Most of the following photographs were captured Friday morning at the Bolsa Chica Wildlife Preserve in Huntington Beach, CA during our monthly bird survey. A sunny, cloudless day with a cool breeze, the birding and the photography were fantastic. Although I succeeded in photographing a 3rd year Bald Eagle being harassed by an Osprey, a Little Blue Heron, and several Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, all of those subjects were too far away to yield good photographs. Hope you enjoy these shots of more common species.

Great Blue Heron - These large herons nest annually in the high snags and bushy palm trees at Bolsa Chica. Earlier this year we counted 17 different nests. Herons already seem to be selecting nesting sites in late fall.

White-tailed Kite - Beautiful raptors, White-tailed Kites hover over potential prey (see photo) before diving after a meal. Although they are year-round residents of the area, additional kites have migrated into the area from higher elevations. Not visible in this photo, White-tailed Kites have a bright red eye.

Western Meadowlark (2 photos) - These beautiful birds frequent the open grasslands and low brush during the Fall through Spring here near the coast. Although we only saw this one bird on this day, on other occasions, when we saw just a few of them feeding on the ground, a large group (20-50) would suddenly flush, showing their yellow breasts and the "V" of white outside tail feathers.

Common Goldeneye female - While Common Goldeneyes are considered uncommon species in our area, small numbers are seen in waterways near the coast every Winter. This is one of three that I found Friday in the Wintersberg Channel at Bolsa Chica.

Say's Phoebe - Like its relative, the more common Black Phoebe, the Say's Phoebe shares a preference for insects. The Say's Phoebe is a flycatcher that prefers perching on the tops of grasses and stiff stems, watching for insects flying by while the Black Phoebe is often found perched on low branches of trees as it awaits prey.

Pied-billed Grebe - Pied-billed Grebes are excellent swimmers and divers, using lobed feet to dive for food in rivers, lakes and ponds.

Ruddy Duck - large flotillas of this chunky, stiff-tailed duck frequent Bolsa Chica and other waterways much of the year. This is a photo of a nonbreeding male. During the Summer, males have a bright baby blue bill, black crown, white cheek and chestnut body. The long, stiff tail is often raised as in this picture.

Snowy Egret - Our most common and numerous Egret or Heron, the Snowy Egret is an active predator, hunting along shores and rivers, dancing and skipping through the shallows in search of water creatures, insects, and small reptiles. The white body, black bill, yellow face and eye ring, two-toned (black and yellow) legs and yellow feet distinguish this wader, which is notably smaller than the Great Egret, Great Blue Heron and Reddish Egret.

Not bad for one day's birding (excluding the White Tailed Kite, seen on the preceding Wednesday).

jak
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