Vacation with a Side of Birding

As a former semi-professional birdwatcher, it’s hard for me to “turn it off.” I’ve spotted great birds in gas-station parking lots without even trying. If I see a bird on a pole or a shadow dart across the ground, it’s impossible not to look up and identify it. If we’re chatting outside and I suddenly appear distracted, I promise I’m still listening, just also tuning in to a bird clue I picked up on nearby.

That said, with a family of five, birding can’t always be my focus, and these days it’s harder to find time for those quiet birding meditations. Recently my wife Alyssa and I took our kids on a short vacation to the Los Angeles area, a reward after reaching a long-term career goal. It was just a four-day trip, and while the excitement of SoCal birding did cross my mind, the quick pace didn’t lend itself to a full morning or day dedicated to it. Still, I packed my binoculars, just in case.

Driving through the Southern California desert I picked up the usual suspects: red-tailed hawk, turkey vulture, even a roadrunner bolting from the shoulder of I-10 near 29 Palms. In Riverside I spotted a red-shouldered hawk — a relatively common California species, but a treat for me since they’re rare in Central Arizona.

We stayed in a place special to Alyssa and me: Manhattan Beach, nestled between El Segundo and Hermosa. After the long car ride we headed straight to the beach. Sitting in the sun, enjoying the cool coastal breeze, I scanned the gulls fighting over scraps. I identified California gulls, western gulls, and even a striking Heermann’s gull. They typically breed outside the LA area this time of year, but their bold markings make them unmistakable.

Our year-old daughter Reilly gleefully watched the gulls raid beach camps for snacks. Off the coast I spotted a fishing boat surrounded by a swarm of pelagic birds scavenging discarded fish. Along with gulls, there were colorful flocks of rock pigeons scattered around. It wasn’t a birder’s dream haul, but birding is often about appreciating what’s in front of you.

The next day we drove up to Leo Carrillo Beach, just north of Malibu. This California State Park isn’t ideal for swimming, but its rocky shore forms tidepools full of life. We found hermit crabs, sea anemones, sea urchins, large unidentified crabs and even a sea star. Among the birds I again spotted mostly western and California gulls, though gulls aren’t my specialty and I could’ve missed something more unusual.

Just offshore, brown pelicans soared over the water. On a rocky outcrop I spotted several double-crested cormorants and a few pelagic cormorants. While double-crested cormorants are common back home in Prescott, the comparatively small pelagics are strictly oceangoing, so they were a treat to observe.

After the beach we stopped at the famous Malibu Seafood Company and indulged in fried fish. If you enjoy fresh, fried seafood, I highly recommend it — the scallop sandwich is a must. As we ate outside, I was reminded of an interesting California birding dynamic: the Mojave Desert forms a natural barrier between the coast and the inland Southwest, splitting certain species into distinct cousins.

For instance, in Arizona we have canyon towhees and Woodhouse’s scrub-jays. In California, their close relatives California towhees and California scrub-jays fill similar niches, and were once combined into single species, the scrub-jay and brown towhee. At the seafood spot I watched California scrub-jays raid a dumpster, true to their bold nature, while a California towhee scratched at the ground nearby. Their behavior was identical to what I’m used to, but the California jay had a more vibrant blue hue, and the California towhee was browner than our grayer canyon towhee.

The last couple days of our trip were spent farther north, exploring the Sunset Strip and catching a game at Dodger Stadium. Birding wasn’t front and center, obviously, but that’s okay. This trip was about giving the kids a fun escape. Still, I kept my ears perked and eyes open, because birds are everywhere. That’s the beauty of birding — while it can’t always be your focus, you can always run that part of your brain in the background.

You never know when a California towhee might stroll up to investigate you. Just don’t expect to see it in Prescott.