It’s more Oceanside Harbor Beach in Oceanside, California:
California Brown PelicanWillet in surfPIF IIWhimbrelWillet in surf IIPIF IIIWillet in surf IIIWhimbrel w/ sand reflectionWillet in surf IVMore Whimbrel w/ sand reflectionWillet in surf VWhimbrel IVLong-billed Dowitcher x2 (foreground) + WilletWillet in surf VIWhimbrel VDowitchers + Willet IIWillet in surf VIIWhimbrel VIJuvenile Willet against jetty rocksLong-billed Dowitchers IIIWhimbrel shaking off waterDowitchers in flightWhimbrel VIIIJuvenile Willet IIWhimbrel IXWhimbrel XJuvenile Willet III
Erie update: weather yesterday (Saturday) very cold, cloudy, and unsettled, w/ periods of rain and even snow. Hard freeze overnight. Cold but sunny this Sunday morning. Notable bird activity at Presque Isle State Park yesterday included both Great Black-backed Gull and Lesser Black-blacked Gull @ Beach 11. Pictures forthcoming. #happy_birding
Generally bad/wintery weather this Saturday morning here in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, spring is here, as with these cute shots of male (red) and female (streaked/brown) House Finch, taken on a cold but sunny Friday afternoon in Millcreek Twp (“Gateway to Presque Isle”):
Back to the beach at Oceanside Harbor on the morning of 4 March 2025.
Royal Terns, misc. gulls, & beachgoersRoyal TernProbably California Gull (1st/2nd winter plumage)California Gull (breeding adult plumage)Western Gull or California GullAnother view of Royal Tern in flightMore gull in flightLong-billed Dowitchers in flightRoyal Tern (non-breeding/juvenile plumage)Elegant TernDouble-crested CormorantsMore Tern in flightProbably Western GullProbably Ring-billed GullJetty, gulls, terns, & unidentified shorebird on far leftMore California Gull in flightCalifornia Gull w/ surfProbably Royal TernRoyal Terns (mostly) on beachMore gullGulls and terns in flightWestern Gull w/ receding surf reflectionGulls and terns in flight IIProbably Ring-billed Gull, w/ receding surf reflection
Finally, more shots of terns (mostly Royal Tern) on and off the beach:
Celebrating the 2025 vernal equinox with flowers and wild birds at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California. See this special report for lots and lots more flowers.
Continuing on with the “3-hour tour” of Buddy Todd Park on 6 March 2025 in Oceanside, California. Challenging lighting on some of these shots, but still great to see Cassin’s Kingbird w/ an acorn or berry:
Even better, a great sighting (and BirdingPI.com “first ever”) of Nuttall’s Woodpecker, both male and female, generally limited in range to the greater California area. Of course, where better to spot woodpeckers than neighborhood adjacent power poles?
MaleFemale
Males have characteristic red patch, which females lack.
Following medley alternates Cassin’s Kingbird, male Nuttall’s Woodpecker, & female Nuttall’s Woodpecker:
[Editor’s note to staff: going forward, changing “Nuttall’s Woodpecker” (which is an awful name) to ‘Western Wood Annihilator.’]
Today, reporting from Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve on the Pacific coast between Del Mar and La Jolla, outside San Diego, California. Access is on the south end of the beach (which is north of the bluffs/upper portion of the reserve):
View south @ Torrey Pines Beach (south end)
Fun to see a beautiful Say’s Phoebe on the riprap:
View north @ Torrey Pines Beach southFloating Brown PelicanView north w/ surf
From the beach parking lot, it’s either a robust hike to the top, or a short drive w/ limited parking. (If planning to drive up, get an early start – park staff closes the road once the upper parking is full.)
View south from ‘upper’ Torrey Pines
“Upper” Torrey Pines features a great visitors’ center, a small network of generally flat trails, spectacular views, botanic gardens, etc., and several longer/steeper trails that drop back down to the beach. With thick coastal chaparral, the birding is “more heard than seen.” However, it’s a great spot for local species like the amazing, infrequently-seen Wrentit. Managed to get one and only one usable photo:
WrentitView east-ish
Also a lucky, “out in the open” sighting of a couple beautiful California Towhee:
View north-ishTorrey Pines & Pacific OceanTorrey Pines (Pinus torreyana)@ Torrey Pines Natural ReserveView south with Common RavenAnother view up the coastDel Mar, CA & Torrey Pines Beach northRusty brown patch under tail
Weekend weather in Erie County, Pennsylvania – warm, very windy, on/off thunderstorms/rain, turning much colder Sunday night with light snow overnight and snow on the grass Monday morning. (Not done with winter quite yet.) Bird activity as generally expected – ducks and other waterfowl, uptick in Turkey Vulture and Wild Turkey activity, plenty of Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, etc., + the local return of species like Common Grackle and Brown Creeper. Here, featuring a St. Patrick’s Day-appropriate male Mallard exhibiting preening/bathing behavior off Leo’s Landing @ Presque Isle State Park:
Thunderstorms over head of Presque Isle BayLeo’s Landing on Sunday @ break in cloudsAnother view of head of Presque Isle Bay from Leo’s Landing
Seemingly rather abruptly, outer Lake Erie’s now mostly fully unfrozen, except for residual ice/ice dunes along the beach, e.g., as here near Stull Interpretive Center:
The real #1 reason for birding @ coastal southern California is biodiversity (e.g., many different biomes in close proximity) + climate. A big part of that is the beach, here at Oceanside Harbor Beach the Tuesday before last, just after sunrise.
Mouth of San Luis Rey River (foreground) + Pacific Ocean + Oceanside Pier
As a BirdingPI.com favourite, so great to see a Whimbrel relatively close up:
Whimbrel
Lots of Great-tailed Grackle activity around the marina and beach:
Great-tailed Grackle (female)Western Gull (second winter plumage)Western Gull (adult)Grackle IIWhimbrel IIWestern GullsHerring GullWhimbrel IIIOceanside Harbor BeachWillet in surfWestern/mixed GullsWillet IIWillets in flightWillets IVMore gullsWillets VWillets VIWillets VIIEven more gullsCavorting Willets
Willet ID note – distinctive black outer wings w/ broad white stripe:
While not nearly as momentous as last year’s total solar eclipse, still great to see the total lunar eclipse here in Erie County, Pennsylvania early Friday morning.
Almost full moon Thursday evening
Following shots taken from 1AM EDT to about 3AM EDT. Thankfully the weather was clear, and for being outside, not as chilly as expected for late winter here in the northeast.
Start of noticeable visual effects @ 600mm uncropped600mm cropped
A bit later, w/ a more pronounced eclipse effect:
600mm uncropped600mm croppedOverexposure to show eclipse progression
The eclipse progresses to totality:
Following shots at or close to totality. Closest views @ 600mm cropped, then 600mm uncropped, + wide angle @ 100mm, all handheld generally w/ 1/20 sec – 1/60 sec exposures.
Sorry, no pictures after totality – after all that + two hours in the cold, time to get back to bed!
Next full lunar eclipse viewable in the US: 3 March 2026. See you next year!
More from Oceanside, California, w/ nice shots of lovely Rock Pigeon. (As the saying goes, “Go to California for pigeons.”) This is at cute, ocean-adjacent (ocean side?) Buccaneer Park.
At this same location, the mouth of Loma Alta Creek, with a great sighting of a beautiful Snowy Egret (note the distinctive yellow feet):
Pied-billed GrebePied-billed Grebe II
Pigeons in Erie County, Pennsylvania are mostly seen perched on buildings or power lines, rarely up close. Nice to see these ‘not so far away’ photographs. Same for Snowy Egret – quite uncommon in Erie.