UFC - Ultimate Fighting Coots

February, 2018, we were birding at the Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, California when I saw some commotion near the lake shore. It turned out to be two American Coots having a fight. Here are a series of photos I took.

a kick from the left

a kick from the right

here comes the referee

so who won?

I think the referee declared it a draw.

Chilly Bonelli

The Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas is one of our favourite birding spots in Southern California. For the past several years we came to the U.S. around mid-March and stayed for about a month. This year, my wife and I decided to come a month earlier. Being winter, the weather was naturally chilly.

The air was nippy the day we visited Bonelli Park. Although most of the birds we encountered were those familiar ones we've seen the prior years, this time there were some surprises. One of those was the Least Sandpiper. Somehow they were more in number than the more common Spotted Sandpiper.

Another unexpected sighting was that of the Buff-bellied Pipit. There were about a dozen of them flocked together foraging the rocks by the lakeside. Even though we've this species here before, this was the first time we saw so many individuals hunting for food together.

The California Scrub Jay seem to be growing in population and expanding their territories. We've never seen them in Bonelli before. And now they're here.

Finally as we were about to leave, a huge flock (!) of Band-tailed Pigeons flew in and fed on the ground. Again, this species wasn't as plentiful before when we only saw a few at Eaton Canyon in Pasadena. 

We're glad that many of the local birds are proliferating.

The highlight of the day was when we saw some Turkey Vultures feeding on a carcass of what I believe to be a Raccoon. It was an unexpected, even shall I say, chilly, experience. It was as if we were in an African savanna watching nature in action in a most gory way.

Dearly Bonelli

Another birding hotspot in southern California that had become dear to our hearts is the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas. The place is huge with a diversity of environments. A lake separates the north and the south sides of the park. More often than not we bird the south side simply because it is bigger.

For our second sortie, we of course chose Bonelli Park. First bird we saw was the American Robin, a can't-miss species here.

Another common bird is the Black Phoebe - not just here but in almost every city park in California.

Woodpeckers are usually not easy to find but somehow this Downy was too busy hunting for insects to be aware of two gawking birders.

Another common park resident is the Western Bluebird.

As we approached the lake, we encountered some shorebirds. The Greylag Goose is so common that birders no longer pay attention to them.

Then there are the Egrets - both Great and Snowy.

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

On the lake itself were several kinds of Grebes including two species that almost look alike it's hard to tell one from the other. The Western and Clark's Grebes - can you tell the difference?

Clark's Grebe

Western Grebe

At the western side of the park, we were lucky enough to see the very uncommon Lawrence Goldfinch albeit from a distance.

There were also blackbirds galore. Both the Great-tailed Grackle and the Red-winged Blackbird reside among the reeds.

Great-tailed Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird

Another beautiful birding day ended before noon. We were all smiles as we said goodbye to our dearly beloved Bonelli Park.

Moses Bird

Somehow the desire to go out and bird still lies dormant within me. The thought of driving in the pre-dawn hours, of walking on rain-drenched trails, of carrying on my shoulder several pounds of photographic gear, didn't seem quite appealing anymore. I must be getting old.

To while away the time usually spent on stalking some birds, I reviewed some photographs I took more than a year ago. One of them caught my attention. It was of a Spotted Sandpiper taken at the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, California. Looking at the scene sort of reminded me of the exodus when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Moses spread out his hands and the waters of the sea parted to allow his people who were being chased by the Egyptian army to get to the other side. 

My photo shows the sandpiper walking hurriedly while the waters appeared to be held back. In reality the bird was on the shore while the tide was ebbing away.

Ok, Frank, what have you got?

And as it turned out....a lot!!


Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas has been (and continues to be) one of my favorite birding spots in Southern California. So on our second day here I managed to cajole my son, Kurt, to drive me here where we can both enjoy our respective hobbies: birding for me, of course, and mountain biking for him. Cynthia, once again, decided to go shopping and do some personal errands.


As it was in several spring mornings in the past, the very first bird to greet me at Bonelli Park was an American Robin. There it was it's bright orange breast gleaming in the morning sun chasing some tiny insects from the dewy grass. 

As expected, as if I am watching a replay of my past birding adventures here,  after the Robin comes the Western Bluebirds showing up with the males in their sparkling bright blue plumage.

Another thing I love about Bonelli Regional Park is the wide diversity of species found here. Aside from the usual park birds like the Robins and the Bluebirds, there are also some shorebirds like the Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer and Snowy Egret. Waterbirds like the Canada Goose, Lesser Scaups and Northern Shovelers are also present.

Northern Shoveler pair

Spotted Sandpiper

Killdeer

I was even rewarded by a fly-by of an immature Bald Eagle!

Spring wouldn't be spring without the loud and incessant love songs of the Great-tailed Grackle and Red-winged Blackbirds.

Great-tailed Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird

I wasn't even aware that several hours had already slipped by until Kurt came gliding in in his bike. As we were packing our gears, I was smiling because I was happy I visited Frank again. And boy, he did not disappoint!

Say the Word and See the Bird

She did it again. Conjuring up a bird seemingly out of thin air. I’m talking about my wife and her uncanny ability to locate a bird that we are looking for. She doesn’t make it happen all the time, though. Only when the proper motivation is there. Aye, there’s the rub.

We have scheduled Friday, October 9th, this way: She’ll go birding with me in the morning then I’ll take her shopping right after that. She needed to buy some stuff to send to her grandchildren in the Philippines and she wanted to get it all done before we meet up on Saturday with her son-in-law who is in Carlsbad attending a Pastor’s conference. So we had a deal. I told her I wanted to go to Bonelli Regional Park to try and find the Bobolink..then she can do all the shopping that she needs to do.

Early Friday we were at the North shore of the park shivering in the nippy air. Surveying the lake’s edge we saw a pair of Redheads among the Mallards and the immature Brown Pelican standing at the edge of the mudflats. The mudflats! It was at the grassy portion of the mudflats that the Bobolink had been spotted. After some meandering we finally discovered the path that leads to the aforementioned grassy area. Only to realize that we have go through some squishy, muddy spots to get there. We eventually reached our destination and flushed a bunch of birds, mostly Savannah and Song Sparrows. Scanning the place with my binoculars, I also saw a Lincoln’s Sparrow and had a quick, fleeting glimpse of a yellowish-brown bird. “That could be the Bobolink”, I told my wife. I then proceeded to give a short description of our target bird to Cynthia. Interestingly, she didn’t bring a camera nor a pair of binoculars as she usually does. I guess her mind was more focused on the shopping she will be doing later. Nevertheless, I told her that the Bobolink has similar coloration to a Meadowlark, except the bill is much shorter and a bit reddish in color. It is also slightly bigger than a sparrow, I explained to her. That said, I began my stake-out at the edge of the grassy area watching for every movement while my wife stood nonchalantly looking at the trees behind me. As I concentrated on my vigil I heard a very soft “bobolink, bobolink, bobolink…”. I took a quick look behind me and saw my wife with her eyes closed, and as if in prayer chanting the name of the bird we were looking for. I smiled as I returned to my stake-out, cyncially thinking to myself the things Cynthia would do just so she can go shopping. Until…..


“There it is.”, she said quietly. I turned around and looked at the direction she was pointing at. And indeed, there it was. Posing for about fifteen minutes as I rattled off perhaps fifty frames, our latest lifer was a joy to behold. Satisfied that it had obliged a pair of grinning birders, the Bobolink then flew off to pursue its own affairs. And now it was my turn to oblige my wife’s desires.

For more (equally successful?) birding blogs and photographs, please visit:

Splashdance - a Valentine's Day Story *

Ah, c'est l'amour! Love is in the air!

It was one Valentine's Day date that my wife and I would cherish. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas may not be a romantic place for many people, but the local Western and Clark Grebe population thought otherwise. And strangely so did we. Guilt by association, I suppose.

In truth, we purposely came to Bonelli to watch the "dance" of the grebes. I was quite intrigued when fellow bird photographer Monte Stinett whom I met here last week told me about this spectacle of nature. I also remember my friend, Romy Ocon , from the Philippines, asking me several years ago whether I've seen this interesting grebe habit. Honestly, I thought that such courtship displays never happened in winter. Or in California for that matter.

Cynthia and I weren't really prepared for what we were about to witness. It was still quite early in the morning and the grebes were still sleeping, heads tucked beneath their wings. Then we noticed a pair awaken and started bobbing their heads. Suddenly they were up and "running" over the lake surface, heads curved, wings flapping. It all happened so fast that I barely had time to press the shutter on my camera. Cynthia was so enthralled that she completely forgot to turn on the camcorder.

For the next four hours we were treated to four more dances, thrice by the Clarks and once by the Westerns. Each time we were so completely taken by this wonderful celebration of courtship - so much so that we were not able to take any video at all and only some passable photographs.



That evening, inspired by the beauty of nature, of the grace and passion of grebes, we had the most wonderful Valentine dinner ever. Picture lobster tails and filet mignon, capped by a decadent cheese cake. No, it wasn't at some fancy restaurant where such fare would create a huge dent to our budget (After all, I am unemployed and Cynthia works as a mere clerk). Rather it was at the privacy of our own home. Cynthia being a great cook that she is, prepared everything. I was more than happy to do the dishes afterward.

Ah, c'est l'amour!
* Flashdance, 1983

I'm Birding in the rain.. *

10 am, Monday, Feb. 9th. I'm sitting inside my Jeep watching a horde of coots feeding on the grass completely oblivious of the downpour. Droplets of rain streamed down my windshield while flashes of lightning and claps of thunder punctuated the gloomy morning.

It wasn't like this when I arrived at Bonelli Park around 8 am. The skies were blue albeit covered every now and then by gray clouds. Birds were singing paeans to a morning that finally promised sunshine after several days of constant rainfall. One tree harbored five species clustered near the top as if trying to get as close to the sun as possible. A Northern Flicker, a couple of American Robins, a flock of House Finches waited for a break in the clouds while the Nuttall's Woodpecker was busy pecking away at the trunk. Western Bluebirds were flying back and forth, sometimes perching near the Flicker or the Robin as if asking for a weather update.

After saying hello to the resident Painted Redstart, I drove to the East Shore where to my utter delight an adult Bald Eagle came flying towards my direction. Without even thinking, I grabbed my camera and was able to fire off a couple of shots before the majestic bird disappeared from view, never to be seen again.

I moved on to where the grebes and ducks were just waking up. To my surprise, my birding pal, Monte Stinett, was there waiting for the Western Grebes to do their water ballet. Unfortunately, the grebes were not cooperating and so we just talked shop until tiny rain drops started to fall on us. We quickly returned to our vehicles so that our precious camera gear would be spared from getting an unwarranted splashing.

As I sat in my Jeep a feeling of peace and even joy flooded my being. The past week was fraught with nonchalance and languor (see my previous blog titled "The force be with you"). But today as I birded in the rain... "there's a smile on my face, I'm happy again..."



The song "Singing in the Rain" is sung by Gene Kelly from the movie of the same title.
* Singing in the Rain, 1952

Buddy Birding

I visited Legg Lake Monday to look for Canvasbacks. The only photo I had of this species was that of a female taken at Bolsa Chica several years ago. It wasn’t long before I found a group of them lounging at the third lake. Also in the area were a bunch of Ring-necked Ducks. Inasmuch as these species would be a lifer for my birding buddy, Tom Starcic, I asked him to meet up with me on Tuesday morning. That was also an excuse for me to bring my bigger lens. My images of the male Canvasback that I got on Monday with my 100-400mm zoom lens were not big enough for my taste.

I was already taking shots at the Canvasbacks when Tom arrived. We proceeded to the area where the Ring-neckeds hang out. Along the way we were startled by a pair of Northern Flickers which darted across from us and landed on a nearby pine tree giving us some nice photo ops. The Ring-necked Ducks, on the other hand, were all sleeping way out at the middle of the lake. We moved to a point that would bring us closer to them and patiently waited for some activity. Eventually a few Ring-neckeds awoke and started their morning ablutions. Tom and I had some nice views.

As we were rounding the lake, Tom would every now and then stop and point to a flock of parakeets whizzing overhead, screeching as they went.

“Most likely Yellow-chevroned Parakeets”, I informed Tom.

When we reached the parking area, Tom stopped and stared at a sycamore tree.

“The parakeets are there.”, he said.

Silently, we approached the tree until we saw a pair of the Yellow-chevroneds. Tom was smiling as we reviewed our shots of the lovely exotics. He just got his second lifer of the day.

We then proceeded to north Rosemead – still a part of the Whittier Narrows Recreational Area – to look for the Pine Warbler reported seen last Monday. Although the place was quite birdy (lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, American Goldfinches, Western Bluebirds and Black Phoebes), the Pine Warbler was nowhere to be found. What we saw was a Plumbeous Vireo and Tom’s third lifer for the day.

Since it was still early – a little after 10 am – Tom suggested that we visit Bonelli Regional Park which is not too far from here. After enduring a terrible traffic jam at the Pomona Freeway, we arrived at Bonelli around 11 am. Our first stop was the area next to Restroom 8 where the Painted Redstart spends winter every year. Sure enough, it was in its favorite tree and was very cooperative in posing for us.

The lake itself was surprisingly devoid of a lot of birds. The Redheads I saw just a week ago were gone. Only a few Scaups and Western Grebes dotted the lake. At this point I was already tired from lugging my heavy gear so I just rested while Tom explored the lakeside trail. After a while, he called me saying that there’s an Osprey perched not too far from where I was resting. I hauled my camera and tripod and proceeded to where Tom said the Osprey was. There it was, unperturbed by the harassing of a pair of American Crows.

Soon Tom returned from his foray. We made several more stops along the lake but bird activity had pretty much slowed down. It was 1 pm and we both were getting hungry so we agreed to call it a day. It was a great birding day for both of us; Tom getting three lifers and me getting good shots at the male Canvasback and getting a good work out for my back.

Ay-yay-yay, no eye

The report that a pair of Common Goldeneyes were seen at Bonelli Regional Park perked my interest. You will recall that we dipped badly on this species last Saturday at Big Bear. So off to Bonelli I went (Cynthia is at work) Tuesday morning. The day started out glorious - blue skies and just enough nippiness in the air that invigorates the lungs.

I immediately proceeded to the eastern shore and scanned the lake with my binoculars. Nothing but Mallards, Western Grebes and hundreds of Coots. A pair each of Canada and White-fronted Geese were just waking up as I walked closer to the water's edge. A Killdeer scampered ahead of me. But no wintering ducks! I turned my attention to the land birds. There was a small puddle by the roadside where Yellow-rumps, American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos and an occasional Western Bluebird would take a drink.

At the easternmost point next to the parking area, a Great Blue Heron and a Snowy Egret were trying to overcome their frozen inertia. A Belted Kingfisher and an Osprey on the other hand, have begun their quest for an early morning meal.

I walked along the lakeside going west accompanied by skiterring Least Sandpipers. Around the bend, I finally saw some Redheads bathing! Further into the open, Western Grebes stretched their necks and legs while Ruddy Ducks slept. Four Eared Grebes went swimming by.

But still no Goldeneyes.

I decided to drive to the western side of the lake and I was turning into the main road, I was completely surprised to see a Roadrunner! I stopped the Jeep, flashe my emergency lights on, opened the window on my side and grabbed my camera gear. Fortunately, I decided to bring my big 500mm telephoto lens for this trip anticipating that the ducks would be at quite a distance offshore. Praying that the lens' Image Stability capabilities would work, as I was handholding the camera and trembling with excitement, I took a bunch of shots at the roadrunner. Eventually it took off and hid among the bushes.

I stopped by restroom # 8 to see if the Painted Redstart still inhabits the tree across. The black-and-red warbler has obviously gone to warmer climes for it was quiet as a cemetery there. There was however, a Merlin perched silently high up a pine tree.

I continued to the west side parking lot and hauled my gear to the lakeside. This time a Spotted Sandpiper came bobbing towards me, totally unmindful of my presence. Once again scanning the lake with my binoculars, I saw Lesser and Greater Scaups together offering excellent opportunities to compare one species from the other.

But still no Goldeneyes.

The beautiful morning soon turned into overcast skies and a few drops of rain forebode a wet afternoon.

I will have to "live another day" in my search for the Goldeneye. (Oh no, not another James Bond theme!)

A Lotta Bonelli

As you will recall, my 85th lifer for the year 2008 was a Red-breasted Nuthatch which my wife and I saw at Galileo Hills last Oct. 18th. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get some pictures of the said bird. So when it was reported that one was sighted at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, I was there bright and early on Oct. 28th.

Not long after I parked my Jeep, I saw a bunch of Yellow-rumped Warblers enjoying a puddle of water. As I approached I immediately saw the Red-breasted Nuthatch among the leaves almost above me. Bad lighting and the innate restlessness of this species only allowed me some so-so shots. Better than none, I reasoned to myself. After about five minutes it left the area, never to be seen again despite my repeated forays to that particular spot.



Other than that the place was quite birdy and I was able to get some nice pictures, particularly of a Redhead Duck which I thought was quite unusual here.


All in all, I had quite a good harvest of avian photographs some in rather interesting poses.