Ok, I don't get to travel the world like many others but I did enjoy this trip a little over a week ago.
After doing a grueling 10 hour long photoshoot with a friend of mine, we decided to head up to the mountains, to Wrightwood which is in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains.
I woke up that morning and stepped outside. It was about 7:30am. At 5,500 feet, it's still mighty cold in the morning in early April, even in Southern California. The first thing I notice was the snow still on the surrounding mountains although the town was snow free. I could hear lots of birds I was used to in San Diego such as House Finches, California Towhees, mourning Doves and even Lesser Goldfinches which I was surprised to see in this habitat. Then I heard other birds which actually reminded me of the San Francisco Bay Area. I could hear Steller's Jays and Purple Finches and right across the street was a beautiful American Robin http://www.pbase.com/image/111329774 it looked larger than the few I had seen in San Diego or the many I used to see in the Bay Area. I then went inside to eat some breakfast. After I was done I noticed a magnificent Western Bluebird on the back porch of the house http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111260365 There were no House Sparrow present so these little guys were quite common. Most of my birding I would do the next morning.
On the morning of April 5th, I decided to take a walk through the neighborhood (granted I attempted to take a brisk walk and a jog the previous day but quickly realized it's not a good idea at all at this altitude lol). I had my D300 with me with my trusty 300mm F4 prime, my main birding lens. Rihgt when I stepped out there was a Steller's Jay, acutally two of them in the neighbors yard http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111075813 I shot the first one on the railing and this one lower down http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111075800 They were a mated pair but I couldn't get a good shot of the courtship feeding. Then I started my walk. I could hear all kinds of cool birds! There was a Northern Flicker relaxing on a lawn, seemingly not concerned by my presence. It was obvious that here, people don't harass wildlife like they do in San Diego. Everything was much more tame. Then I saw one bird I hadn't seen in over 10 years, the mountain Chickadee! I immediately began firing off lots of shots of these little birdlet jewels http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111076797 http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111076827. This really made my day. Right after this was a White-Breasted Nuthatch scampering down a tree http://www.pbase.com/image/111330029. I haven't seen one of these in over 20 years! They do not live in San Diego. Then there was a pair of Western Scrub Jays http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111075772 Then as I passed a feeder there was a pair of Lesser Goldfinches feeding contently http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111330203 http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111330338 At this same feeder I was really lucky enough to see a Western Gray Squirrel http://www.pbase.com/shonn/image/111119036 It is shyer than it's more familiar sibling, the Eastern Gray Squirrel which is the one introduced in areas outside it's normal range including the UK and California but there were none here. These Western Grays are sometimes out competed by their slightly smaller relative but like the American and European Red Squirrels, the coniferous forest is a haven for them. I then reached the dead end street and decided to head back. On the way back I could hear Oak Titmice but could not see any. I saw Nuttall's and Acorn Woodpeckers but none of these pics came out right so I didn't post any. Then I heard what I thought was another Nuttall's Woodpecker. It was close so I glanced over at it. Holy crap!!! A new life bird for me...a...White-Headed Woodpecker! Again, these pics weren't great but I may post them later sience it was a life bird.
As I sat on the porch one last time before heading home a bird came out of nowhere I had been looking for but heard all the time...the Oak Titmouse http://www.pbase.com/image/111330399 It was a quick grab sot then the bird took off as soon as the shutter fired.
That was my wrightwood trip. Hope you all enjoyed.