Yesterday I checked out a few spot in Goleta where there is nothing remarkable right now, but they could get better soon. I walked along Winchester Canyon Road, checking out the small park and the cre

Mark is right--Kinevan is a great place to be right now. I checked out La Cumbre Peak and East Camino Cielo Road this morning first (not much going on there), so I didn't even get to Kinevan until aro

I walked Sands Beach at Coal Oil Point this morning, shortly after low tide. It was lovely out there. No Wandering tattler on the rocks, but I had plenty of other shorebirds, including Willets, Marble

This morning I got down to the harbor and walked along the breakwater and out on the sandspit at low tide. There were still two Surfbirds and a couple of Black Turnstones on the outer wall of the brea

For now, the state parks and beaches are closed to camping and all vehicle traffic; however, my understanding is that it's o.k. to walk in. I suspect this may change, so it's best to check on this iss

I walked the lower part of Mission Canyon this morning--the "Back yard" of the Museum of Natural History and Rocky Nook Park. It was a great morning to do it as there was lots of activity, especially

I birded Kinevan Road yesterday morning. There was no wind, but it was very chilly at the bottom of the canyon (46 degrees warming to only 53). Nevertheless, there was a lot of bird activity, with sin

This morning, I felt I had to do some birding to lift my spirits, so I checked out Area K, LLC, and Devereux/Coal Oil Point. Glad to say none of the places were crowded and people were observing "soci

I too have heard them singing in spring at the Botanic Garden when I worked there. Usually only early in the morning. Lovely to hear. Florence Sanchez

I took advantage of a break in showers and a favorable low tide this morning to take a walk around the Harbor area. However, not too much was going on there. The ocean side of the breakwater continues

Today I found the Scott's Oriole mentioned in Mark's post below. It flew up from the north corner of Jeff's property into the top of a eucalyptus tree across the road. It sat there for about 5 minutes

Because they have been hard to find this winter, I thought I'd note that I had an immature Bonaparte's Gull this afternoon in the Gull flock at Goleta Beach. The flock was on the beach east of the pie

I was up on Kinevan on Thursday--didn't post. I had what I am pretty sure was a Warbling Vireo near the first bridge (I have to re-learn that call every spring) and also heard 2 Pacific Slope Flycatch

On Monday, I walked down to the Harbor form Shoreline Park. Low tide was around 10 a.m. and it was a beautiful day but birding was slow. Best birds were 4 Surfbirds on the outer edge of the breakwater

I birded Bohnett Park this morning and found this tiny urban park is full of birds. I ran into Mark Holmgren who pointed me to the Black-and-White Warbler, but I also saw or heard both Lesser and Amer

Joan Lentz and I birded the length of Kinevan Road this morning. It was a beautiful day with pleasant temperatures and the birds were taking advantage of the oncoming spring. Throughout the canyon, Ru

After missing it many times since the beginning of this calendar year, I finally saw the continuing Orchard Oriole on Santa Monica Creek Road this morning. It was in the bottlebrush bush next to the s

Tried my best for the Pine Warbler in Rod Rodenberger/Marmonte Parks today. May have seen it but there is some doubt. I picked up a bird in a Canary Island Pine in Marmonte Park (right next to the sid

I checked out the geese at the Sandpiper Golf course early this afternoon. The flock was pretty far away on the bank to the west beyond the pond, but I got decent looks through my scope. There were 39

John's photos showed the bills well, something I couldn't see as well as I wanted through binoculars. One appears to have the Warty growths on it that Ross's sometimes show, according to the literatur