Year-end Birding

I was so busy during the holidays that I was not able to update my blogs. I did a couple more birding outings on the last week of December. One was at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on December 27th. My wife and I were invited to a baptism, the reception of which was at restaurant in that city. We decided to arrive a little early so we can bird the area. This was our first time at Madrona Marsh and we were thrilled by the birdiness of the place. Even though we didn't see anything unusual, the birds here were quite approachable. The Lark Sparrows were more cooperative than their counterparts at Peck Park.

On the 30th, I did a solo birding at Santa Fe Dam where once again I was entertained by two Rock Wrens who were hunting for food just a few feet ahead of me.

The Orange Bishops were no longer orange having shed their breeding attire and reverted to a plainer, more sparrow-like plumage.

The surprise of the day was when I was already on my way out. I spotted a Cooper's Hawk sitting on a small pond - a most unusual thing for this species to do. I made a screeching stop (which didn't bother the hawk) turned around and drove as close as I can to the pond. I turned off the engine and started shooting at the insouciant raptor.

My birding year closed out with 89 lifers. Not bad at all.