avesjohn
Well-known member
This morning, I guided a visiting birder from the Las Vegas, NV area through Eaton Canyon in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 1.7 miles one way from the nature center and parking lot to the waterfall at the end. He has family in the Pasadena area, and comes here every few months, but still hadn't seen a lot of California's specialties, so after being put into contact with each other by a local Audubon society member, we headed out on the trail this morning.
It was a moderately successful outing; we didn't see everything he'd hoped to see, but I still helped him to add six birds to his life list. For the curious, his lifers were California Quail, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Canyon Wren (which was also my only year list addition for the day, #167 for 2015), Wrentit, and California Thrasher. Next time he returns to L.A., I can probably help him to see some more local specialties, just as he can return the favor with Vegas-area birds if and when I ever go there. It certainly is a great feeling when the birds you encounter all the time are cause for great excitement from your birding companion who isn't so used to seeing them.
It was a moderately successful outing; we didn't see everything he'd hoped to see, but I still helped him to add six birds to his life list. For the curious, his lifers were California Quail, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Canyon Wren (which was also my only year list addition for the day, #167 for 2015), Wrentit, and California Thrasher. Next time he returns to L.A., I can probably help him to see some more local specialties, just as he can return the favor with Vegas-area birds if and when I ever go there. It certainly is a great feeling when the birds you encounter all the time are cause for great excitement from your birding companion who isn't so used to seeing them.
