Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, CA

CA Thrasher

I always enjoy hiking Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and today, I also got to introduce it to my friend hoping she would like it as much as I .  Not as many birds were seen as I've seen in the past but a really big highlight was spotting the Bobcat along a trail.  This was my first ever Bobcat sighting.

Red-shafted Flicker

CA Towhee

Fox Sparrow ~ Sooty variety

CA ~ Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Ihave been looking forward to visiting this nature preserve today.  It's one of my favorite places to see birds around Palm Desert.  They have a bird walk on Wednesday's and this is the 3rd year I have attended the walk. It's great to see the same leaders and know that there are always great birds to be seen.  Everyone is very friendly and I love how the area is set up at the host's trailer where you can just sit and watch the birds at the feeders and visit with the birders after the walk is over.  They have some Scrub Jay's that come in and take peanuts from you.

Western Scrub Jay

Black-throated Gray Warbler

White-breasted Nuthatch

California Towhee

CA ~ Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

This morning started with a birding walk at the Preserve that I looked forward to all week.  Last year I went on this walk also and was excited then to add 11 life birds to my list.  I didn't have any hopes to add more birds to my life list this year but I was pleasantly surprised to add a Black-throated Gray Warbler seen at the water feature when Margaret and I were sitting chatting.  We were a group of 14 birders including host Dee plus leaders Margaret, Gary and several others whose names I didn't get.  It was great to meet a couple from nearby MD who I can connect up with to bird in their area.  Hal and Joanne were here to see if Joanne could add to life birds to there lists - California Thrasher and Nuttall's Woodpecker both of which we saw on the walk.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Scrub Jay

California Towhee

Off to California - Santa Cruz

I have wanted to revisit the Watsonville area of CA since I was there with my sisters in January 2010.  Several weeks ago my sister, Jenny along with her husband and I decided that all of our schedules coordinated so travel plans were made.  We left this AM arriving in San Francisco just after noon PDT.  After renting a car we drove down to Santa Sruz to the UCSC Arboretum. The flowers here are spectucular which makes the arboretum is a mecca for several species of hummingbirds.

Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird

California Quail

California Towhee






The Rufous vs Allen's Hummingbird and the California Towhee are new life birds for me.  Now if I could just figure out which hummingbird it actually was I'd be happier!