July 24, 1994

Driving home from returning my stepson to his mother, I made a stop at this wonderful wildlife refuge. This is one of the first solo birding excursions I ever made, and definitely my first wildly successful trip. I ended up seeing more than 45 species, including several life birds.

May 14, 1994

I was part of the planning team for this event, and was also glad to participate. My team covered Notre Dame and St. Mary’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep detailed notes of this outing, but I do remember some of the birds I saw that day.

March 26, 1994

The focus of this Audubon field trip led by Ken Brock was to visit a hawk watch site at the Indiana Dunes. Our first birds of the day were several Redhead and Lesser Scaup swimming in the Portage Marina.

January 2, 1994

I participated in a South Bend Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count, in and near the Audubon Sanctuary in Mishawaka. My favorite birds of the day were several beautiful Cedar Waxwing in a berry-producing tree in one of the neighborhoods we birded. Gorgeous!

September 18 and 19, 1993
Early morning

As part of the Midwest Birding Symposium, I attended two early morning field trips. At Tiscornia Beach, I saw two Ruddy Turnstone and several ☆Sanderling☆ in winter plumage. The Sanderling were particularly bold, coming right up on the boardwalk just a few feet away from me.

The following morning in Benton Harbor, I saw a lone ☆Wilson’s Snipe☆ in a mudflat by the roadside, sitting posed between two clumps of pink flowers. A perfect look!

July 22, 1993

On the last day of my California trip, I went on a solo walk to the wetlands and lagoon.

July 21, 1993

I spent the day birding with my mom in the Malibu area. Our first stop was Malibu Lagoon State Beach, which is a fantastic place to watch birds! We walked along edge of the Lagoon and a bit on the beach, and saw loads of great things. Then we headed slightly north and inland to Solstice Canyon, where we saw a different array of wildlife.

July 20, 1993

Visited Descanso Gardens with my mom, Robin, Max, and Jessicca, and saw a handful of birds. A group of at least twelve tiny ☆American Bushtit☆ was hopping around in a bush about four feet away from me. They were too close for me to use the binoculars! Adorable, friendly little birds. A Black Phoebe came very close to me, allowing me to have a great look. I was also alerted to the presence of a ☆Spotted Towhee☆ by a great commotion of scratching in the dirt and leaves under some bushes. I was rewarded by being able to see this close relative to my local Towhee, and notice the differences between the two.

July 19, 1993

My mom and I went looking for birds in the Ballona Wetlands and along the creek (starting at Del Rey Lagoon; we were not in the current Ballona reserve area). Before the wetlands, we made a stop at Fisherman’s Village in nearby Marina del Rey, where I saw a ☆Least Tern☆ circling over the marina close to the boardwalk.

July 19, 1993

My mom and I went looking for birds in the Ballona Wetlands and along the creek (starting at Del Rey Lagoon; we were not in the current Ballona reserve area). Before the wetlands, we made a stop at Fisherman’s Village in nearby Marina del Rey, where I saw a Least Tern circling over the marina close to the boardwalk.

July 18, 1993

Along with my mom and Tom Wheaton, I took a harbor cruise out of San Pedro. I saw ☆Heermann’s Gull☆, ☆California Brown Pelican☆, and Herring Gull. The stars of the show were a ☆Gray Whale☆ mother and calf swimming together alongside our boat.

June 26, 1993

I spent the day working with the Peregrine Release Program Monitoring, to make observations of ☆Peregrine Falcon☆ that had been released in the downtown area of South Bend. It was marvelous! I watched a total of 5 or 6 birds on and off all morning and early afternoon. Not only was it wonderful being able to see these birds, but it was also good to be part of a human effort to conserve and promote the welfare of this species.

Summer, 1993

This is a collection of sightings from the Summer of 1993.