LA Birding

Song Sparrow

To get to South America from Australia, one has two options. One to zip across to Chile and then head north. Or, second, to fly to the west coast of the USA and down.

I chose the latter and a good friend of mine, Jeff Manker - a birder - was generous enough to head down to LA to spend a day birding!

Below are some of the species seen.

Californian Gnatcatcher

Californian Towhee

Lesser Goldfinch
female Cinnamon Teal [?]





























Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ECUADOR DUDE ITINERARY

Image
 KEN CROSS - ECUADOR 'DUDE TOUR' ITINERARY IN BRIEF Day 1 / June 22: International arrival in Quito  Day 2 / June 23: Afternoon city tour of colonial Quito Old Town  Day 3 / June 24: Cultural and History Day in Quito  Day 4 / June 25: Balcon Tumpiki – Mirador Guaycapi – Santa Elena Cock of the Rock.  Day 5 / June 26: Refugio Paz de las Aves  Day 6 / June 27: Frutitour - Milpe Bird Sanctuary  Day 7 / June 28: Mitad del Mundo (Equator Monument) - Otavalo  Day 8 / June 29: Otavalo Indigenous Market  Day 9/ June 30: Otavalo to Cotopaxi  Day 10 / July 01: Quilotoa to Banos  Day 11 / July 02: Baños – Mera – Puño - Coca  Day 12 / July 03: Sacha Lodge  Day 13 / July 04: Sacha Lodge  Day 14 / July 05: Sacha Lodge  Day 15 / July 06: Transfer to Coca, return flight to Quito.  Day 16 / July 07: Transfer to Galapagos as per next itinerary [See Galapagos Itinerary attached at back of this one!] A Map of Ecuador showing ou...
Read more

Towards Mindo

Image
 Ecuador is, without doubt, one of the most biodiverse nations on the planet; and therefore a must-visit for any semi serious naturalist. One  of the key destinations areas is the cloud forests in the Mindo region. This is on Ecuador's western slope, facing the Pacific Ocean. A variety of elevations, rainforests made humid by both cloud and rain, connections with forests further north in Colombia and further south in Peru and hemmed in by the Andes to the East - all contribute to its megadiverse biodiversity. Here on our first day we visited a number of feeders specially designed to attract nectar feeders - predominately Hummingbirds - and fruit eaters - mostly Tanagers.   All the pictures above were taken at the first feeder complex. Lunch followed with more feeders. In the afternoon, post lunch, we visited a local Mindo Chocolate factory.
Read more

Quito

Image
Sparling Violetear - our first Hummingbird!  All arrived safely in Quito and gathered for dinner at the appointed time and place!  The following day, post breakfast, boasted a slow morning giving me the opportunity to try to find some urban species. Great Thrush Rufous collared Sparrow In the afternoon we visited the Quito old town. One of the first Catholic Churches visited was designed, to some degree, to celebrate the flora and fauna of Ecuador. La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (often just called La Compañía) in Quito, Ecuador.   While the church is most famous for its stunning Baroque architecture and gold-leaf-covered interior, one of its more quirky and lesser-known features is its facade ornamentation, which includes unusual carvings of local fauna, such as iguanas, armadillos, and even anteaters.  These carvings are a fascinating example of syncretism — the blending of indigenous and European artistic traditions. When indigenous artisans helped build a...
Read more