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.

Birding the New Year

What a better way to start the year than by going birding. Also, it is an excuse to get away from the madness of the Rose Parade - Pasadena's once-a-year claim to fame.

We went to Frank Bonelli Regional Park - not to chase a lifer - but to get reacquainted with the Painted Redstart that has made it its home. Just as we got off the freeway and came at the Park gate (there was no attendant, so we assumed the entry is free), the place was enveloped in fog! Thick, soupy, can't see-beyond-five-feet, fog!

Slowly, almost to a crawl, I inched the jeep to the parking space next to restroom # 8, the hangout of the Painted Redstart. Despite the darkness and the damp air, I assembled my gear (this is beyond hope, this is faith!) while Cynthia stood beneath the tree that our quarry calls home. Not long afterwards, Cynthia was almost jumping up and down as she pointed to the tiny black and red bird foraging among the leaves high up in the tree. And as if the bird possessed some magic, the sun slowly flooded the park dissipating the cold mist. On cue, birds were suddenly everywhere! Robins sang, Western Bluebirds darted after insects, Cedar Waxwings were picking berries, Yellow-rumped Warblers were frolicking in a manner only they can. A young dew-laden Downy Woodpecker was rubbing its feathers against a branch trying to dry itself.

After having our fill photographing these birds, we went back to the Redstart and tried to take its picture. This was no easy task. Painted Redstarts are very active birds, always flitting among the leaves and branches capturing insects for food. We spent about an hour without any decent shot to satisfy our standards. At one point, while I patiently waited for a better opportunity, Cynthia wandered off the parking lot, where out of nowhere, a Red-tailed Hawk flew by. Cynthia just adores raptors, especially those in flight and this was no exception.

Eventually, we moved to a place near the lake where again Cynthia's ears helped locate a Common Yellowthroat and a Bewick's Wren investigating fallen leaves for whatever edible morsel they could find underneath. I even got lucky with a lifer - a Cassin's Vireo that was passing by! Next we concentrated on water birds, where we got a Spotted Sandpiper and some Gadwalls (a kind of duck) among the usual carpet of Coots. When a belligerent Goose started harassing us, we decided to go back to our Redstart and give it another shot.

On the way back, we decided to check out the place where I saw some Cactus Wrens the last time I visited the place. There were no wrens this time, but we were pleasantly surprised to see a White-tailed Kite perched on a bare tree not too far away. Knowing Kites to be extremely skittish, to say the least, we moved in slow-motion as we silently got out of the jeep and set-up our cameras. We were rewarded by some very nice photos of this beautiful bird of prey.

When we got back to the area next to restroom # 8. there were already several birders ogling the lovely bird and this time we got some good (but not great) photos of the bird.

A Painted Redstart to start the new year - a good portent of things to come, if you ask me.

The Hunt for the Red Celebrity

He was on the front page of a local newspaper (one of those broadsheets published by a city that has a total subscription of less than 10,000). Somehow, the local network television editors picked up the story and on the 6 o’clock news on Friday, November 4, 2005, “Rudy”, the Painted Redstart, became an instant celebrity.

I have read about the then relatively unknown warbler a few days earlier in the Los Angeles Birding Yahoo group. It was found near Restroom # 8 not too far from the entrance to the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park. Admittedly, the Painted Redstart is an uncommon bird in southern California, its normal range being in Arizona all the way to Texas and northern Mexico. Uncommon, yes, but not that rare. Actually, this species had also been observed within the premises of the San Diego Zoo and another one was seen at the Elysian Park in Los Angeles just last week. There had been instances of sightings of much rarer birds (the Tundra Swan, for example) but none got the media attention that Rudy had.

And so it was with some feelings of trepidation (What if all media attention scared the bird away? What if there will be a circus of onlookers at Bonelli?) that we embarked on the hunt for this red celebrity that early Saturday morning of November 6, 2005. As we approached restroom # 8, I sighed a sigh of relief noting that the place was almost devoid of people! Only one birder was there and he was quite a distance up the road. As soon as I got off the car, I looked at the oak tree where Rudy was seen by the entire population of the greater Los Angeles area the night before (albeit in their boob tubes), and there he was, flitting among the leaves and working for his breakfast. I immediately set up my camera gear and started shooting away at the cooperative celebrity. 

Occasionally, it would fly off across the street and then come back a few minutes later. That was the time another colorful bird, the Red-breasted Sapsucker would come and start drilling the trunk of the oak tree to eat the sap that would ooze out. The sap was probably sweet as it attracted a lot of insects. These insects in turn attract Rudy who feasted upon them every opportunity that he got.

After a while we moved on to explore the other areas of the park, particularly those close to the lake hoping we would see a Belted Kingfisher or two. We found a group of birders looking up a tall fir tree. “Barn Owl”, one of them informed us. I looked up and there, 30 feet up, was an owl doing what it does during the day – sleeping. No amount of commotion below would rouse it from its deep slumber. Well, a Barn Owl, awake or not, was still a lifer for me.

Walking along the lake, we saw the usual coots and mallards, several grebes, both Pied-billed and Western. An Osprey made a fly over. A lone Spotted Sandpiper bobbed its behind continously as it foraged for small insects in the mud. A couple of joggers told us they saw kingfishers (note the plural) in the area where the road ends. We found the area and the kingfishers (there were two of them) but both were so flighty that I was unable to get any picture at all.

We returned to Rudy’s domain where now there were photographers with huge lenses. Of course, the Painted Redstart was still there, oblivious of its newly acquired celebrity status. After some shop talk with the onlookers, we decided to call it a day and rest on our laurels (read: 2 lifers!).