Title photo - For the first time in many years I was away for the annual herring spawn. The herring fishery was open from Mar. 5 to 14. When I arrived home on Mar. 25 there were still some spawns happening, but there weren't many interesting photo opportunities. One of the few shots I took was Common Mergansers flying over herring spawn waters at San Pareil.

THE BEST LAID PLANS ...

Mar. 31/14 - March was to be my month of exploration, inspiration, and rejuvenation, but instead, it was a month of pain and frustration. On the third day of my trip south I developed a mysterious sore and swollen knee that relegated me to parking lot photography for the next three weeks. On the bright side things could have been worse. Hobbling on one leg was better than not being able to hobble at all, and the bird and butterfly gods showed their sympathy by providing two photo targets from my wish list. For that I am grateful.

My first gift materialized at Monarch Butterfly Grove just south of Pismo Beach. I knew we were almost two months late to witness the the hibernating Monarchs draped on the Eucalyptus trees. My only hope was that a few would still be lingering around before migrating east and north for their breeding season. My hopes were answered immediately as soon as we parked. A gorgeous large orange and black butterfly drifted by in the warm morning sun. Although most of the butterflies had departed by the end of February, many were still fluttering around the park. None of them allowed for close examination, but my Sigma bird lens set at 800 mm was quite adequate for some decent photos. In fact, we really lucked when we found a pair mating on the sidewalk.

**************************************************************************************

My second gift came at Guadalupe Beach, home of the world's tallest sand dunes. The sand dunes run right down to the beach into a conservation area for Snowy Plovers and Least Terns. The conservation area is completely fenced and well-signed with do not trespass notices, but there was beach access from a parking lot. Snowy Plover populations are endangered, and I can recall hiking over a mile through a knee-deep muddy trail to look for the plovers in Washington. After an hour of bushwhacking we made it to the beach where plovers had been seen in the past, but the only birds we saw were a few gulls and crows. With a gimpy knee my expectations weren't very high to find a plover at Guadalupe, but hope always springs eternal. As soon as I parked I spotted a park ranger and asked about the terns and plovers. She reported that the terns hadn't nested in the area for several years, but the plovers had been seen recently close to the parking lot. That was all the incentive I needed. On the way back to the car I noticed a flutter in the sand within 6 m of where I was parked. I carefully looked and there was a plover roosting in the sand. Scanning the area I spotted 10 plovers all sitting and sunning in the sand. For the next 20 minutes I didn't even notice my sore knee as I was enjoying my first encounter with the Snowy Plovers.

**************************************************************************************

A large movement of songbirds caught my attention in Joshua Tree National Park. I tried to follow them from the roadside but only managed a few record shots. Most seemed to be migrating White-crowned Sparrows, but there were also a few Brewer's Sparrows in the mix. I'm sure experienced birders would have discovered a few other species in the crowd.

**************************************************************************************

A common and considerate resident of Joshua Tree and other desert areas is the Black-throated Sparrows. I saw several pairs that didn't seem to mind foraging close to human activity. The most common activity was rock-climbing.

**************************************************************************************

Another expected desert bird was the Verdin. I was surprised not to find one in Joshua Tree, but I was lucky to find one in a community park near Palm City. I only had about 30 seconds to get a few shots and was delighted with the results.

**************************************************************************************

It's always a thrill to see a Great Egret which is a very occasional visitor to Vancouver Island. They were common everywhere in California from Arcata to Palm Springs. This one was patiently fishing near the marina on the Salton Sea.

**************************************************************************************

We didn't have much time at the Salton Sea, but we saw many shorebirds, ducks, and White Pelicans. Birds were also numerous at the Sonny Bono Conservation area including several Ground Doves. We would have had more time if we didn't try to check out the Wister conservation area. All the dike roads were closed, and with my knee problems I passed up any hiking opportunities.

**************************************************************************************

Needless to say, Mourning Doves were also plentiful in most desert areas we visited.

**************************************************************************************

Mascot bird - Everywhere we went we encountered at least one Black Phoebe. Unlike the Black-chinned Sparrows, the phoebes kept their distance. The closest I could get was about best I could do was about 15 m at the Salton Sea.

**************************************************************************************

Pismo Beach was a joy for the Monarch butterflies, but the area was also had a few birds that we didn't have time to check. I did manage to get a shot of a nesting hummer. I'll have to defer to you for the identification.

**************************************************************************************

Ventura Beach was amazing for the massive surf and numerous surfers enjoying the sun and surf, but I was more interested in a small group of Marbled Godwits in the grass at the park. Despite the large crowds the shorebirds seemed at ease and continued foraging in the grass.

**************************************************************************************

Five of the birds were godwits with upcurved bills, but the sixth was a Whimbrel with a down-curved bill.

**************************************************************************************

**************************************************************************************

Here's another hummer I won't try to identify. It was photographed at Torrey Pines Beach.

**************************************************************************************

The four amigos - Another beautiful coastal area was Avila Beach north of Pismo. One of the many sights we enjoyed was a group of Whimbrels enjoying the morning sun on a beachside rock. After their siesta they flew down to the beach for a little foraging.

**************************************************************************************

On the way out of Avila I spotted a gull flock plus one stranger roostin by a small estuary. With some patient hobbling I was able to get close enough to see that it was a Caspian Tern.

**************************************************************************************

A picnic stop in northern California yielded a couple common park birds. The first one I spotted was the almost anticipated mascot bird - another Black Phoebe.

**************************************************************************************

The best picnic bird was a woodpecker that flew off when I first approached it. While I was wondering where it went, another flew conveniently on to the same tree.

**************************************************************************************

Several Western Bluebirds were also picnicking in the park. Most of them seemed to be females.

**************************************************************************************

The Snowy Egret eluded me at several locations on our trip, but I struck snow at Morro Bay. I found one that was dancing in the shallows busy foraging for small fish and other aquatic delicacies.

**************************************************************************************

**************************************************************************************

Great Egrets are extremely wary unless they are acclimatized to humans like on some golf courses. In the wild they are very difficult to approach. Just south of Arcata where the road curves around a slough I spotted several Great Egrets in the trees. I was able to pull over to the roadside for a couple of quick shots before they realized they were on camera.

**************************************************************************************

One can suffer from paranoia when you see Turkey Vultures everywhere. As scavengers they are associated with death, death is also part of life.

**************************************************************************************

The vineyard hawk - Vineyards are the dominant feature of the Sonoma landscape and Red-shouldered Hawks seem quite at home patrolling the fields for rodents and other creatures. Another common feature were the many Barn Owl nest boxes amongst the grapevines. The Barn Owls work the night shift in the fields patrolling for mice and other rodents.

**************************************************************************************

If the Black Phoebe were our primary mascots on our trip then the Scrub Jay was our vice-mascot. They were also quite abundant wherever we went.

**************************************************************************************

The Oregon coast is great for birding but don't go in March or any of the winter months if you're interested in bird photography. The best time is probably May to July when the birds are nesting and raising their young. We stopped in several of my favorite spots including Haystack Rock. The only birds around were a few Western Gulls, 1 Surf Scoter, and a Bald Eagle. The Surf Scoter was extremely interesting because to foraged in the sand about 3 meters from the many bystanders. Oh, there were mobs of bystanders because it was spring break.

**************************************************************************************

I was hoping to feature a substantial butterfly section in this journal, but like I said, the best laid plans did not materialize. I was fortunate to find the Monarchs. The few others I found were icing on the cake. The first two were found in my friend's backyard in Palm Springs. The first is the Painted Lady which was common all over southern California. The second is the Monarch look-alike, the Queen. The last is the Mylitta Crescent in the redwood forest region in northern California.

**************************************************************************************

**************************************************************************************

140326home1-963.jpg

*********************************************************************************************

2013 SHORTFALL ...

My plans for 2013 were to photograph as many butterflies as possible from the Vancouver Island list and then produce and publish VANCOUVER ISLAND BUTTERFLIES. Unfortunately, I only managed to find 50 out of the 69 species, and not all of them were suitably photographed. Consequently, I have decided to delay the publication until the fall of 2014. That has also worked out well for James Miskelly who was very busy with other commitments. James is still onboard as my co-editor and will provide as much updated information as possible. My apologies to all those who were waiting anxiously for the book launch, but theoretically, with more time we should be able to produce a higher quality publication.

lepbk2p3b.jpg

*********************************************************************************************

Bird Poster

My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House. (Note: This poster has been produced in a more manageable size and is now available for $20 unlaminated and $32 laminated.)


*********************************************************************************************




PUBLICATIONS




BOOKS AVAILABLE AT


PARKSVILLE & QUALICUM - MULBERRYBUSH BOOKSTORES

NANAIMO - SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB), CHAPTERS, NANAIMO MAP & CHARTS

PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY

COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS

SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE, TANNER'S BOOKSTORE

COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS

BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS

DEEP BAY - SHIP & SHORE

SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED

VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS, MUNRO'S, CROWN PUBLICATIONS, IVY'S

CAMPBELL RIVER - SAVE-ON FOODS, COHO BOOKS, CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM

DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE

LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS

NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA

LAKE COWICHAN - GALLOPING MOON GALLERY

TOFINO - BOTANICAL GARDENS

QUADRA ISLAND - BOOK BONANZA


LANGFORD - WILD BIRD CENTER

SOOKE - READING ROOM BOOKSTORE

SOOKE - MUSEUM

Port Hardy - MUSEUM



[RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE]


Comments, questions, or book orders?


admin AT vancouverislandbirds DOT com