11/24/12 - Another Trip to Prado Regional Park

Our Prado visit on November 24, 2012 was a memorable one for us. This was the first time we spotted the wintering Tropical Kingbird, a rarity for the location. This bird had been found previously by other birders and reported to ebird.com, but this was the very first time Steven and I had found a rarity. We had gone there specifically to see if we could locate this bird, and walked around for a long time, hours, that day trying to find it.  It was not until we had given up, and were heading back to the car, that Steven pointed and told me to take photos of a bird at the top of a bare tree.  Wouldn't you know it - Tropical Kingbird - reported to ebird.com and verified.  Hence, Steven has become our spotter.  He points out birds that I don't even see sometimes.  Pics from the trip:

Tropical Kingbird

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Night Heron, juvenile

Spotted Sandpiper

American Coot (Rescued by Steven from hook and fishing line)

Vermilion Flycatcher, Female

Vermilion Flycatcher

Western Grebe

Happy Birding!

11/22/12 -Thanksgiving 2012 Visit to Desert Breeze Park in Chandler Arizona

We love to visit my sister Mary and my niece Denise and her children at any time, but especially for Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving visit in 2012, our first year of birding, also gave us the opportunity to spot birds in another State. Desert Breeze Park is only two minutes from my sister's home. It is surprising large for being in the middle of a residential area, with a small man-made lake that is stocked for the local fishermen. Again, another very pretty park, that we will definitely go to again next time we are there. Below are a couple of the pics from this visit.

Verdin

Verdin

Great-tailed Grackle Female

Curved-bill Trasher

Eurasian Collared Dove

Great-tailed Grackle

Mourning Dove

Northern Mockingbird

Bronzed Cowbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Happy Birding Always!

9/23/12 - Let's Go Back to Our First Visit to Prado Regional

Prado Regional Park in San Bernadino County, California is a hidden treasure. For many years, when our commute to work took us right past this park, Steven and I thought it was just a little park in a not so pretty area of 'cow country'. It was not until we started our birding activities that the name of Prado kept showing up as a birding hot spot.  With no great expectations we headed to the park one Sunday in September, 2012. 

Prado has turned out to be one of our favorite places to go, not only to spot exceptional birds, but just for the peace and beauty of the park itself. A really lovely place. Here are some photo highlights of our very first visit to Prado.

Turkey Vulture

Common Yellowthroat

Brewers Blackbird

Vermilion Flycatcher

Hutton's Vireo

Great White Egret

Common Gallinule

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Happy Birding!