First Birding Expedition

Our first birding expedition near the coast of southern California began in the rain. I don't mind rain if it makes the grass grow.   Our first ever umbrella bird walk! Despite the weather, we spotted a surprising number of birds, 62 for the two days.

This is a small dam in the Mission Trails Park where we walked.  There's water behind this one!

Walking around the reservoir, we came to a little lookout from which we saw our starting point. At this pond were Black Crowned Night Herons and a Common Moorhen, a black duck with a funny shaped, bright orange bill.  Terry is keeping a bird list for the year, and these two were new ones to add.  The California Thrasher we saw in the bushes was a "lifer", a bird he had never seen before.

The next day we drove to the Tijuana Estuary nature reserve, near the Mexican border.  Although the rain had stopped, my six layers kept me comfortable. The wind was brisk, but we walked along the stream that led to the Pacific Ocean.

Tiny birds, Sanderlings, scurried along the very edge of the water.  They ran so fast on their little feet that their legs were actually a blur.
 A gull flying with a clam shell in its mouth tried to break it open.  It would throw it down onto the sandy beach, over and over, then swoop straight down to try again.  The rocks were actually a few metres away.
Back in the bushes, two "bunnies" were playing tag.  At one point they faced each other, as if they were challenging each other.  All of a sudden, one of them ran for the other, who leaped straight up into the air, as the other ran underneath.  They kept turning around to play this bunny version of leap frog , before they disappeared at the sound of our chuckles.

For you[God] created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased. Rev. 4:11