update

so far this year i haven't been very diligent in keeping you up-to-date on my birding activities. i've been out four times this january - the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 11th - picking up a total of 95 different species. one of which, MERLIN, is also a 'lifer' for me. i've traveled from the mountains to the sea, visiting places old and new (like the wild animal park). many of the species i've recorded this year are birds that i didn't pick up until later in 2009, which gives me a good start on beating last year's total of 242 species. and i haven't even begun to chase rarities, something i will remedy on my next trip, when i go looking for the TUNDRA SWAN that has been present at the aviara resort in north county for the last month or so. i also intend on picking up a bunch of new seabirds soon, since i'll be purchasing a scope in the next few days. here is a pic of bushnell's 'elite' 80mm ED, 20x - 60x zoom, angled scope, which will soon be mine.


i got the chance to look through some binoculars that use the same glass technology, and they were pretty freakin' impressive. so, i'm really excited for the day i can take this to the coast and finally see what all those birds on the horizon really are.