Before we headed to the lagoon, we stopped by the creek park where the Hooded Mergansers have been hanging around. Unfortunately, we didn't see them that day (but they are still around). We did see a female Belted Kingfisher, however. Below is a photo of the kingfisher.
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| Belted Kingfisher |
We also stopped by Hosp Grove Park by the lagoon. We didn't see very many species there, though we did see quite a few Townsend's Warblers and heard a California Quail. The views were very nice along the trail, with the sunlight shining through the eucalyptus trees. Below are three photos of the views along the trail.
As we were walking, we heard an odd noise that at first we thought was a kingbird. It turned out to be a couple of Northern Flickers up in the trees. Below is a photo of one of them.
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| Northern Flicker |
There was a male Nuttall's Woodpecker very high up in a tree as well. Below is a photo of the woodpecker.
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| Nuttall's Woodpecker |
It must have been a bit too chilly for some birds, as they were all fluffed up. There were quite a few doves sitting like that, as well as a Red-shouldered Hawk. Below is the hawk sitting in a tree in a parking lot.
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| Red-shouldered Hawk |
After briefly stopping by Maxton Brown Park, we headed over to the usual starting point at the lagoon. The sky was mostly clear, but it remained a bit chilly for the rest of the day. Below are four views around the lagoon.
As I was walking along the trail behind the Nature Center, I saw a Red-tailed Hawk up in a palm tree being harassed by several crows. It took off and flew right above me. The crows followed it. Below are two photos of the hawk.
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
There were several Pied-billed Grebes around the lagoon. Below are two of them.
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| Pied-billed Grebes |
We saw a single American Kestrel. It was sitting on a streetlight above the freeway, looking around. Below is a photo of it.
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| American Kestrel |
We also spotted a Great Egret sitting near some water right beside the road. Below is the egret.
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| Great Egret |
At the next stop, a Great Blue Heron was crouching in the reeds, preening itself. Occasionally, it would pause and take a slow look around. Below is the heron.
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| Great Blue Heron |
There were quite a few Western Grebes around, some sleeping and some diving. There were also a lot more Clark's Grebes than we usually see. There were a couple of Clark's Grebes with young that were nearly adults. However, the young were still pestering their parents; every time a parent came up with the fish, the young would come after it, making strange noises and begging to be fed. Below are five photos. The first two are of Western Grebes. The last three are of Clark's Grebes. The fifth photo shows one of the young following its parent.
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| Western Grebes |
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| Western Grebe |
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| Clark's Grebe |
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| Clark's Grebe |
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| Clark's Grebes |
There were not as many warblers around as there usually are at this time of year. We did see several Orange-crowned Warblers flitting about. Below is one of them.
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| Orange-crowned Warbler |
As usual, we saw a few Black Phoebes around. Below is one of them perched in a tree at Maxton Brown Park.
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| Black Phoebe |
We went to the beach and saw several loons out on the ocean, as well as a couple of Eared Grebes. Below are two photos. In both photos there are two Pacific Loons on the left, and two Red-throated Loons on the right. In the first photo, the two round-looking birds in the back are Eared Grebes.
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| Pacific Loons, Red-throated Loons, and Eared Grebes |
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| Pacific Loons and Red-throated Loons |
There were a few Double-crested Cormorants out on the ocean. Below is a photo of one (although, in this photo, it happens to look somewhat like a Brandt's Cormorant because it has its head turned slightly).
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| Double-crested Cormorant |
There were several Brown Pelicans flying around. Below is one of them, a very colorful adult.
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| Brown Pelican |
We didn't see all the shorebirds that we had hoped to see by the ocean, but we did see couple of cute little Sanderlings running along the beach. Below are two photos of the tiny shorebirds.
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| Sanderling |
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| Sanderling |
There were a few different species of gulls at the beach. Many were clustered around a stream of water coming from the lagoon. Below are two photos. In the first photo, the four smaller gulls are Ring-billed Gulls, while the two larger ones are Western Gulls. In the second photos, the gull to the far left is a Ring-billed Gull, the two large gulls are Western Gulls, and the rest are Heermann's Gulls. there is also a Sanderling running by in the background.
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| Ring-billed Gulls and Western Gulls |
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| Ring-billed Gull, Western Gulls, Heermann's Gulls, and Sanderling |
