California Specialties: Apr 25—May 03, 2009

Island Scrub-Jay — Photo: Brad Schram

Explore beautiful Southern California on this wide-ranging tour, enjoying all its native habitat types while searching for its specialty birds unique in the ABA area.

Southern California has long been regarded as one of the great birding areas in the country. A wide variety of habitats—including deserts, mountains, shoreline, chaparral, grasslands, and pelagic waters—a moderate climate, and its geographic location guarantee a long and interesting bird list. As a further attraction, California is characterized by a high degree of endemism. Where else in the country could one go to look for Xantus's Murrelet, Allen's Hummingbird, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Island Scrub-Jay, Yellow-billed Magpie, California Gnatcatcher, California Thrasher, California Towhee, and Oak Titmouse?

This tour is planned in a manner to give maximum opportunity to see all these specialties. Western specialties such as Mountain Quail, White-headed Woodpecker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Le Conte's Thrasher, and Hutton's Vireo are also breeding birds in Southern California. The occasional Yellow-footed Gull winters at the Salton Sea, giving us the hope of seeing this species before it returns to breed in the Gulf of California.

Our tour is constructed in a way that takes participants through all its habitat types, ensuring the broadest introduction possible to its fascinating avifauna.

Much of Southern California's exciting bird life is set amidst its most natural, scenic landscapes. Whether among spindly ocotillo in the 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the Jeffrey Pines at 8,000 feet atop Mount Pinos, or approaching the rugged coast of Santa Cruz Island one experiences the magic of natural wild places.

Good to excellent accommodations; easy terrain; many road miles; boat trip; below sea level to 8,000 feet altitude; outstanding scenery; mild weather.