December 22-25 -- Palos Verdes Peninsula Birds, And A Hike Behind The Gates In Rolling Hills

It's been an enjoyable week in San Pedro, spending my time hiking and birding areas on the Palos Verdes Peninsula probably for the last time as I will either be on the road in 2015 -- or in Portal, Arizona after that...Though I will be coming back to the South Bay on rare occasions, since my Kaiser doctor is here. On Monday the 22nd I took the 7D MK II and 500 f/4 lens out for a "spin" at the former Ocean Trails hiking area at the Trump golf course, and saw California Gnatcatcher, an animated California Towhee in flattering light -- not always the case with this rather nondescript bird --

And a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow, ubiquitous in these parts -- 

Then I went up to the South Coast Botanic Garden (I'd renewed my membership so I can use the card for entrance to "affiliated" botanic gardens across the country) and found Orange-crowned Warbler; the Big Boy 500mm is a good lens for closeups without disturbing the bird -- 

And later on there was a male Anna's hummingbird at a "red hot poker" plant, with the sunlight glinting off his gorget -- 

Tuesday the 23rd was a day spent entirely at the CarMax dealership in Torrance. Part of the deal with buying a used car from them is you have a 30-day warranty for anything that needs to be fixed or is missing -- and I had a standing order for an extra key for Tundra II, and also mentioned that one of the JBL speakers sounded "blown out", and that Tundra was vibrating a bit at speeds above 60mph. So it was worth the nearly 8-hour wait, as they discovered I had TWO blown JBL speakers, so they replaced those, and balanced and rotated the tires, and made a new key -- but I still have to return to get a key for the camper shell locks. Oh well, still worth it, and I continue to give CarMax high marks for efficiency, thoroughness -- and for it all being free of charge. After the 30 days are up, most everything will still be covered until the extra 150,000-mile warranty I purchased, good in the US and Canada, should Tundra ever experience any "difficulties". Peace of mind once again...Last week I'd applied for, and received, a Trail Pass for "behind the gates" in Rolling Hills, an exclusive, gatted community at the top of Palos Verdes Peninsula. There's a great network of trails, mostly used for horses, so on the 24th I set out at Martingale Trailhead. But first, the day was a clear one, where you could see all the way across the Los Angeles basin -- 

Santa Monica Bay looking north to the Santa Monica Mountains

The Los Angeles basin (with the downtown skyscrapers) and San Gabriel Mountains 

The trail from Martingale winds down into a canyon --

The white fences make for interesting compositions with the landscape -- 

The trail goes down to the bottom of the canyon, connecting with Lower Willow Springs Trail -- 

There are spur trails connecting to the houses and paved roads above -- 

There's a semi-permanent "creek" that runs through here, and the creek bed is quite lush. This has been a good season for thrushes -- American Robin, Hermit Thrush -- and Varied Thrush, which have created an "irruption" throughout the entire state of California; it's normally a forest bird, but it's been seen in areas as low as 1,000 feet. This is also great habitat for Purple Finch, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos -- and Red-tailed Hawks -- 

A side spur up "Dizzy Trail"

Adult Red-tailed Hawk

The 500 f/4 lens, with the 1.4x teleconverter added, comes in very handy here, particularly as I'd decided to leave my binoculars behind (too many straps around my neck, with the 500 f/4 sling and strap for the 7D/17-55 f/2.8 landscape lens). While in Purple Canyon I saw many high-flying birds, and with the poor light at the time I couldn't make them out, so I took a photo with the 500 -- 

In this instance, they were American Robins... :o) This is just one of many reasons why I consider the 7D MK II and 500 lens to be an invaluable tool for birding, at least for me... I took a spur trail up to Saffo's Rest and connected with a bridle trail for a view of the LA Basin from the back yard of a house; these are telephoto landscape shots taken with the 7D and 500 f/4 -- 

Red-tail over the city

Downtown Los Angeles skyline

The LA beaches from Torrance to Marina del Rey

Hurray for Hollywood...

It was just an exceptional day all around. Here's the backyard where I got these views from, from the bridle path side of the fence -- 

And the breathtaking view, stretching from the ocean to downtown -- 

Along Purple Canyon Trail

Purple Canyon Trail climbs to Caballeros Road, and along the way are ranch areas for horses -- 

Male Purple Finch

Female Purple Finch

From the trail at Caballeros Road it winds back down to Upper Willow Springs Trail, where there is a great open area, perfect for soaring Red-tailed Hawks -- 

And perched Kestrels, dropping down to the ground from snags and posts -- 

Audubon's Warblers, aka Yellow-rumped Warblers, affectionately called "Butter Butts", liven things up with their colorful appearance -- 

Then while hiking down Lower Willow Springs Trail, I come across an area filled with "clucking" Hermit Thrushes, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings -- and Varied Thrushes -- 

Varied Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Cedar Waxwing with berry

It was a grand hike -- about 4 hours, 5 miles, and lots of spectacular landscapes and birds...And time for a bit of a retrospective, of some of the birds our CBC team saw at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park and the Navy Fuel Depot on December 21 --

Cassin's Kingbird

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk 

Sharp-shinned Hawk 

Merry Christmas everyone! 

December 19-21 -- A Meeting of Lance Travel Trailer Owners, and the South Bay Xmas Bird Count

I have a Trail Pass which allows me to go behind the gates of the exclusive community of Rolling Hills, located on the top of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, so on Friday I hiked the trails there for about 4 hours, seeing 2 Varied Thrush, scads of Golden-crowned Sparrows -- and this dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk who, due to its large size, is probably a female; here she's in full-throated Red-tail scream, the signature sound of the American West (and which has been used for the cries of the Bald Eagle on television) --

On Saturday the 20th the morning was spent at the Naval Fuel Depot in San Pedro, which has limited access due to its being a military installation, but it can have good birds there, so a group of us who were doing the Christmas Bird Count for the South Bay of Los Angeles got permission to enter to scout the day prior to the CBC -- and promptly saw 7 Acorn Woodpeckers, a California Gnatcatcher -- and a female Mountain Bluebird, which is EXTREMELY rare for this area. Keeping our fingers crossed that all would stay for the CBC the next day (particularly as I had left my camera battery in my truck, therefore was unable to take photos of the birds) , Eileen, Steve, Martin and I had a delicious Dim Sum lunch at a local Chinese eatery, then I headed to the Yard House in Long Beach for a "meet and greet" with fellow Lance travel trailer owners. We had a blast, swapping Lance TT info and on-the-road stories -- and vowed to meet again soon, but next time at a place which wasn't quite so noisy. Then on Sunday the 21st -- the Christmas Bird Count, where my friend Steve Dexter and I went to Denny's at 4:30am for breakfast to help fuel us through the long day, then met the other participants for our area at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, and we had a great day of counting numbers of birds and species while slogging through the muck and mire of a Harbor Park "under restoration". After lunch at Subway's Eileen, Steve Dexter and I went to Area 2, the Navy Fuel Depot -- and re-found the female Mountain Bluebird, where I was able to get documentation shots of her --

And the Acorn Woodpeckers in the oak trees alongside busy Gaffey Street -- 

Earlier in the day, at Harbor Park, a Thayer's Gull was seen -- 

So fun, if a bit muddy, times was had by all, and the count total for our CBC circle was around 176 species -- a VERY decent total...

From left to right, Steve Dexter, yours truly, Eileen Byhower, and Martin Byhower at Harbor Park, Xmas Bird Count, December 21 2014. 

December 16-18 -- A (New) Resident Of Portal, AZ Visits San Pedro, CA

I've lived in the coastal community of San Pedro, aka the Port of Los Angeles, all my life, so it was with a sense of regret and nostalgia that I came back to spend the holidays with my dad. I was reminded of the many scenes I'd taken with my various cameras over the years of "Pedro" and its surrounding areas on the Palos Verdes Peninsula -

The Palos Verdes Peninsula -- "The Terraced Land" -- looking south

A "Cactus Sunset" along Ocean Trails

Royal Palms and Point Fermin in the distance

Sunset At Point Fermin Park with Catalina Island

My condo on Gaffey Street

One of the many colorful sunrises from my condo balcony

Aircraft carrier in the inner harbor

Angel's Gate Lighthouse and the Orange County Coastline (from the balcony using the 500 f/4 lens)

Electrical storm from my balcony

New memories are now to be made...It's time for Steve Wolfe's Farewell Tour of the South Bay. I'll be here until January 7, when I head up to Lancaster and the Lance factory where I'll take the factory tour and talk with Lance's advertising director about ways to promote Lance products while I'm on the road in 2015 -- and make some extra money in the bargain. On Wednesday and Thursday I visit the South Coast Botanic Garden, where I've been a member since 2007 or thereabouts, and renew my membership so I can use it to visit other botanic gardens around the country. Meanwhile, there are birds in the Garden to take photos of, some of them "old friends" -- 

One of two Red-shouldered Hawk "residents"

Arg!  Too close (KFC, for wings cut off)

Ah -- BETTER! 

Male Bullock's Oriole

Spotted Towhee

And there has been an "irruption" of Varied Thrushes throughout California this past month, with VTs showing up in places where they are rarely -- or never -- seen, including Los Angeles' South Bay. I look for them while at the botanic garden, and on Thursday I finally see 5, all in the same tree, and out in the open -- unusual for Varied Thrushes, that are usually secretive and very shy, burying themselves in their usual forest habitat -- 

Wonderful. I've been trying to get a decent photo of a Varied Thrush since the beginning of Travels of Discovery in May 2013 -- and I get it back in my home town, where I never expect to see it... Before I visit the garden on Thursday I take an early-morning walk up George F Canyon on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and see 1 Varied Thrush at the end of the canyon trail, and hear at least 15 Hermit Thrush, with their soft "clucking" sound. I manage to get one in the open, with Toyon berries giving the scene a holiday feel --

I had a dental appointment yesterday -- no cavities, teeth looking good, and my dentist, Dr. Patel, is following me on Facebook -- and I will see my internal med doctor at Kaiser Harbor City this morning, for what may very well be the last time as, now a resident of Arizona, I may have to go to another medical plan since there are no Kaiser facilities there. More of the San Pedro Farewell Tour anon...