Scenes from RK’s last post— As you might recall from my March 1st post, I made a quick one week trip out to CA in late January and throughout, I squeezed in as much Birding and nature watching as I could.
The second part of our trip took us to a conference in Newport Beach. It just so happened that one of the conference goers was sponsoring a Birding expedition on day 2 of the conference during a long block of free time.
I was quick to sign up.
My new found friend took us to a former waste water treatment plant that was now still used for some water collection and treatment purposes, but has largely transitioned to a nature reserve. While the natural environments continue to process leftover waste products, the area has become rich in nutrients and quite an attraction for birds and wildlife. Imagine multiple big ponds full of rich soil at adequate depths perfect for a variety of species.
And so we observed and we found the:
Yellow rumped warbler
Blue gray knatcatcher
Black necked stilt
Cinnamon teal
Marbled godwit
Least sandpipers
Killdeer
Green Winged Teal
White faced ibis
Dowwitcher
Palm warbler
Greater yellow legs
Allen humming bird
Bufflehead
Ruddy duck
Pied billed grebe
Tree swallow
Osprey
White pelican
Phainopepla
The area was looked after by a local Audubon community and they were quick to sponsor guides and all the right tips on how to find what where.
So to continue my pointers from the last post, when on travel look for the local hotspots, but also look for the friends of that hotspot. The Audubon society that sponsored our little trip was eager to show us around and were spectacular guides. Get out and reach out.
the suburban naturalists 