I started the year the same way I have for several years now, running the LB100. We try to find 100 bird species in Long Beach on the first day of the year. This year twenty-two people participated in two groups. The recent storms and howling wind made for a challenging day. My group had 18 people, and we saw 98 species. The nimble group of four, who are great birders, found 118!! I was impressed. While, I don't want to pursue a chase for number of species, I do like to track what I've seen. For the rest of the year, my birding goal is just to go to a few new places and enjoy the birds I see.

The storms continued bringing much needed rain. This worked out well for me as I shifted to indoor activity. I took an on-line wasp id course. It was very well run, and the people were great. I sat back in a reclining chair with a cup of coffee, and a cat on my lap, and soaked in what I could from the lectures. Much was far more detailed than my interest, and I'm not sure how much I will retain, but I very much enjoyed it. I enjoy hearing from scientists dedicated to their field of research, and I think entomologists are the most fun.

Between the rains, I did some small walks to see some of the wintering 'good' birds: Cape May Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Lewis's Woodpecker, Varied Thrush, Townsend's Solitaire, and my favorite wintering Short-billed Gull (formerly Mew Gull, which I think is a better name). The rain resulted in fungi and animal tracks. At the Wetlands, some human tracks looked like toes of Big Foot (see the photo). Also, a coyote must have crouched down in the mud. In addition to paw prints there were fur prints.

I have also been planning for a field arts trip to Baja.  I wrote a separate blog post on my preparations. https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/blog/2023/1/preparing-and-paring. Next month I will report back.

A mini-pelagic trip out of Redondo Beach was pleasant, and we saw the expected birds. Most were far from the boat. However, the gulls love the steady flow of popcorn tossed to attract a flock, and I had fun photographing them. I love to catch them as they land in feet down positions. 

Get outside. It's good for you!

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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.

Local Stuff:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_jan_2022   

Los Cerritos Wetlands:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/hellman_jan_2023

Pelagic Trip:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/pelagic_trip_jan_2023