last week was a stellar week for me all around [good hikes and a trip to the wild animal park (WAP)!], but for birding in particular. i got two new year birds, which also happened to be lifers. both were a surprise - one because i was hiking and wasn't really thinking about birds, and the other because i'd forgotten it occurred in san diego, and, as it flew by at about twenty feet above my head, just didn't look like it belonged in this part of the world. part of the reason for this confusion was because my girlfriend and i were walking through the 'hart of africa' section of the WAP seeing all manner of strange birds from abroad. my brain was just tuned to seeing exotics. luckily, as the bird soared overhead, i had the presence of mind to check its legs for bands (all WAP owned birds are banded), and seeing none, my brain was jolted back to san diego. seriously though, does the bird below look like anything you've ever seen in san diego? probably not.
as my mind revived, i remembered that a WOOD STORK had been spending time at the WAP for the last few years (though i'd never seen it), and that this must be the same bird. it was very cool revelation, and a very cool bird to finally see.
my other lifer from last week is pretty standard fare. the BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHER. it likes to hang out in places like cowles mt., and mt. woodson (which is where i saw it) - where its rocky, and not too densely vegetated. it looks very similar to the CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER, but because of the way a birds tail folds, the underside of its tail feathers appear all white, instead of black with small white tips. this can sometimes be a hard field mark to see because they have a habit of perching with their tails held up in the air, while facing you. they are also, usually, very active.
2010 year list:162___________life list:245
