Total Species Recorded: 97

I recently spent a long weekend in Southern California to visit family and share the joys of birding together. The spring weather was perfect and the birds were active, giving us a memorable trip.

Our first stop was at Irvine Regional Park. This is a familiar stomping ground for me, as I’ve visited the park my entire life. As a kid, I loved imitating the calls of the peacocks, picking around the rocks in the riverbed, and looking around for the mysterious mountain lions that frustratingly never seemed to appear. As an adult, my focus shifted to the amazing bird diversity that the park has to offer. In the short distance that we walked that morning, the trees were teeming with bird activity. My mom excitedly spotted a strongly-spectacled Cassin’s Vireo skulking in the trees, and my husband picked out Lazuli Buntings that popped with a vibrant blue. Warblers were abundant, chipping and singing away the morning.

We were alerted to a Cactus Wren in a nearby cactus patch, and I beelined straight for the spot. I knew that the spring is a time for singing, and I was hopeful that the Cactus Wren would serenade us so that I could capture a recording for my Big Recording Year. One of my rules for this project is to not use playback, meaning I don’t play a recording on my phone to draw the bird out. So we waited by the cactus patch, hoping that he would pop out on his own accord. Minutes were going by, and we were worried that we weren’t at the right spot, but our patience paid off when a single Cactus Wren hopped on a dead shrub and chattered its heart out. I did not plan on recording a Cactus Wren this year, so this was an unexpected treat!

On the second day of our trip, I was introduced to a park that I had not previously visited. Upon stepping out of the car, there were so many Allen’s Hummingbirds that it was hard to accurately count their numbers. I knew this would be the perfect stop for recording the hummingbirds, as they were vocalizing non-stop. The only trouble was that there was a roofing project nearby that drowned out the birds. So we walked around a bit waiting for the construction noise to dissipate. When it did finally quiet down enough to attempt a recording, the Allen’s also went quiet. Every time I lifted up my microphone to capture a call, all I recorded was either dead silence or my sister barely able to contain her laughter at my luck. I never managed a recording of an Allen’s Hummingbird during the whole trip.

Stinging from the lost opportunity of recording the Allen’s, we went to a nearby park to see what we might get. I was fascinated with the Double-crested Cormorants nesting in the trees. Seeing these large, aquatic creatures awkwardly balancing on tree limbs was a sight to behold. But what really got me excited was when one made a low grumbling belching noise. I had never heard a cormorant vocalize before! I managed to get my microphone out and hit the record button just in time to capture a few more grunts before they went quiet. That sure made up for missing an Allen’s recording!

On the third day, we went to Huntington Central Park, which is a well-known birding hotspot in the area. It was a gorgeous day with many brightly-colored species popping out. In one particular spot, Hooded Orioles, Vermilion Flycatchers, Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, and several types of warblers and finches were drinking and taking a bath in the water. We stood transfixed by the activity, not moving from this one spot for quite some time. It was amazing to see so many species come together in one small spot of the park.

Our last stop of the trip was scheduled for the evening – a final visit to Irvine Regional Park. Evenings offer a different type of birding experience, as the birds rush to get in one last meal for the day and fly to their roosting spots. It was Sunday and the park was busy with human activities, but we went to the furthest parking lot in an attempt to minimize the noise. We walked down a path that leads to the riverbed, and waited for the sun to go down. As the sky gradually darkened, our target species began to appear seemingly out of nowhere. We counted no less than eight Lesser Nighthawks that sliced through the air, flying like large, confused bats. I had my microphone at the ready and did get a distant recording of their low staccato calls, but I largely enjoyed the moment as they swirled all around us. Eventually the bats joined the insect feast, adding to the mystique and excitement.

After three great birding days in SoCal, I added 15 more species towards my goal of recording 100 species in 2026. I’ve nearly reached my target!

To read more posts about this challenge, see the dedicated Bird Recording Challenge 2026 web page or click on “Bird Recording Challenge 2026” under “Tags” at the bottom of this post.