Photo Tour to California (with Stop-overs in Arizona) - June 22nd to July 15th, 2013:

Updated: Saturday August 10, 2013

In late June and early July I joined a bird photography tour of central California's breeding birds. Instead of flying from Texas to California, I drove from Harlingen and stopped in Portal, Arizona on the way out, and Patagonia, Arizona on the way back. The trip took a little over three weeks.

The "California Breeding Bird Photography Tour" part of the trip was offered by a new tour company organized by two avid bird photographers:

Together they have formed a tour company with the perfect combination of birding experience and photographic expertise. They lead small groups (never more than 6 people) into hills, mountains, forests, grasslands, deserts, or coastal areas to photograph birds at close range in their natural surroundings.

They prefer locations not found in the typical guide books, and have gained access to private lands by forming permanent relationships with the landowners. This provides a fresh and unique access to the birds without constantly stressing them, a key element in their tour philosophy. But, finding the birds is only half the battle. They also provide advice on camera and lens settings, composition, lighting, etc. to make sure you go home with great photos as well as great experiences.

In short, the birding and photographic opportunities provided by Greg and Wes were superb, as the images on these pages will attest.

Enjoy the birds and photos below...I certainly did while I was taking them!

Erik Breden
Harlingen, Texas
erik.breden@otterside.com

Birding Top 1000 Counter


California Breeding Bird Photography Tour

Day 0

Since I was driving, I planned to arrive a day early. I had made arrangements to leave my Jeep at Wes's house, and the next morning Wes and Greg picked me up. After parking my Jeep, we jumped into their rented van and did some local birding. Two other tour participants were due to arrive at the Santa Barbara Airport a little before noon. We picked them up, got them checked in at the hotel, and then we all went birding at local parks, where we had lots of photo opportunities. After a great dinner at a local restaurant, we went owling.

What a day! Especially when you consider that this was the day we were simply to arrive and check into our hotel. The tour didn't officially start until tomorrow! It was indicative of the quality and dedication we would experience on the rest of the tour. Many thanks to Greg and Wes for being gracious hosts.

Pre-Trip Birding

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  • California Thrasher
  • California Towhee
  • Wrentit
  • Bushtit
  • Ruddy Duck
  • Western Cottontail Rabbit
  • Western Screech-Owl
Day 1

The first "official" day of the tour. We started early with some local birding, and then headed to a private ranch. The owners have set up feeders around their house, and we spent several hours photographing a wide variety of Doves, Hummingbirds, Orioles, Corvids, and others at close range. My personal favorites were Yellow-billed Magpie, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Bullock's Oriole.

We had to tear ourselves away and head for the coast. After a brief survey of a local park, we stopped for lunch. We continued birding the local park, and then headed for Nojoqui County Park. The variety of birds at this small park is amazing, and we spent several hours there.

We ended the day at another small local park with a few target birds (Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Hutton's Vireo).

A great first day, and our memory cards were overflowing with great photos!

Coastal Foothills

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  • Western Bluebird
  • Lazuli Bunting
  • Blue Grosbeak
  • Golden Eagle
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee
  • Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco
  • Bewick's Wren
  • Northern Pygmy-Owl
  • California Towhee
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • Nuttall's Woodpecker
Private Ranch

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  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • American Crow
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird
  • Yellow-billed Magpie
  • Bullock's Oriole
  • Hooded Oriole
  • Band-tailed Pigeon
  • Western Scrub-Jay
  • Oak Titmouse
  • Wild Turkey
  • Nuttall's Woodpecker
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
Mission Creek Park

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  • Brewer's Blackbird
  • "Black" Brant
  • Snowy Egret
  • California Gull
  • Heermann's Gull
  • Western Gull
  • Long-billed Curlew
  • Killdeer
  • Willet
  • Brother One-Feather
Nojoqui County Park

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  • Western Bluebird
  • Purple Finch
  • Lawrence's Goldfinch
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco
  • Purple Martin
  • Black Phoebe
  • Band-tailed Pigeon
  • Acorn Woodpecker
  • House Wren
  • Pacific-slope Flycatcher
  • Hutton's Vireo
  • Warbling Vireo
  • California Ground Squirrel
Day 2

We started early and drove to Lake Cachuma State Park. "Cachuma" is the Indian word for "no fish", but when we arrived there were plenty of fishermen out on the lake. I guess they stocked the lake.

There were also plenty of Clark's and Western Grebes over in one corner of the lake. This is why we were here. After renting a a boat we were soon surrounded by these largest of the North American grebes. At first they swam away, but, after a while, they paid little attention to us. Much "shutter clicking" soon followed.

But the highlight was yet to come. Some of the grebes were obviously paired, and soon we noticed courtship behavior. Head bobbing, water splashing, and finally, the famed courtship "dance", which involves the pair "running" on the water together.

We then headed north along the coast to Morro Bay, and ended the day at Guadalupe Dunes Park near Santa Maria.

Lake Cachuma

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  • Clark's Grebe
  • Western Grebe
Morro Bay and Vicinity

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  • Pelagic Cormorant
  • Pigeon Guillemot
  • Black Oystercatcher
  • Harbor Seal
  • Sea Otter
Guadalupe Dunes Park

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  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee
  • Song Sparrow
  • Wilson's Warbler
Day 3

Today was a driving day. As we headed inland, we drove through the coastal foothills and mountains, A.K.A. "Condor Country", and stopped at a Condor lookout. We had distant views of several Condors.

We continued inland and stopped at Maricopa and Bakersfield. Not too many photos, but we all got a life bird at a cemetery in Bakersfield...an introduced species, the Spotted Dove.

Condor Country and the Central Valley

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  • Barn Owl
  • Spotted Doves
  • California Condor Observation Point
  • Sacred Datura Plant
  • Oil Pump-Jacks
  • Holstein Dairy Cattle
Day 4

We spent the next 4 days birding around Lake Isabella, and taking day trips into the surrounding mountains, forests, and deserts.

Let's start with the Lake Isabella area...we saw several lowland species, but the target bird was definitely Tricolored Blackbird, which eluded us for several days. But, Wes and Greg assured us we would get it, and, sure enough, we did.

Lake Isabella Area

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  • Tricolored Blackbird
  • California Quail
  • Striped Skunk
Day 5

We headed up into the "Little" Piute Mountains for montane birds. On the way we stopped at one of Wes's "secret" foothills locations, where we had Pacific Wren (recently split from Winter Wren) and "Large-billed" Fox Sparrow (soon to be split).

We saw lots of montane birds, great mountain scenery, and visited with the Fire Watch Ranger at the top of one of the peaks.

"Little" Piute Mountains

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  • Mountain Bluebird
  • Mountain Chickadee
  • Dusky Flycatcher
  • Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Calliope Hummingbird
  • Pinyon Jay
  • Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco
  • Clark's Nutcracker
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • "Large-billed" Fox Sparrow
  • "Great Basin" Sage Sparrow
  • Western Tanager
  • Green-tailed Towhee
  • Plumbeous Vireo
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • House Wren
  • Pacific Wren
  • Fire Watch Ranger
  • Piute Mountains
Day 6

We spent the day in Sequoia National Forest. Where there are trees, there are Woodpeckers, and we saw several species, including the much-wanted White-headed Woodpecker. Lots of birds in a beautiful setting! And lots of photos!

Sequoia National Forest

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  • Western Bluebird
  • Mountain Chickadee
  • "Western" Brown Creeper
  • American Dipper
  • Purple Finch
  • Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker
  • Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco
  • Pygmy Nuthatch
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Mountain Quail
  • Red-breasted Sapsucker
  • Western Tanager
  • Green-tailed Towhee
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler
  • Hermit Warbler
  • MacGillivray's Warbler
  • Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler
  • Kern River Waterfall
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • White-headed Woodpecker
  • Pacific Wren
  • Lodgepole Chipmunk
  • Giant Sequoia
  • Pale Swallowtail
Day 7

We made a special early-morning trip (at my request) to get Scott's Oriole in a nearby Joshua Tree "forest". Thanks guys.

Then we visited some private residences in the town of Inyokern. Each home is an oasis in an otherwise inhospitable environment. The "coolest" birds were the Le Conte's Thrashers...we saw as many as 8 to 10 at one time! The homeowner literally "called" them in for a snack of fresh mealworms, while we loaded up our memory cards with photos. Wow!

Mojave Desert

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  • Scott's Oriole
  • Costa's Hummingbird
  • Le Conte's Thrasher
  • Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Day 8

Our last day. We drove back to the Santa Barbara coastal area, stopping in the foothills above Malibu for our last target bird, California Gnatcatcher. We were rewarded with views of a family group...adult male and female, and a begging fledgling.

We ended the day with another great dinner, and then said our "Goodbyes". The tour was over, but the memories and photos would linger forever.

Coastal Foothills

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  • California Gnatcatcher
  • Checkered White (butterfly)

Post Tour California Coastal Foothills Birding

After the tour was over I spent a few days along the central California coast. I re-visited Morro Bay and the cliffs south of there at Margo Dodd Park. I got a few additional photos of the birds there, but nothing new.

The highlight was Lake Lopez State Park east of Arroyo Grande. This is a lovely park with a lake, camping and picnic grounds, and foothills covered with oak and cottonwood trees. The birds are used to people and easy to photograph, especially the resident Wild Turkeys.

Lake Lopez State Park

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  • Bushtit
  • House Finch
  • Ash-throated Flycatcher
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • California Quail
  • Western Scrub-Jay
  • Oak Titmouse
  • Acorn Woodpecker
  • Wild Turkey

Pre and Post Tour Southeast Arizona Birding

Portal Arizona and the Chiricahua Mountains

On the way out to California I stopped at Portal, Arizona to bird Cave Creek Canyon and the Chiricahua Mountains. This classic area, well described in guide books, is worth a visit anytime, but late spring and summer offer the widest array of "special" breeding birds.

I visited Cave Creek Canyon, Cave Creek Ranch, the Southwest Research Station, Fort Huachuca, the transect road over the Chiricahua Mountains, and Chiricahua National Monument.

Cave Creek Canyon

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  • Brown-crested Flycatcher
  • Mexican Jay
  • Plumbeous Vireo
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler
  • Western Wood-Pewee
  • Arizona Woodpecker
  • House Wren
  • Arizona Sister
  • Desert Cloudywing
  • Red Satyr
Cave Creek Ranch

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  • Varied Bunting
  • White-winged Dove
  • House Finch
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Bridled Titmouse
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird
  • Blue-throated Hummingbird
  • Broad-billed Hummingbird
  • Black Phoebe
  • Whitetail Deer
Southwest Research Station and Fort Huachuca

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  • Blue-throated Hummingbird
  • Magnificent Hummingbird
  • Yellow-eyed Junco
  • American Robin
  • Acorn Woodpecker
  • Lavender Copper Mine
  • Red-spotted Purple
  • Red Satyr
  • Neon Skimmer
  • Great Spreadwing
  • Mystery Wasp
Chiricahua Mountains

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  • Bushtit
  • Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • American Robin
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler
  • Grayneck Chipmunk
  • "Smuggling" Sign
  • Chiricahua National Monument
  • Chiricahua Mountains Fire Damage
Tucson and Patagonia, Arizona

On the way back from California I stopped briefly in the Tucson area and then spent a few days at Patagonia, Arizona, another area famous for its "special" breeding birds.

In Tucson I visited a suburban "desert" area on the west side of town, and then spent a half-day at Saguaro National Park.

Tucson Area

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  • Anna's Hummingbird
  • Gambel's Quail
  • Curve-billed thrasher
  • Verdin
  • Cactus Wren
  • Phainopepla
  • Saguaro Cactus
  • Gila Woodpecker
  • Zebra-tailed Lizard
  • Elegant Earless Lizard
  • Tiger Whiptail
In Patagonia I visited the Rest Area about three mile south of the town, the Paton's famous backyard birding oasis, and a few local canyons.

Patagonia Area

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  • Gray Hawk
  • Thick-billed Kingbird
  • Phainopepla
  • Lucy's Warbler
  • Botteri's Sparrow
  • Rufous-winged Sparrow
  • Black-throated Sparrow
The Paton's Backyard

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  • Northern Cardinal
  • Inca Dove
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Blue Grosbeak
  • Gambel's Quail
  • Abert's Towhee
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird
  • Broad-billed Hummingbird
  • Costa's Hummingbird
  • Rufous Hummingbird
  • Violet-crowned Hummingbird
  • Arizona Cotton Rat

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