Author: marcuscengland
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Birding Elyria Canyon Park: Anatomy of a 50 Species Morning
One of my emphasis points this year as a birder is a heavy focus on covering my home area, or what birders refer to as a “patch”. The most important part of my home patch is Elyria Canyon Park, a 35-acre park right next door to my house that is managed by the Mountains Recreation…
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February 2016 in Review
Another monthly update on the goals I’ve set for myself for 2016. Birding Birding has been mostly productive, with a large number of Los Angeles County life birds observed during my pelagic trip on February 28. As of this writing, I’m at 139 for the year and 277 for life in Los Angeles County, with 149…
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January 2016 in Review
I am running the Sean O’Brien 50 mile race on Saturday. I’ve rushed to get through all my tasks at work so I can get out cleanly at mid-day today. Fully packed and ready to go, my mind has turned fully to the race and all that entails. In the little time I have left…
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Eurasian Wigeon and Eastern Phoebe
I had a lunch meeting in Orange County today. On the way home, I decided to stretch the definition of “on the way” and stop at Madrona Marsh in Torrance. Madrona is a nice little wetland oasis in the middle of urban sprawl, and is known for having an amazingly large number of vagrant birds…
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A Gray Catbird is California Species 290
Yes, I know the featured image is not of a Gray Catbird. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph it. A Gray Catbird was this morning, however, my 290th lifetime species for the state of California and 268th lifetime species for the County of Los Angeles. I have observed 69 species for the year so far.…
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2016
I’m not really one to make resolutions for a new year. I am constantly evaluating my life and my choices to some extent, trying to figure out what works for me and what doesn’t so I can get through my limited time on this planet in the most enjoyable way possible and, perhaps, leave a…
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Birding in Baja
I spent the last week on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. This wasn’t one of my usual birding trips. As my first real vacation since Belize and Guatemala in 2012, I really needed a chance to relax and unwind. We were invited guests of one of my wife’s insurance associates at…
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Adventures in Central America, Part 5
Note: The following is a reproduction of the field journal I kept from my first summer in Costa Rica in June and July 1996, when I was a student at La Suerte Biological Station. This was the first time I’d ever left the United States for a country other than Canada. I’ve typed out the…
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Adventures in Central America, Part 4
Note: The following is a reproduction of the field journal I kept from my first summer in Costa Rica in June and July 1996, when I was a student at La Suerte Biological Station. This was the first time I’d ever left the United States for a country other than Canada. I’ve typed out the…
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Adventures in Central America, Part 3
Note: The following is a reproduction of the field journal I kept from my first summer in Costa Rica in June and July 1996, when I was a student at La Suerte Biological Station. This was the first time I’d ever left the United States for a country other than Canada. I’ve typed out the…