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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Los Angeles (1 Viewer)

Crystal Cove State Park is about 30mins south of LA - great place for the thrasher and gnatcatcher. Also you have to pass Bolsa Chica to get there which is an excellent wetland site and has Belding's Sparrows too (often split off from Savannahs)
 
Getting the Birders Guide to Southern California is very helpful to find some good spots in the vicinity (like Bolsa Chica and Crystal Cove SP) (may be hard to get now, Amazon does not look helpful...)

Parking at Crystal Cove SP is $10, be prepared... The northernmost parking (west of the road) is excellent to start searching. If you pay attention to a kitten-like call, the gnatcatcher should be easy. The thrasher requires luck! Don't forget to do some seawatching – sea lions should be easy.

The free car park at Bolsa Chica (east of the road) can only be entered from the south – from the north, you can only park at the State Beach (for $10, again): so drive on and turn and the first possibility (U turns are not allowed – drove me mad). Lots of birds here, as well as birders. It is not scenic though!

I spent two weeks in California in winter, but I had most species in the area just south of LA (I also visited Huntington Central Park and surroundings to search for Tricolored Blackbird, but failed).

This is not the best time of year for birding in the mountains, because of the obvious risk of fire, but these coastal spots should be OK.
 
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I went in December and the first bird I saw was a singing thrasher!! Saw c4 in the 3hrs we were there - as X said listen for the kitten-calls of the gnatcatcher. Anna's hummers were busy displaying too - stunning birds. Also had Greater Roadrunner here
 
Check out Joe Morlans site for information on sites and audubon clubs in LA county.

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/la.htm

Post a message on the site below and you should get some good replies of places to go at the moment
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/

The sites mentioned above (Bolsa chica, Crystal cove) are in Orange county which is south along the coast from LA and depending on traffic about an hour from LAX to Crystal Cove I'd think at least. Good places to go, I'd also check out Newport Back bay and San Joaquim wildlife sanctuary which is run by the audubon club in Orange county. If you're going to Crystal cove you'd pass by Newport back bay and san joaquim on the way (where the 405 meets the 73).

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/ora.htm

http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/SJWS/sjws.htm

Good time of year to visit
 
Thank you for all your advise guys, as it happened we only had time for one visit to photograph birds so we chose Bolsa Chica, glad we did a very diverse selection. Just need to find out what they are now:t:
 
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