An ongoing blog of my birding trips, big and small (latest entries on top).
December, 2021-
I drove 160 miles to get my first look at a Long-eared Owl (2 trips the same day to CHRP in Fremont). Got lovely looks in the setting sunlight.
September, 2021-
I had my first sighting of a Black-throated Blue Warbler in the Botanical Gardens, GGP.
August, 2021-
Went to Half Moon Bay 3 times to see Barn Owls hunting in the Wavecrest preserve. Got lovely looks but not great images as they came out in the late evenings and disappeared soon after dawn.
May 29, 2021-
Our first trip to Hawaii. Spent a week on Big Island. Saw a few lifers right outside our room at the resort in Kona, but the most exciting part of the trip was seeing almost all of the island endemic forest species with local guide/biologist/comedian Jack Jeffrey, whose knowledge of local birds, plants and history is encyclopedic. Images under the new page Hawaii, Big Island.
February 7, 2021-
Saw a Northern Red Bishop in the community garden in Fort Mason (introduced species), a lifer. Had seen it's Southern cousin in Kenya 2 years ago. Also got great looks at Red-breasted Sapsucker and a Nashville Warbler.
January 31, 2021-
My first birding outing of the new year. Went to see a Mountain Bluebird spotted in Pacifica. Beautiful spot near the ocean called Mori Point, and I got a lifer!
September 26, 2020-
Birded the Tahoe Area with Will Richardson, PhD (director of the Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences) who is very knowledgable about the local avifauna. Unfortunately it was a pretty quiet day (a combination of earlier-than-usual migration and the smoke from the recent fires), but I got a couple of lifers in the Cassin's Finch and the Red Crossbill. I did not get a good enough look at the latter to add it to my list, however (but it was fun hearing it and chasing it for a while).
September 20, 2020-
Golden Gate Park has been a warbler paradise lately! About 12 species of warblers reported in the last 2 days. I was lucky to see 6 on this visit including the MacGillivray's, which is a lifer.
September 18, 2020-
Birded Bodega Bay with local birding guide Daniel Edelstein. It was foggier than usual and we didn't see as many species as we would have liked, but it was still a lot of fun. And I got my life list to over 1000 with the addition of the Calliope Hummingbird and the Pacific Wren!
August 6, 2020-
I got word on an online neighborhood group that a Northern Saw-whet Owl had been spotted north of Bernal Hill (as was a Barn owl 2 nights ago in someone's back yard). I had never seen a NSWO. I went over to the reported location early morning, and there it was- a juvenile sleeping in the tree. After having had my fill of observing it and taking pics, I took my kids to enjoy this rare sight. The images are under NorCal-3 and under Owls.
December, 2021-
I drove 160 miles to get my first look at a Long-eared Owl (2 trips the same day to CHRP in Fremont). Got lovely looks in the setting sunlight.
September, 2021-
I had my first sighting of a Black-throated Blue Warbler in the Botanical Gardens, GGP.
August, 2021-
Went to Half Moon Bay 3 times to see Barn Owls hunting in the Wavecrest preserve. Got lovely looks but not great images as they came out in the late evenings and disappeared soon after dawn.
May 29, 2021-
Our first trip to Hawaii. Spent a week on Big Island. Saw a few lifers right outside our room at the resort in Kona, but the most exciting part of the trip was seeing almost all of the island endemic forest species with local guide/biologist/comedian Jack Jeffrey, whose knowledge of local birds, plants and history is encyclopedic. Images under the new page Hawaii, Big Island.
February 7, 2021-
Saw a Northern Red Bishop in the community garden in Fort Mason (introduced species), a lifer. Had seen it's Southern cousin in Kenya 2 years ago. Also got great looks at Red-breasted Sapsucker and a Nashville Warbler.
January 31, 2021-
My first birding outing of the new year. Went to see a Mountain Bluebird spotted in Pacifica. Beautiful spot near the ocean called Mori Point, and I got a lifer!
September 26, 2020-
Birded the Tahoe Area with Will Richardson, PhD (director of the Tahoe Institute of Natural Sciences) who is very knowledgable about the local avifauna. Unfortunately it was a pretty quiet day (a combination of earlier-than-usual migration and the smoke from the recent fires), but I got a couple of lifers in the Cassin's Finch and the Red Crossbill. I did not get a good enough look at the latter to add it to my list, however (but it was fun hearing it and chasing it for a while).
September 20, 2020-
Golden Gate Park has been a warbler paradise lately! About 12 species of warblers reported in the last 2 days. I was lucky to see 6 on this visit including the MacGillivray's, which is a lifer.
September 18, 2020-
Birded Bodega Bay with local birding guide Daniel Edelstein. It was foggier than usual and we didn't see as many species as we would have liked, but it was still a lot of fun. And I got my life list to over 1000 with the addition of the Calliope Hummingbird and the Pacific Wren!
August 6, 2020-
I got word on an online neighborhood group that a Northern Saw-whet Owl had been spotted north of Bernal Hill (as was a Barn owl 2 nights ago in someone's back yard). I had never seen a NSWO. I went over to the reported location early morning, and there it was- a juvenile sleeping in the tree. After having had my fill of observing it and taking pics, I took my kids to enjoy this rare sight. The images are under NorCal-3 and under Owls.