Gone with the Wind

We thought we should end the year with a bang. The Tundra Swans at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside would be quite apropos. What we didn't know was that it was going to be blustery. Blasts of cold wind would torment us as we fruitlessly searched for the swans. Perhaps the big, white birds had more sense than us in prudently staying out of the prevailing chilly conditions. Not all birds shared the swans plight for we were still able to get some nice shots of Northern Harriers in flight.


Then there was this Loggerhead Shrike, a species known for its skittishness, who stayed put even as we moved closer to take it's photograph.


The winds getting stronger as the day progressed, it finally sunk in our brains that the swans were right - we need to hightail this place pronto. Inasmuch as HIdden Valley Wildlife Park would be on the way, we decided to pay the Roseate Spoonbill a visit. This was the same Spoonbill that everybody and his uncle chased in the city of Orange early this month. The pink bird decided that it cannot stand that much attention and "migrated" to the relatively peaceful haven of the Hidden Valley pond.


The winds were at the pond,too, though not as strong, yet enough to drive the Spoonbill to take refuge under the branches of the riparian woods. There it tried to doze off but would awake with a start whenever the wind would almost knock it off its perch. The park closes at 4:30 pm and the winds have not abated so we called it a day.

Despite our misses toward the end of the year (Bald Eagle and Tundra Swans), 2007 had been a good one for us. We tallied 35 new lifers altogether. We hope 2008 would even be better.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Windy Birds are Gone

Who would have thunk that on a bright, sunny day like today that the winds would be blowing all over San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Perris. We were deep into fulfilling our tradition at McDonalds totally unaware of what was in store for us. Luck has not been with us birding-wise the past month or so. We thought it will change today. Alas, as we turned into Davis Road where we had great shots of birds before (Meadowlarks, Sage Thrasher, White-tailed Kites - to mention a few), we could see dust storms ahead of us.

Undaunted, we entered the wildlife reserve area. Not surprisingly, birds were few and far between. The creek where wading birds were once plentiful are now devoid of its avian denizens. The only consolation we had were Northern Harriers. They were all over the place. So abundant that Cynthia remarked: The more the Harrier.

Frustrated, we left the reserve to try the agricultural fields at the corner of Bridge St and Ramona Expressway where there were reportedly thousands (!) of Tri-colored Blackbirds. Well, we did find one, count 'em, one, Tri-colored foraging on the sods amidst Brewer's and Red-winged Blackbirds.

By golly, our luck better change soon.

The Spirit Soars

It was getting to be a ho-hum day of birding. The ponds at San Jacinto are still dry, parched by the still lingering summer. The excitement of seeing a barn owl in flight as we drove in slowly ebbed as the sun inched its way in the morning sky. 10 am and I told Cynthia that it was time to leave the wildlife reserve. On the way back I noticed something white glimmering in the air. "White-tailed Kites!", I yelled. I eased the jeep on the side of the road and immediately set-up my camera and tripod. Before us were three (!) kites doing their thing. Kites are hawklike birds that like to hover as they search for some unfortunate rodent in the grassy plain below. The challenge here was trying to focus on the bird while it was in its "hover" mode. It was not easy. I spent close to an hour and a hundred or so shots photographing the white aerialists.

Back home, out of those hundred or so shots I took, only one, it seemed to me, was in proper focus. I posted the picture in the Nature Photographers website soliciting their comments and critiques. Bob Steele (see my blog titled "Man of Steele"), one of the foremost bird photgraphers in the U.S. called it a "killer shot!" And that he was jealous of this photograph. Needless to say, it made my day. Heck, it made my month! Probably even my year!