Mokka mit Schlag

I’ve decided to do a big year this year. More specifically I’ve decided to do a Big Green Big Year, in which one attempts to see as many birds as one can without the use of motorized conveyances. You can use a bicycle if you like, but I figure I have a better shot in the walking category, especially since my bicycle is still in pieces in my garage. I’m located more or less between a major regional park, an Audubon wildlife refuge, and a large university with a lot of green space. If I wanted to make a long hike of it, I could even reach the shore once or twice.

I’m starting a month late, since I didn’t move out here till February but I’m still doing pretty well. Limiting myself just to what I’ve seen and heard on foot from this location so far I have 63 species:

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Sara Orangetip, Anthocharis sara
Santiago Oaks Regional Park, 2008-03-02

I think this is my first new butterfly since I moved to California.

Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange County, California, 2008-03-02

Western Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis
Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange County, California, 2008-03-02

These things make the Green Anoles I grew up with look like Disney characters.

A Wood Duck, of course. On a trip with the Sea & Sage Audubon Society this morning at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, we found this pair apparently scouting out possible nesting sites:

They were being mobbed by Acorn Woodpeckers, but didn’t seem to mind too much. About half a dozen European Starlings were also present and scouting some of the same holes. I hope they lose the competition for the space.
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Harlequin Bugs, Murgantia histrionica
San Joaquin Wildlife refuge, Irvine, CA, 2007-02-18

Despite the warm weather, there aren’t a lot of macroscopic insects out here in southern California just yet. These are the first really interesting ones we’ve found.