiny peeps were least. Beyond them I noticed a Little Ringed Plover and had to correct myself to a fellow birder. It was of course a Semi-palmated Plover.I had nearly reached the short board-walk and was taking in some of the changes since my last visit. A lot of earthworks have been carried out and the inland water bodies have been linked to the ocean. View points have been furnished with benches for tired soldiers.
A gull roost on a nearby island held Western, Ring-billed and Californian gulls. Also on the island were Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and more Grey Plovers. One of the plovers had found something to eat which was drooping from his short bill.
Just for a second, I thought it was a Curlew Sandpiper.At a rough guess, I could probably see about 20 species from where I was sitting; gulls, waders, ducks, cormorants and a Peregrine Falcon way off. It was hard to tear myself away, but I wanted to visit the board-walk by the car park. Here there were 5 Redhead among the scaup. Some Northern Shoveler put in their first appearance of
the day and a Red-breasted Merganser came close enough to show off her teeth.It was time to start heading home and I retraced my steps to the relief channel.
More Least Sandpiper were joined by an American Avocet in the shallows. I turned inland with an idea to look up some burrowing owls that the mad woman had mentioned. A Green Heron sat well for me as I walked east, but joggers disturbed this American Kestrel immediately after the picture. Sadly, when I reached the described spot, some owl botherers had skipped the fence into the protected area and were creeping about very close to the burrow.A close look at a Peregrine made up for missing the owls and two local ladies, Zorissa and Sammy, shared the sight. On a bank beneath the falcon, California Towhees and White-crowned Sparrows appeared not to have seen it.The light was fading now on what had been a very productive day. The light had been good and the mercury had reached an un-seasonal 25C. It was a stiff walk back to Sunset Beach where I saw the tail-lights of the bus heading north up PCH.
It would be feasible to make this trip from Long Beach, but I would not recommend it to my colleagues staying in Redondo Beach, as I was on this occasion.
The 232 bus leaves from Beryl and PCH, just by Whole Foods Supermarket. Change at Long Beach Transit Mall, on 1st and Pine, to bus 91, 92, 93 or 94 towards 7th and Channel. Change again at the Veterans Hospital, taking the 1 to Sunset beach.
On Sunday most buses only go once an hour. The reserve is busy too with cyclists, joggers and families. On weekdays as I recall, the reserve is much quieter and the buses are more frequent.
Bird Species; 61
Eared Grebe 6, Clarke’s Grebe 3, Pied-billed Grebe 3, Brown Pelican 18, Double-crested Cormorant 80, Great Blue Heron 5, Great Egret 8, Snowy Egret 15, Reddish Egret 2, Green Heron 1, Canada Goose 40, Mallard 12, Northern Pintail 25, American Wigeon 25, Northern Shoveler 6, Blue-winged Teal 5, Green-winged Teal 15, Redhead 5, Lesser Scaup 100, Surf Scoter 1000, Bufflehead 120, Red-breasted Merganser 3, Ruddy Duck 100, Turkey Vulture 2, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Northern Harrier 3, American Kestrel 3, Peregrine Falcon 2, American Coot 60, Black-bellied Plover 12, Semi-palmated Plover 1, Kildeer 150, American Avocet 30, Greater Yellowlegs 4, Willet 200, Whimbrel 2, Long-billed Curlew 10, Marbled Godwit 35, Ruddy Turnstone 2, Sanderling 6, Dunlin 8, Western Sandpiper 1500, Least Sandpiper 200, Short-billed Dowitcher 1000, Ring-billed Gull 12, California Gull 40, Western Gull 60, Heerman’s Gull 20, Royal Tern 2, Forster’s Tern 8, Mourning Dove 12, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 2, Black Phoebe 5, Say’s Phoebe 3, American Crow 20, California Towhee 2, Savannah Sparrow 15, White-crowned Sparrow 8, Housefinch 40, Western Meadowlark 8.
JR’s main topic of discussion of late on his site, is his fascination with pelicans in flight. So in tribute, I set out to follow his lead. As ever, my photographs failed to live up to my aspirations, which, given the bright, crisp light this morning, was a disappointment. I’m beginning to think it might be me!
A wintry scene greeted me as I approached the shore. The large trees at the waters edge were frosted white in keeping with the season and the chill. Actually, the cold muted the smell of cormorant guano that was the real reason for the effect. I will wager that it gets pretty high during the warmer weather. It was here that the light gained enough strength to allow me to start identifying birds. Carolina Chickadees were calling and Yellow-rumped Warblers flitted amongst the tangles. 
A Red-shouldered Hawk flew out from the woods on my left and joined a second in the cormorant roosts. The Pelicans were far out, but easily recognisable and accompanied by gulls and Double-crested Cormorants.
I had my first chance to try to emulate JR’s pictures as a number of pelicans took flight and passed back over the bridge onto the main body of the lake. There were also cormorants, Mallards, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes and some Muscovy Ducks (probably feral). Up on the bridge, the wind was beginning to bite through my gloves and my fingers were already becoming painful.
Grackles are common here with both Common and Great-tailed in constant view. Red-shouldered Blackbirds and Brown Cowbirds complimented my Icterid list.
Out on the water the birds roosted on boats and piers. I saw a small tern-like bird which turned out to be a tern. 
Beyond the boat clubs, a Downy Woodpecker landed in a tree right in front of me and posed provocatively. This meant having to take my hands out of my pockets to use the camera. It was becoming windier and beyond uncomfortable. 
A Fox Squirrel kept his arms in to his sides to preserve heat as he tried to warm up in the sun.
Standing still for a while had been a mistake. The cold and the wind had cut into me and I found myself constantly swearing and getting very cross with my useless fingers. It was time to bail out and head home. But that meant heading into wind which only served to make it worse. I was actually feeling quite distressed now.
Perhaps my resistance is getting lower as I get older. The savoury sharpness of a lifer was now tempered with the desire to feel my fingers again and my determination had faltered.
I managed to get a picture of the bluebirds for my blogger-floggers who insist on “more pictures!”
I had mis-timed my arrival and had to wait for the light. When the dawn broke, I set out down the path along the Montlake Cut. Silhouetted against a lightening sky were Double Crested Cormorants and a tree-ful of crows. You will note that I am avoiding being specific about the crows. See the previous Seattle post for details and information about Montlake Fill and how to get there. 
The weak early light reflected on the water of Union Bay, showing a large raft of ducks huddled tightly together, but they were too far out to be discernable yet. The white tail of one of the resident Bald Eagles was just visible in the gloom. Closer in among the small islands near the sailing club, I was able to make out the details of a couple of Wood Duck, Some Gadwall and Mallard. The white markings of a male Hooded Merganser and a small group of Bufflehead were more obvious. Two Beavers were making their way between the islands. Their eyes and nostrils situated at the top of their heads allowed them to maintain a very low profile in the water. One of the adult Eagles appeared suddenly and landed in a tree closeby. 
Beyond the rowing club, I stopped for a while to watch the Bufflehead and to try to identify a hawk way off. I suspect Coopers, but could not be sure. 
At last the light became strong enough to make photography worthwhile and I started with a female Green-winged Teal. Beyond her in the narrow channel that lead out to the main water,
a Great Blue Heron stood motionless waiting for his breakfast to approach within reach. A footbrdge took me across the channel into the carpark of the Union Bay Nature Reserve. 
At the first junction of the path a flock of 5 Golden-crowned Sparrows were digging through the gravel. 
At the lake I was able to get a better look at the large flock which proved to be mostly made up of coot and Wigeon. Closer inspection revealed a few Lesser Scaup and at least one Canvasback.
The red-winged Blackbirds were singing from vantage points in the trees, bushes and reeds. You would think it was spring the way they were carrying on. A Lincoln's Sparrow briefly showed, low down in a tangle. 
Passing back past the overgrown pond produced a Belted Kingfisher, but not the Wilson's Snipe that Amy had mentioned earlier. Sibley does not mention Wilson's Snipe, nor does Peterson. National Geographic mentions it in passing as the former name for Common Snipe. It is a popular inclusion in posts on 
A heron sitting out on a birch snag with the browns of the season in the background made my favourite picture of the day. 
It was harried from the sailing club to the top of a conifer on the lawns outside the stadium dropping it's lunch as it left. From there it flew back out over the water and was gone. 
I kept an eye on the falcon through posts on 
The excellent, new Canada Line whisked me from downtown Vancouver to Bridgeport Station in 17 minutes. From there it was a simple skip on the 351 from bus stop 8 to Matthew’s Exchange. 96
Further out was a tightly packed raft of 
Northern Harrier and Peregrine Falcons ensured that all the birds on the bay were on their guard. At one point 2 peregrines were harassing a flock of 
More peregrines were attacking the flocks, but the falcon I wanted to see was much bigger than these. At up to 3lbs, the 
The bird seemed settled and did not look inclined to fly, so we left him and turned our attention bay-wards again. 
The tide was receding now and the 
But they were still easily spooked and the never-ending stream of harriers and eagles would not allow them to settle. 
Two of the eagles put on an aerobatic display of close-proximity flying.
Monica managed to entice me into her car with the promise of a Snowy Owl. This would be a great consolation if the Gyrfalcon was not confirmed.