California Condor Trip

Matt and I headed out from Santa Barbara last weekend with three friends for a fun birding trip. We ended up with just over 60 species, which was higher than I expected for the time of year. The trip included some driving, but it was fun to check out several habitats.


Our two best birds were California Condor (385) and Reddish Egret (386). After driving about 2.5 hours to the Condor spot, we had a lot of difficulty finding the place where they had been viewed. While driving around, we saw a huge soaring bird, which we all hoped to be our target bird. It wasn't; but we were all happy to get a Golden Eagle on our way to finding the Condors.


Other highlights:
Yellow-Billed Magpie
3 Nuthatches (Pygmy was a lifer for Matt--I missed the Red-Breasted)
Olive-Sided Flycatchers (ordering malted beverages)
White-Headed Woodpecker (lifer for me)
Hairy Woodpecker
Great-Horned, Barn, and Northern Pygmy Owls (the NPOW was heard only)
Lark Sparrow
Bullock's Oriole


Matt Grube took some nice photos, which you can find below.  These photos may help boost our Chinese readership, to whom Matt would like to give a shout-out.  Nay Ho Ma and Gong Hee Fat Choy.