Instead of spending my left-over holidays in the Netherlands I decided to go to California, the state in the US that promised most lifers. I also wanted to visit Texas to try to add a few sparrows to my list: I did not go to the Rio Grande Valley despite the many possible lifers there (I’ve been there in summer though).
Most of my birding in California was governed by “A Birder’s Guide to Southern California” (Holt), with Monterey naturally covered by “Monterey Birds” (Roberson). Additional info for Santa Cruz Island was found on the web, Yellow-billed Magpie and Large-billed Sparrow from various Birder’s World web pages I found googling (and maybe should have studied more rigorously). I used the very helpful “DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer: California” to find my way.
Finding accommodation was very easy: most motels will cost about $ 45 in winter, State Park campsites $ 20. I’m not a car-sleeper...
It was cold in California, which kept me away from the mountains for most of the time.
Dec 17: I cycled to the station which was a mistake with a 22.5 kg suitcase. A good thing it had wheels. I flew from London Heathrow to Houston (BA) and from there to Los Angeles (Continental) to avoid any winter weather. This did not work out completely: the plane to LA had to come from Las Vegas where it was snowing! The queues for immigration were very long, so I was glad I had given myself a three hour connection. The only bird at George Bush Intercontinental Airport was Feral Pigeon – at LAX it was dark. After picking up my rental car I headed to the nearby Motel 6 which I only managed to reach after driving up and down a number of freeways.
Dec 18: I drove to Bolsa Chica which took about an hour in not-too-bad traffic. The (free but small) parking lot for Bolsa Chica can only be entered from the south – which I only found out after I had already missed it, driven back, and discovered that the Bolsa Chica State Beach opposite ($ 10 to park) is not the same thing (which forced me to drive the 2 miles up and down to Huntington Beach again!)
In this saltmarsh with wide creeks, oil wells and a hiking trail Belding's Sparrows were easy to find. There were plenty of waders, among which my one-and-only Red Knot and Semipalmated Plovers of the trip. Much more exciting was a Reddish Egret (apparently one of three present), a bird I had put on my to-find-in-Texas list. A very entertaining bird! Western Gull was my first larid tick, but the lighter gulls were Glaucous-winged × Western hybrids. I guess I should also mention the Peregrine that got attacked by a Northern Harrier. The photographers loitering on the entry bridge were kind enough to point out an American Bittern. A Western Marsh-Wren was singing at the car park.
I then spent some time birding the parks of Huntington, with Tricolored Blackbirds on my mind. These failed to materialise in any of the recommended sites (I only had a short encounter with Red-winged Blackbirds). I found a few Orange-crowned Warblers (the least impressive American warbler?), and many, many Audubon’s. The also very common Anna’s Hummingbirds were singing, displaying and chasing each other noisily – but a male Allen’s Hummingbird just north of Lake Huntington was a real surprise. This was also the only place where I saw a Cassin’s Kingbird flock. California Ground-Squirrel was common.
I finished the day at Crystal Cove State Beach ($ 10), which is a rather narrow strip of chaparral (low scrub) between the Pacific Coast Highway and the sea with a few car parks. It had been recommended to me for my main goal of the day: California Gnatcatcher. Rightly so: I found one at P1 and one pretty much on the beach below P4. They look just like Blue-gray in winter, so check their sound and tail! Other highlights in the scrub were the easier-than-expected Wrentit, a thankfully singing California Thrasher, first views of the unmissable California Towhee and California Raven (for what it’s worth).
I could then direct my attention to the sea, where I found a single Black Brant (only one of the trip), Heermann’s Gull, mostly unidentifiable cormorants and (distant) Black-vented Shearwaters. No Grey Whales, but I could not complain with California Sea-Lion and Indo-Pacific Bottle-nosed Dolphin. An American Osprey (potential split!) with a fluorescent-orange fish in its claws flew by.
Four hours driving mostly very, very slowly through Los Angeles took me to Ventura, where the boat for my next goal, Santa Cruz Island, would leave.