An ongoing blog of my birding trips, big and small (latest entries on top).
May 2023-
Finally made it to Magee Marsh! 2 days in the middle of spring migration. It's a magical place, with birds everywhere. We saw a total of 73 species; 20 warblers (of a possible 26 or so spotted in those 2 days) including the elusive Mourning and Canada Warblers! Other cool finds were an Eastern Screech-Owl, Eastern Whip-poor-will and American Woodcock. A Bald Eagle nest in the middle of the marsh had 3 chicks and the 2 adults hanging around. Lots of people from all over the US.
Definitely will consider going again some day.
February 2023-
Long awaited trip to Panama! With my daughter and a couple of friends. 3 days in the City, then 5 days in the rain forest (Canopy Lodge). The trip was fantastic, with a total of 182 species/139 lifers! Not to mention the great food and lovely people.
Highlights included 4 Owls (Spectacled, Mottled, Tropical Screech and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl), some cool raptors (the magnificent White Hawk), lots of local specialties including all 3 Ani species , 4 of 5 Motmots, over a dozen Hummers, and tons of Tanagers. The ones that were most difficult to get were of special value, such as the Streak-breasted Antpitta and the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo.
I highly recommend the Canopy Family for their tours, lodges and guides. We had Tino and Danilo, who were both fantastic.
It was so much fun that we have started planning our next Panama trip already.
January 2023-
Made a short trip to India for work, and managed to get in some birding too. This was followed by a 2 day trip to Turin, where I birded along the banks of the river Po. Picked up a couple of lifers!
October 2022-
Did my first pelagic birding trip after 4 years with Jet and Casey. Having seen most of the expected species over my last 2 trips, I was hoping for at least a couple of lifers, and was not disappointed! 2 new petrels and murrelets! A small disappointment was having no sun the whole day, limiting photographic opportunities. And surprisingly only a few whales. Still, fun as always. Images posted under Pelagics.
September 2022-
After a long hiatus from birding, I decided to check out birds in Paris, where we were heading for my birthday (people don't go to Paris for the birds, but why not look for something new?). It was casual birding in some Parisian parks (Bois de Boulogne, Jardin du Luxembourg) and along the Seine. To my delight, I did get some lifers, but not the greatest shots (wasn't carrying my big lens).
From Paris I went to Maui for a shorter trip, where I did do some serious birding with friends Jet and Casey. The focus was of course the endemic honey creepers, but I was happy to pick up some other lifers too.
April- May, 2022-
Joined my dear friend Amit and his family for a memorable trip to Everest Base Camp, Nepal. Before the trek, I did 2 days of birding in the Kathmandu Valley, where I saw over 80 species, including the only Nepali endemic, the Spiny Babbler. On the trek (unfortunately without my camera for the most part) I saw some magnificent species, including the Himalayan Monal (Nepal's national bird) and perhaps 3 (2 for sure) species of vultures. Also saw some new mammals including the Tahr, Pika, Muntjac (barking deer), Golden Jackal, Yak, etc. Would have loved to see the Musk Deer and Spotted Leopard, but those are pretty rare.
This trip was very productive in terms of lifers, netting me a total of 80!
My birding guide in Kathmandu, Tek Magar, was outstanding, and someone I highly recommend, even if a half day is all one has there. He has a thorough knowledge of the local avifauna and can ID all birds by ear.
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.
May 2023-
Finally made it to Magee Marsh! 2 days in the middle of spring migration. It's a magical place, with birds everywhere. We saw a total of 73 species; 20 warblers (of a possible 26 or so spotted in those 2 days) including the elusive Mourning and Canada Warblers! Other cool finds were an Eastern Screech-Owl, Eastern Whip-poor-will and American Woodcock. A Bald Eagle nest in the middle of the marsh had 3 chicks and the 2 adults hanging around. Lots of people from all over the US.
Definitely will consider going again some day.
February 2023-
Long awaited trip to Panama! With my daughter and a couple of friends. 3 days in the City, then 5 days in the rain forest (Canopy Lodge). The trip was fantastic, with a total of 182 species/139 lifers! Not to mention the great food and lovely people.
Highlights included 4 Owls (Spectacled, Mottled, Tropical Screech and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl), some cool raptors (the magnificent White Hawk), lots of local specialties including all 3 Ani species , 4 of 5 Motmots, over a dozen Hummers, and tons of Tanagers. The ones that were most difficult to get were of special value, such as the Streak-breasted Antpitta and the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo.
I highly recommend the Canopy Family for their tours, lodges and guides. We had Tino and Danilo, who were both fantastic.
It was so much fun that we have started planning our next Panama trip already.
January 2023-
Made a short trip to India for work, and managed to get in some birding too. This was followed by a 2 day trip to Turin, where I birded along the banks of the river Po. Picked up a couple of lifers!
October 2022-
Did my first pelagic birding trip after 4 years with Jet and Casey. Having seen most of the expected species over my last 2 trips, I was hoping for at least a couple of lifers, and was not disappointed! 2 new petrels and murrelets! A small disappointment was having no sun the whole day, limiting photographic opportunities. And surprisingly only a few whales. Still, fun as always. Images posted under Pelagics.
September 2022-
After a long hiatus from birding, I decided to check out birds in Paris, where we were heading for my birthday (people don't go to Paris for the birds, but why not look for something new?). It was casual birding in some Parisian parks (Bois de Boulogne, Jardin du Luxembourg) and along the Seine. To my delight, I did get some lifers, but not the greatest shots (wasn't carrying my big lens).
From Paris I went to Maui for a shorter trip, where I did do some serious birding with friends Jet and Casey. The focus was of course the endemic honey creepers, but I was happy to pick up some other lifers too.
April- May, 2022-
Joined my dear friend Amit and his family for a memorable trip to Everest Base Camp, Nepal. Before the trek, I did 2 days of birding in the Kathmandu Valley, where I saw over 80 species, including the only Nepali endemic, the Spiny Babbler. On the trek (unfortunately without my camera for the most part) I saw some magnificent species, including the Himalayan Monal (Nepal's national bird) and perhaps 3 (2 for sure) species of vultures. Also saw some new mammals including the Tahr, Pika, Muntjac (barking deer), Golden Jackal, Yak, etc. Would have loved to see the Musk Deer and Spotted Leopard, but those are pretty rare.
This trip was very productive in terms of lifers, netting me a total of 80!
My birding guide in Kathmandu, Tek Magar, was outstanding, and someone I highly recommend, even if a half day is all one has there. He has a thorough knowledge of the local avifauna and can ID all birds by ear.
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.