On day eight, we arrived at Santa Ana NWR early in the morning, and soon after checking with a ranger for the location of the Gray Hawk, we were on the way to the East Lake.
On the way, a kingfisher zoomed across in front of us as Olive Sparrow called in the background. As the kingfisher landed on a small branch, we can see it is our lifer Green Kingfisher! As we walked forward, a few kingbirds caught our view. As we waited for them to call, a few sparrows popped up in the bushes in front of us, and a Spizella stood out from the rest of the group. The plain lores suddenly alert me of a potential Clay-colored Sparrow, a bird that I missed several times. As we look at its gray collar, clean face, and dark patterns with super white supercilium, we conclude that it is indeed the Clay-colored Sparrow!!!
At the location where the Gray Hawk was seen yesterday, we saw a mysterious hawk that flew off soon after we saw it. It is very likely to be a Gray Hawk, but we cannot tell. After that we arrived at the observation tower, where an adult Gray Hawk flew by.
After having a great morning in Santa Ana NWR, we headed to Edinburg Scenic Wetlands World Birding Center to stake out the Crimson-collared Grosbeak, an ABA rarity. But with the tropical heat, the bird activity was slow, so we decided to go for the nearby Cassin’s Sparrows and come back later. At “Sparrow Rd”, where Cassin’s Sparrows are reliable, we managed to get two Cassin’s Sparrow, and we are able to get back to Edinburgh soon. This time the few birders there on the stakeout split into teams and walked all around the tiny park. Soon, two birders got the bird by the entrance, and everyone gathered. The Crimson-collared Grosbeak did not cooperate, but it is a lifer! We continued to search for a better view of the bird that already flew away. After a while, we got it eating berries in a tree right in front of us!
Under the brilliant night sky, we arrived at Rancho Lomitas, ready for tomorrow’s tour at the magical Santa Margarita Ranch.
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