California

Black Skimmer - Huntington Beach, CA This very unusual beak is attached to one of three Skimmers in the world. The bird has a very unique way of fishing that no other bird has. It skims the surface of the water putting it's lower half of its beak in the water. When a fish comes into contact with the beak, it snaps shut holding the fish sturdy within its grasp later, eating the meal. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Black Skimmer - Huntington Beach, CA
Least Terns - Huntington Beach, CA There is a section of beach that is made safe for the smallest tern in North America. They have declined 88% in the last 50 years and mostly because the nesting habitat has become non existent as we prize the flat sandy beaches for ourselves. It is very nice to see a thriving population here at Bolsa Chica. The bird in the foreground is a parent trying to lure its offspring into the air. They chirp at the young bird and then take to the wing, all the while, calling for them to follow into the air. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Least Terns - Huntington Beach, CA
Forster's Terns - Huntington Beach, CA One of the best parts about Bolsa Chica is the photo ops that the Forster's terns give a photographer. When the breeze is right, which is often, the birds fly at the height of the boardwalk and stop to see if the fish they caught a glimpse of is going to stay put long enough for them to try a dive. They hang for the 2 or 3 seconds, giving just enough time to grab that in-flight photo. Its not always that easy, for which I have 500 other photos to prove the user error. Some of the pics are blurry, some are just wings on the bottom of the frame and lots are of a blurry water surface with no bird at all because by the time you move to click the shutter, they are long gone. Lots of the latter pics. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Forster's Tern - Huntington Beach, CA
Ridgeway's Rail - Huntington Beach, CA Its a lifer! Second one for the California leg of the trip with the first being a rufous-capped sparrow in Silverado. I was very happy to see my target bird marching down the shoreline towards me on low tide hunting the beach for whatever it was hunting for. He spent a little time under the boardwalk but quickly emerged and headed west in to the vegetation, not to be seen again that afternoon. This species used to be lumped into the same species as the Clapper Rail but the Ridgway's Rail and Mangrove Rail were split off in 2013. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Ridgeway's Rail - Huntington Beach, CA
Snowy Egret - Breeding colors of the snowy egret a;long with the long airy feathers that are on the head and back make this one of the more spectacular displays for courtship. I was only able to capture the feet and dark yellow feet and the patch of skin that turns red at this time of the year. Egrets, especially the Snowys were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800's when their plumes fetched more than double the price of gold per ounce. These and the larger great egrets are doing just fine. This handsome bird was on the boardwalk at Bolsa Chica. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Snowy Egret - Huntington Beach, CA
California Thrasher - Dana Point, CA The Hilltop Conservation park at Dana Point is an important island set aside in the growing beach communities of Southern California. This small park that overlooks the harbor is home to several at risk or endangered species including the California Thrasher and California Gnatcatcher. On the walk down to the look out points, there were 4 or 5 Thrashers sitting conspicuously on the top of the Sumac. This vocal bird was doing a fantastic job of mimicking several other birds. I love the songs they mimic that are of birds off in the distance, shows off the ability of these amazing xerophilic (dry-loving) birds. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
California Thrasher - Dana Point, CA
Lesser Goldfinch - Orange, CA Lesser Goldfinch are one of three species of goldfinch in North America and this bird being the second most common. The range of this bird i from the southwestern states all the way into northern South America. They are very commonly found in flocks picking at the seeds of thistle or sunflower. Males that are in breeding plumage on the eastern part of the range are solid black on the head and back with the light yellow on the underparts including the throat, belly and under tail coverts. The western birds have the olive green on the back seen here in Peters Canyon Regional Park. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Lesser Goldfinch - Orange, CA
Northern Mockingbird - Orange, CA
Northern Mockingbird - Orange, CA
California Towhee - Silverado, CA California Towhees are not a very colorful bird, but they are quite interesting to watch. They are very inquisitive and I remember when I lived in California there would be many times I would come out to my car to find the local checking himself out in the mirror. There are 8 species of towhee that are spread throughout North America, with two being endemic to Mexico and are found with in the sparrow family. I have found that they are usually found in pairs and low to the ground in dryer conditions. This bird was making its way around with a second in the dry river bed opposite the Silverado Community Center. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
California Towhee - Silverado, CA
Allen's Hummingbird - Dana Point - CA This very inquisitive hummingbird was having a look at my photography skills while I was trying to capture a lifer. My wife pointed out that I had a bird land only a couple feet away while I was focused on the California Gnatcatcher. One of the easiest hummingbird shots I could have asked for. This young bird is just starting to get the colors into his gorget. For those you who wanted to know what a gorget was just like me, have a look at what Wiki says on the origins and the use for birds. If you can't click through, it is defined as something worn on the throat. This wonderful little patch of land in Dana Point is a very important for some of the endangered birds and is a must see as well for the whale watching as the whales head north in the spring. Please visit if you are in southern Orange County. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Allen's Hummingbird - Dana Point, CA
Ash-throated Flycatcher - Palos Verdes, CA One of our first stops in California on the way south was the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. This wonderful location in the middle of Los Angeles held all sorts of gems including this local flycatcher hawking the lower scrub along a dry creek bottom. Ash-throated flycatchers are part of a complex of that are hard to identify in some areas as the differences are very small and where habitats and/or ranges are overlapping. Luckily for me, this is a very common flycatcher for this area. This is a bird of the dry southwest and can survive on little water as long as the insect supply is readily available. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Ash-throated Flycatcher - Palos Verdes, CA
California Quail - Silverado, CA I finally got a picture of a California Quail in California. This bird was watching over a female that was making her way down a wash looking for breakfast. The area was dessert scrub with a some willow and sycamore along the canyon wall and dry stream bed. This particular area was adjacent to the Silverado Community Center. This very common game birds are found through out the state. Their range takes them from Mexico's Baja California north to Central BC. keeping to the western states within the drier areas. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Callipepla californica
California Quail - Silverado, CA
Eared Grebe - Huntington Beach, CA When I first had a look at this bird at Bolsa Chica, I thought I was looking at a Least Grebe, but as it turns out, its an out of breeding Eared Grebe. The bird dove around the boardwalk for sometime looking for invertebrates. I noticed the bottom half of his beak was shorter than the top which is somewhat unusual. The most striking part of the bird is the eye in this shot, but during full breeding plumage, the birds full body color scheme is stunning. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Eared Grebe - Huntington Beach, CA
Phainopepla - Silverado, CA Here is a bit of an unusual bird for California. This black silky flycatcher is the only one if its family that make the southern states it's home with the 3 other relatives living from Mexico to Panama. This male was moving around the Sycamores and Live Oak just outside the Silverado Community Center with 4 other males. Phainopeplas are even more striking in flight as they have white wing patches on the flight feathers. These birds are denizens of the dry scrub and ensure that they have access to their favorite fruit, Desert mistletoe berries. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Phainopepla - Silverado, CA
Mourning Dove - Palos Verdes, CA Mourning Doves are very well camouflaged on the ground in an among the backed clay and twigs, but when you get to have a close look at the subtle colors, They are intriguing. The red feet and base of the bill with the small iridescent patch on the neck and the light hint of blue around the eye. It is very rare that they let you get close enough to see the highlights. This shot was taken in the South Coast Botanic Gardens next to the dry lake bed where they are year round in the open country. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Mourning Dove - Palos Verdes, CA
Fishing intently at the outflow of the Bolsa Chica Reserve in Orange County, California. He was so intent that he was only feet away from the path and was not bothered by anyone's presence. Michael Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Forster's Tern - Huntington Beach, CA
Whimbrel - Malibu, CA Headed up shore with his mates from Malibu Lagoon. I bit of a head wind gave me the time to grab this nice shot Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Whimbrel - Malibu, CA
These noisy birds were moving from tree to tree in Irvine Regional Park, Irvine, CA. There were at least 15 of the birds in the area, with some possibly being Lilac-crowned Amazons. These are presumably escapees or released, although they are native to North East Mexico.
Red-crowned Amazon - Irvine, CA
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Great Blue Heron - Irvine, CA
Costa's Hummingbird - Palm Canyon, CA During a desert trip from Palm Springs to Pheonix, I stopped in Palm Desert and went for a small walk in the hills where i found this little gem. One of the smaller hummingbirds of the arid countryside, the males can easily be identified by the long slim feathers of the gorget (throat patch) that extend down the side of its neck. Also hard to see in the picture but the iridescence of the patch is more purple than red. The plant the little bird is feeding on is a Chuparosa plant which translated from Spanish aptly means hummingbird bush. Michael W Klotz - www.TheBirdBlogger.com Picture
Costa's Hummingbird - Palm Canyon, CA
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Brown Pelican - San Diego, CA
Gull-billed Tern - San Diego, CA I thought this was a pretty good find on a weekend trip to San Diego. He was with his mate in the San Diego River Estuary harrasing the Willets for their fiddler crab meals. Michael W Klotz www.TheBirdBlogger.com
Gull-billed Tern - San Diego, CA
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Snowy Egret - San Diego, CA