Rarities
Scissor Tailed Flycatcher perched on a snag at the Newport Back Bay on June 27, 2021. This bird was my biggest personal find ever, being the first Orange County record in about 20 years. Unfortunately, the bird disappeared for all who looked for it afterwords, including my dad, who returned within 10 minutes of this picture. |
Wood Stork photographed on a small drainage pool in Perris, Riverside County, on July 26, 2020. This bird was known for roosting near the pond, making a brief pitstop early in the morning to feed, and then leaving to feed somewhere in the day. My dad and I got there at 6:45 in the morning, and still almost missed him, as he took off and flew about 5 minutes later. |
Groove Billed Ani is accidental in southern California. This bird showed up in a small park in Encinitas in November of 2017. Some believed this was an escaped cage bird, due to the worn feathers on the underparts and extreme rarity of this find, but I don't know if a final verdict was ever reached. |
This was one of 2 Tropical Kingbirds seen at Huntington Central Park on October 8, 2017. They were quite cooperative, and ventured down into the lower branches too fly-catch. I wrote, "Continuing. Seen first between the bandstand and the butterfly garden, later refound north of the island area, then they both flew in the general direction of the cafe. Very distinctive, vocalized frequently." |
This Louisiana Waterthrush was photographed on September 16, 2017. This was only the 3rd orange county record, and the first since 2000. I wrote, "Continuing. seen on the west side of the park in the creek between the bridge and the sewage grate. Very distinctive, bobbed tail constantly but slowly. Briefly visited a surrounding sycamore tree, but mostly stayed in and around the creek." |
The mountian buebird is a bird that feeds on most things it can find. I was in kenya (the only country they can breed in) with my father, and I heard a strange, lion like roar call. My father and I went to get a closer look and I see this bird, but it did not roar again. I also have not seen my father since. The ground was covered in blood, possibly from the bluebird's last victim. The bluebird feeds on anything that is bigger than it. Due to its large ego, it feels that it cannot be bothered by pesky animals that are smaller than it. during the summer, it migrates up to Germany where it feeds on sausage and the german people. Unfortunately, the bluebird has recently become endangered, due to its beutiful eyes, which make hunters. go crazy. The bluebird is truly a wonderful creature.
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This is a Long Tailed Duck pair seen at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Dec. 4, 2016. In late November of this year, there was an american tree sparrow at one end of the walkway, and an eastern phoebe at the other. Birders were constantly going back and forth between the 2 rarities, so somebody was bound to find these ducks as well. My dad and I, along with Mark Kincheloe, found the female bird (the bottom one in this photo) on November 24. A little while later, she was joined by a male bird(!), the upper bird in the photograph. |
White Winged Parakeet photographed here on November 6, 2016. My dad and I were up at Horsethief Canyon Park in northern LA county looking for a Thick Billed Kingbird, when we, along with Lee Bush, another birder present at the time, saw this parakeet fly into a tree. White Winged Parakeet is resident but very uncommon in the LA area, so this was a special find. Note the white patch on the wing, as opposed to yellow, and grayish area on the lores. |