Reddish Egret: Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Mike took a business trip to Southern California and got to stop at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. The highlight was a reddish egret fishing.

Bolsa Chica Wetlands: Huntington Beach, CA: Teals and Grebes

Blue-Winged Teal


Green-winged Teal


Eared grebe


Pied-billed grebe

Western Meadowlark

 

 

We saw this Western Meadowlark at the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. He looks quite similar to the eastern meadowlark.

California Towhee

 

 

We think the eastern Towhee is more striking than the California Towhee.

Reflecting on the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach

Pacific Loon

Western Grebe

Male Bufflehead

Female Bufflehead

 

Widgeons

Lesser Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Hummingbird

 

 

Buffleheads

 

 

Green Winged Teals

 

 

Reddish Egret from Bolsa Chica

 

We took several photos of this unusual heron at Bolsa Chica Wetlands. When we got back, we identified it as a reddish egret, a fairly rare egret that has been spotted there.

Eared Grebe from Bolsa Chica

 

Here's a photo of an eared grebe. They have similar coloring to the western grebe but are about half the size. They are great underwater swimmers- quickly covering almost 100 feet in a single dive.

Lesser Scaup

 

 

Photos of Lesser Scaups from Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach, CA.

Great Egret

 

 

Photos of Great Egrets from Bolsa Chica

Redheaded Ducks

 

It took us a while to identify this duck with a red head. It turns out that it is called a Redheaded Duck. Here is a handsome male with two females from Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

Red-Breasted Mergansers

 

 

We saw a few red-breasted mergansers at Bolsa Chica. There were many more females (top) than males. The red-breasted mergansers are about the same size as the common mergansers and much larger than the hooded mergansers.

Ruddy Ducks

Ruddy Ducks at Bolsa Chica

American Widgeon

 

 

 

American Widgeons from Bolsa Chica.

Surf Scooter at Bolsa Chica Wetlands

 

 

 

Chris spotted the male (top) and female Surf Scooters when they were on the other side of the bay. They joined up with some scaups and came close enough for Mike to get a few photos.

Female Bufflehead at Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Here is a photo of a female bufflehead. Isn't she a cutie?

Cormorants at Bolsa Chica Wetlands

 

 

Many cormormants were out yesterday morning fishing in the bay.

Anna's Hummingbird from Bolsa Chica Wetlands

We like this hummingbird photo better than the one we took yesterday.