Wednesday, January 28, 2009

January Bird Banding

It rained the whole way to the coast. I didn't catch a break until somewhere in Malibu, and it didn't seem to want to hold. It was misty at Zuma Canyon, which made for a pretty slow day; we only had 26 birds total. The last two were huge treats, though. I always hear the Red-shafted Flickers calling when I am in the canyon, and this time we actually got one in a net. In fact, we hit the jackpot; we got both a male and a female.

You can see his deep red eye in the following picture (click to enlarge):


The usual Audubon's Warblers.
We caught as many of the Audubon's as we did Wrentits. This is unusual as we normally catch way more Wrentits. Maybe they were hunkered down because of the cool temperatures?

The always impressive California Thrasher, which really likes to kick. That's how they look for food, by kicking the leaf litter and uncovering tidbits to eat. Look at those feet.

Here is what the nets look like.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Redondo Beach Pier

A little So Cal Christmas day trip to the ocean.



Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican which doesn't like the looks of me

Black-Crowned Night Heron