Category: Birding Trips

Trip to San Diego Bird Festival, California

6/3/2020

Last week I had the pleasure to attend the San Diego Bird Festival (California) for the first time. I went to represent Birds & Nature Tours, since I work has one of the main guides for the company.

The festival kept me busy, between talks and staying at the company booth. But I had also the opportunity to co-lead a field trip with my friend Stan Walens, and also doing some birding in my free time. I would like to thank Richard and Stan for their time on taking me out to see some California specialties and Jackie and Craig for their kindness. It was a pleasure to review friends from trips I lead in Portugal and Spain.

Below is the list of species that I observed during my stay in California. This was my first time on the West coast, which resulted in 35 new species and a total of 115 species seen.

All photos taken with the versatile Canon SX50HS.

1. Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
Four birds seen near Tijuana border, this birds had been reported before.

2. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

3. Green-Winged Teal (Anas crecca carolinensis)

4. American Wigeon (Anas americana)

5. Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

6. Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)

7. Ring-Necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

8. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)

9. Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)

10. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

11. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

12. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)

13. Pied-Billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

14. Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

15. Western Greb (Aechmophorus occidentalis)

16. Rock Pigeon feral (Columbia livia)

17. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaoto)

18. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

19. Anna´s Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

20. Allen´s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin)

21. American Coot (Fulica americana)

22. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)

23. Black Oystercatcher (Haemantopus bachmani)

24. Black-Bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

25. Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus)

26. Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)

27. Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala)

28. Surfbird (Calidris virgata)

29. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

30. Wilson´s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

31. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

32. Wandering Tattler (Tringa incana)

33. Willet (Tringa semipalmata)

34. Red-Necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
One bird flying at sea.

35. Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)

36. Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)

37. Heermann´s Gull (Larus heermanni)

38. Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

39. California Gull (Larus californicus)

40. Glaucous-Winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)

41. Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)

42. Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)

43. Red-Throated Loon (Gavia stellata)

44. Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica)

45. Common Loon (Gavia immer)

46. Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)
Stunnig record of 2 birds just off La Jolla.

47. Northen Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii)

48. Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)

49. Pink-footed Shearwater (Ardenna creatopus)

50. Black-Vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas)

51. Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

52. Brandt´s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)

53. Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)

54. American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

55. Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

56. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

57. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

58. Great Egret (Ardea alba)

59. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

60. Black-Crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

61. Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

62. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

63. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

64. White-Tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)

65. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

66. Sharp-Shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)

67. Cooper´s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

68. Red-Shoulder Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

69. Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

70. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

71. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

72. Nuttal´s Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii)

73. Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

74. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

75. Merlin (Falco columbarius)

76. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

77. Red-Masked Parakeet (Psittacara erythrogenys)

78. Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)

79. Say´s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)

80. Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus)

81. Cassin´s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans)

82. Californa Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

83. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

84. Common Raven (Corvus corax)

85. Tree Swallow ( Tachycineta bicolor)

86. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

87. Northern Rough-Winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)

88. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

89. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

90. Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)

91. Bewick´s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

92. California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica)

93. Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)

94. Western Bluebird (Sialis mexicana)

95. California Thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum)

96. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

97. Scaly-Breasted Munia (Lochura punctulata)

98. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

99. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)

100. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

101. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

102. Orange-Crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)

103. Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

104. Yellow Warbler (Sethaga petechia)

105. Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

106. Townsend´s Warbler (Setophaga twonsendi)

107. Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

108. California Towhee (Melozone fusca)

109. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)

110. White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

111. Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco Hyemalis)

112. Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

113. Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

114. Brewer´s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)

115. Great-Tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)

0 Comments

Short winter tour with Birds & Nature Tours

17/12/2019

0 Comments

During the last two and a half days I guided, for Birds & Nature Tours, Geoff (Ornithology professor) and Wendy (Mammalogy professor), from Alabama, USA. Some of the highlights of this winter tour included Great bustard, Common crane, Hoopoe, Iberian imperial eagle, Black-bellied sandgrousse, Greater flamingo, Marsh, Hen and Pallid harrier. Long-eared and Eurasian eagle-owl. Here are some photos of our days out in the field: