Huntington Central Park

This multi-function park includes a large equestrian facility, sports fields, off-leash dog exercise area, a couple of large lakes, a nature reserve and miles of paved paths through landscaped gardens and natural woodland. Located along the Pacific Flyway, an overhead highway for migrating birds, Huntington Central Park is known as a 'vagrant trap' by local birders.

The shady paths were a welcome change from the sun-baked wetlands, but the birds stayed high in the trees making photography (and sometimes identification) difficult. I saw different vireos and warblers but could only name those that ventured into camera range.

Bird List:

House Wren (Pictured Above)
Black Phoebe
Bushtit
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
House Finch
Gray Vireo
House Wren
American Kestrel
Nutmeg Manniken
Song Sparrow
American Crow

Upper Newport Bay

In LA I'm staying on the peninsula, a strip of land between Newport Beach and Newport Bay. While this end of the Bay is wall to wall shops, bars and restaurants, the top of the Bay is relatively undeveloped. A coastal wetland with grasslands and sage scrub, the area is one of Orange County's birding hotspots, home to a number of endangered species, and staging post for thousands of migrants.

Trails wander along the water giving good views of the waders, and amble through cactus stands and massed wildflowers where birds forage for insects or feed on the nectar. I'm still trying to identify all of the species I photographed, let alone all that I saw so I'll amend the Bird List as I get IDs.

Bird List:

Coastal Cactus Wren (Pictured above)

Turkey Vulture

Willet

Dunlin

Marbled Godwit

Cassin's Kingbird

American Goldfinch

American Coot

Anna's Hummingbird

Double Crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Black-bellied Plover
Ring-billed Gull
Forster's Tern
Belted Kingfisher
American Crow
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
European Starling
House Finch
Savannah Sparrow