Welcome to London Birders

Where do you like to bird watch? What birds do you enjoy watching the most?

I live in Southern California, but I was also curious where others like to go. I think my favorite bird is the brown pelican. Not only are they just amazing to just look at, but I love watching them feed.

Public Comments

1. I used to live on the East Coast, but now I live in the Midwest. I have had the opportunity to see a wide variety of birds. I think my favorites are the raptors - specifically Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels and any type of owl.

I also love the cranes. We live near areas where we can see the Whooping Cranes and the Sandhill Cranes in the summer and fall.

Shorebirds I loved to see back East, and can not see as often here include the American Avocet, the Black Necked Stilt, the American Oystercatcher and the Skimmer.

Of the backyard birds at my feeders, I love the Northern Cardinals, the Blue Jays, the Gold Finches, the hummingbirds and the Orioles.

The one bird I have gotten to see out here that is considered a "pest" bird is the Magpie. I am fascinated by them, as I never saw them back East.

But I guess my absolute most favorite bird, ever since I had the opportunity to work with some at the Avian Rehabilitation Center where I was a volunteer back East, is the Common Loon. The are so haunting! I am glad that they are so much easier to find and observe here in MN than they were in NJ!

2. I live in the North West and i like to go to Nisqually Wildlife refuge. In fact I was there yesterday. I saw a virginia rail for the first time!!!! It was so NEAT! There were also hundreds of Cedar Waxwings witch I enjoy. Another bird I enjoyed was the Wood Duck. I look forward to them every time I go there. I also seen a Cinnamon Teal with its babies. I also saw a huge bull frog ( Its not a bird but i thought i would mention it).

3. I like to bird watch everywhere, I live in Northern Ontario, Canada. Birdwatching at any of the hundreds of lakes around here is pretty rewarding I see alot of Common Loons, Hooded Mergansers, Bald Eagles, Black Ducks, Great Blue Herons, Spotted Sandpipers, (it sure is fun to watch a "teeter-tail" lol) and I absolutely love to watch Barn Swallows skimming the water for insects, they are so cheeky and fiesty I saw some chase a hawk away one time.. Another bird that I have recently seen more of is the Caspian Tern.. It was amazing when I was down at this creek by my house there was a Caspian Tern flying around and then he dove straight into the water which was spectacular! I love the call Loons make it is beautiful, and another bird with an interesting call is the American Bittern... I have only seen one once but I hear them alot they make the craziest sound you can imagine, listen here if you want.. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/species/audios/BITTERN__AMERICAN.MP3

Also I love watching fields for birds.. I used to watch Sandhill Cranes which was awesome they also make a neat sound and they are lovely birds, especially when they get dancing and calling their rattling cry its spectacular! http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/species/audios/CRANE__SANDHILL.MP3
Fields also sport alot of American Kestrels, and Northern Harrier Hawks which are just great fun to watch gliding over the fields scanning for prey, they are beautiful birds as well.

Some small birds I love to watch are American Goldfinches, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins(they crack me up when they spin upside down to eat out of the feeder), Purple Finches, Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White breasted nuthatch I call them little beepers cause they make beeping sounds and the White breasted makes a sound like a cellphone sometimes its uncanny. Another favorite bird of mine is the Brown Thrasher.. they are striking birds with an unmistakeable call that just blows your mind with its variation and complexity.. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/species/audios/THRASHER__BROWN.MP3
The Veery is one I have been tryong to see but I havent caught a glimpse of one yet, but after a long search I found that they are the mystery "rainbow bird" that I kept hearing and loved the sound of.. I dont know why but their song prompted me to call it a rainbow bird just because thats what the sound made me think of.. http://www.uwgb.edu/birds/wbba/species/audios/VEERY.MP3
Also White throated sparrows, White crowned sparrows, Crows, Ravens,
Geez there are so many birds I love ot watch and hear I enjoy watching them all I guess.. some are more interesting to hear and some to see.

4. I also live in So. Cal and do birding as a job (I am an ornithologist) and I also bird as a hobby. (I know..I'm pretty obsessed) Good birding in So. Cal include:
Salton Sea
Big Morongo Nature Preserve
Huntington Park
Bolsa Chica
Newport Back Bay
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge
Malibu Creek State Park
Descanso Gardens
Huntington Gardens
Eaton Canyon
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens

I also bird in my yard...I live up in the mountains and have Black-headed Grosbeaks, Stellar's Jays, Acorn Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, and hummingbirds at my feeders right now.

I also go up north at least once a year to bird in the Morro Bay area.

My favorite bird:
Western Tanager