It seems to be a little late to say Happy New Year, but this is the January blog, so I hope the New Year will indeed be happy. I started the year on January 1 with my annual LB100 birding marathon. We try to find 100 species of birds in Long Beach on the first day of the year. We found 98. That is down from last year. The number of birds in general is way down. That goes for insects too. A little frightening.

I also started the year with a wicked cold that kept going on and on. Despite that, I went out a fair amount in the early part of the month, until I finally came to my senses and rested to get well. I visited Crystal Cove in Orange County with my birding buddy Harriet and two Birding Pals from New Mexico. I have only been there once, many, many years ago. We had a splendid time, and I recommend a visit. I know I will be back soon. It has several habitats to explore, including on top of the bluff and on the beach. There are California Thrashers, California Gnatcatchers, and shorebirds. With beautiful views of the California Coast under warm sunny skies, have I mentioned how much I love California... especially in winter?

In my local parks, there seems to be a surge of pocket gophers. This is a major headache for those who are trying to maintain pristine parks. However, it is a big boon for the raptors. I do hope that the parks do not try to control the gophers with rodenticides. That poison goes up the food chain. Warning: Graphic predator/prey photos. On a positive note, Vermilion Flycatchers seem to be becoming more common in our parks around the San Gabriel River. I saw at least FOUR birds in three separate areas including male, female, and immature. I 'chased' (went out of my way to look for) a Trumpeter Swan. These are rarely seen in California. I saw an adult and immature.

It was so good to get back to my Irvine Ranch butterfly survey. Even though there were few butterflies and flowers blooming, the hills were green and the weather perfect. We saw tracks of Bobcat, which is a lot less scary than Mountain Lion.

It was a big raptor day at the wetlands bird survey. There were a pair of White-tailed Kites (one eating a gopher), a Red-tailed Hawk, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a pair of Peregrine Falcons.

I went on a Pelagic Birding Trip with Sea & Sage Audubon out of Dana Point. The weather and company were accommodating. We had the usual fun with gulls, pelicans, cormorants, and shearwaters following the boat on and off all day. There were also the assortment of tiny blips on the water or flying that are smaller than the floaters in my eyes. I am amazed at how the leaders can see and call them out. I do not find these sightings particularly satisfying. We did however, have a wonderful Black-legged Kittiwake close to the boat for a little while. Now, THAT made the trip for me! They are typically off-shore gulls, so it was nice to see my first one closer to the coast and have it pose for photos.

I finished off the month by giving a presentation on nature in the garden to the Lakewood Garden Club, and helping my entomological society with some administrative duties. It looks like February is lined up to be just as busy.

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Watch the slideshows or click on the links to look through at your own pace. Links open in a new tab.

Enjoy the show! I always appreciate corrections to ID's.

Local stuff:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_jan-2020

Butterfly Count:   https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/irc_jan-2020

Wetlands Survey:   https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/hellman_jan_2020

Pelagic Trip:   https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/pelagic_jan-2020