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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.
Hope. A very inspiring word. It was hope that lifted my spirits from the doldrums of an unbirded weekend. It was hope that brought me to Santa Fe Dam once again on a bright Monday morning. The spate of firestorms all over Southern California the past week had blanketed the air with ash and covered the skies with dark billowing smoke. But Monday was blessed with glorious, unveiled sunshine. It was the hope of finding two lifers that got my heart beating faster that promising morn.
And yet the brightest of hopes can sometimes be dimmed. Four hours of diligent and optimistic search never yielded the species I had wanted to see. Still, the adventure wasn't for naught with the unexpected sighting of a female Orange Bishop. Heretofore, I had only seen the male in its gaudy orange and black plumage. The lady bishop, it turned out, was completely different from him, clad in sparrow-like brown feathers with a touch of yellow on the head and neck. So contrasting are the male and female in looks that it is possible for them to be mistaken as two different species.
The disappointment of not finding my two target birds was exacerbated by the fact that I saw and photographed two species that are painfully similar to those that I sought. The American Pipit only differs from the rarer Red-throated Pipit by the lack of streaking on its back.
And the Chipping Sparrow only differs from my hoped-for Clay-colored Sparrow by the darker line across its eyes.
The alarming regularity that Santa Fe Dam has denied me the satisfaction of sighting lifer species was somehow daunting. And yet as Cicero, the famous Roman orator and philosopher once said: Dum spiro, spero - While I breathe, I hope.
For a moment I thought I have lost my passion for birds. As a matter of fact, my wife has been urging me (almost to a point of desperation, I think) to go out and do some birding. The lack of exciting avian news probably contributed to my uncharacteristic reluctance to pursue my hobby. Or maybe I'm just getting too old for this??? Heaven forbid!!
(On a side note: As I drove through the entrance of Sante Fe Dam, the young lady who mans the booth only charged me half the entrance fee because I am a "senior citizen". And then at lunch, I went to El Pollo Loco and ordered a 2-piece combo to go. I was surprised when the cashier gave me more change from the twenty-dollar bill I gave her than I expected. Looking at the receipt, I noticed that she gave me a senior discount as well without me asking for it. And when I got home, lo and behold I got three pieces of chicken instead of two! I am not "yet" a senior citizen, I just look like one. And maybe that is a good thing.)
Anyway...Finally there were some report of unusual sightings at the Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale. So, Monday morning despite the kooky weather - it would be bright and sunny one moment then there would be thunder and drizzling the next, then sunny again, then gloomy -(Was I in the tropics??) I visited the place. I birded the usual spots and saw the usual birds. The numerous species listed in the report were nowhere to be found. I searched high and low and still could not locate the Clay-colored Sparrow and the Solitary Sandpiper (my new nemesis bird), both would-be lifers for me. After four hours of fruitless pursuit and gallons of sweat - it was humid even when it was drizzling - I called it a day. It was not a total disaster as I saw some neat birds, only they were not new to me.
That night I emailed the birder who posted the Santa Fe Dam sightings and requested for specific directions. Andrew Lee replied with a very detailed description of how to get to his birding site.
Wednesday morning, I was back at Santa Fe Dam. I wasted no time hitting the trail that Andrew mentioned. And according to his description, as soon as the grass became greener, the place became birdier. (And I thought it was just a cliche). Sparrows were flying back and forth across the trail, most of which were Song Sparrows, with a few Lincoln's thrown in. But no Clay-colored.
Part of the trail had some water and mud and as I contemplated whether to go through it or not, I was startled by a flash of red on my left. I turned and almost came face to face with an Orange Bishop (the official name actually is Northern Red Bishop). Woohoo! This lovely species gave me and my wife (and then me and my friend, Tom Starcic also) such a hard time at the Eaton Canyon Wash. I have given up hope of ever getting a good picture of this colorful exotic bird. And now, this was redemption!
At about 9 am, the temperature climbed unbelievably high. Birds were now by the patch of water and started to bathe. Throngs of Song Sparrows dominated the refreshing pool. Some Savannah Sparrows joined in as well. Still no Clay-colored. Then one of the Savannahs started chasing a sparrow-like bird with a bright red beak. The distraught tiny brown bird landed on a branch not too far from me and as I gave it a good look, I knew that I just had my 79th lifer for the year. It was another exotic bird - a female Pin-tailed Whydah (aka Widow).
Having had my fill of exotics, I traversed the muddy trail to where the "pond" was and where hopefully, the Solitary Sandpiper still hangs. Except for scads of Killdeer, no sandpiper of any kind was present.
Now soaking in sweat, I thought it wise to turn back and just count my blessings with at least one lifer and a close encounter with a feathered bishop.
I returned to the Eaton Canyon wash a few days after my disastrous encounter with the birds of the area. This time I was resolute in my purpose to redeem myself. Heck, I even brought a tripod so that my shots will be as steady as can be.
As expected, my target birds were once again there. But they were just a bit too far for my 420mm lens. So even though my photographs were technically OK, the images were tiny and did not do justice to the gaudy plumages of my subjects.
The Red Bishop
At least my two conflicting personalities have now reconciled.
