SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
1-9 December 2007
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Day |
Agenda
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1
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Arrive at Lindbergh Field (San Diego Airport) by late afternoon or
early evening. We will bird some nearby areas such as the San Diego
River Flood Control Channel, Famosa Slough, and Mission Bay as time
permits. Overnight in San Diego.
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2
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We'll concentrate on the coastal areas around San Diego. Stops will
include Tijuana Slough where one of our targets will be Clapper
Rail, the estuary of the Tijuana River for
"Large-billed" Savannah Sparrow and possibly
Pacific Golden-Plover, and the south end of San Diego Bay where
we might find a Eurasian Wigeon or Reddish Egret. Later
in the day we'll continue north along the coast to La Jolla Cove for
Black Turnstone, Wandering Tattler, and possibly
Surfbird. If time permits, we'll proceed to Torrey Pines State
Park and look for California Gnatcatcher. Second night in San
Diego.
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Pelagic Cormorant
--John Puschock
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3
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Moving inland, we'll bird in the foothills, stopping at locations such
as Lake Hodges and Mission Gorge. We should be seeing many of the
"California" birds by this point of the tour: California
Gnatcatcher, California Towhee, California Thrasher,
California Quail, and California Gull. The coastal form
of the Sage Sparrow ("Bell's" Sparrow),
Wrentit, Nuttall's Woodpecker, and Oak Titmouse
are several other California specialties will also be targeted today.
Third night in San Diego.
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4
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Today we'll make the drive from San Diego to the Salton Sea. Along
the way, we'll be passing over the mountains where we'll stop to bird
the higher elevation chaparral habitat. Fox Sparrow and
Lawrence's Goldfinch are likely additions to the trip list.
We'll be certain to be at the world-famous Salton Sea for the
spectacular sight as the sun sets behind the mountains. Overnight in
Calipatria.
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5
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We'll look for the handsome Yellow-footed Gull at the Salton Sea.
--John Puschock
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The Salton Sea and surrounding areas have incredible birding, and
we'll take the entire day to explore the possibilities. Desert
birding will be the focus early in the day. Many birds of the coast
are locally replaced by their desert counterparts. Instead of
California Quail, Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Gnatcatcher, and
California Thrasher, our targets will be Gambel's Quail,
Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and
Crissal Thrasher, among others. Ruddy Ground-Dove is a
possibility, also. We'll be looking for longspurs, Mountain
Plover, Long-billed Curlew, and Burrowing Owls in
the agricultural fields that surround the southern portion of the
Salton Sea. Heading back to the Sea itself, shorebirds and other
aquatic species will round out our list for the day. Yellow-footed
Gulls, while common in the summer at the Sea, are rare at this
time of year, but we'll definitely be looking for this local species
while we're here. Second night in Calipatria.
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6
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We'll spend much of the day in the Anza-Borrego Desert. We'll stop at
Clark's Dry Lake to look for Le Conte's Thrasher, where we
should also see Black-throated and Brewer's Sparrows.
Barn and Long-eared Owls often roost at the Tamarisk
Grove campground. Costa's Hummingbird, Rock Wren, and
Verdin are just a few of the other species we should see. Last
night in Calipatria.
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Barn Owl
--Jim & Deva Burns,
Natural Impacts
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7
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We'll drive west today and visit the higher elevation habitats of the
Laguna and Cuyamaca mountains. In the mountaintop pine forests, we'll
see Acorn Woodpeckers, Steller's Jays, and Pygmy
Nuthatches. We'll also have time to return to some nice chaparral
habitat. This is the habitat of Mountain Quail, a species that
is often very difficult to see. Spending some extra time in this
region will increase our chances of finding this elusive bird.
Overnight in San Diego.
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8
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This will be an "open" day to look for anything that may
have eluded us. We may want to have an early start in the chaparral
to try for Mountain Quail or Lawrence's Goldfinch, or
maybe we'll visit a rocky coastline to look for a Surfbird or
Black Oystercatcher. There is always the chance for a hotline
bird or two for us to pursue. Overnight in San Diego.
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9
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If time permits, we will do some morning birding before heading to the
airport to catch our departing flights.
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SPECIAL NOTE:
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If you are not a U.S. citizen, please have appropriate identification
and documentation such as a passport or green card with you. We won't
be traveling out of the country, but we may pass through U.S. Border
Patrol checkpoints on our way to and from the Salton Sea.
Non-citizens may be asked to provide this documentation.
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Leader:
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John Puschock is a resident of San Diego and leads many tours
for
BIRD TREKS.
He will do his best to help you find all of the specialty birds of
Southern California.
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Price:
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$2295 per person based upon double occupancy. Single accommodations
are available at an extra charge of $415.
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Includes:
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Expert guide service, lodging for all 8 nights, ALL meals, all
ground transportation within California, and entrance fees. ALL
tips are also included in the tour fee, except for anything that
you may wish to give to your tour leader(s).
Does not include the cost of alcoholic beverages or items of a
personal nature. Also not included is the cost of airfare to San
Diego.
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Deposit:
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A $500 deposit will assure your reservation on the tour. The balance
is due 1 October 2007.
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Extra
Services:
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We offer the services of our exclusive
BIRD TREKS travel agent,
Lori Heathcote, in arranging your air travel. Lori has 21 years
of experience in the travel industry and is a veteran birder. Contact
her through Bailey Travel at 1-800-224-5399, or you can e-mail
lori@baileytravel.com.
By dealing with Lori you have the security of a 24-hour toll-free
telephone number in case of any travel emergency. She can also assist
you with all pre- and post-tour travel plans.
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Refund &
Cancellation
Policy:
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With written notice more than 60 days prior to the first day of the
tour, 100% of your deposit will be refunded, minus a $75 service fee.
With 30-60 days notice, you will receive a 50% refund of the full cost
of the tour. No refund can be made with less than 30 days notice. You
will receive a full refund if you provide a replacement for your spot
on the tour.
No partial refund can be given once a tour begins.
We strongly recommend that you purchase trip
cancellation insurance to protect your investment in case of injury or
illness to you or your family prior to or during a tour. Click on the
following link to Access America or contact
BIRD TREKS for information
on obtaining this coverage.
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Robert M. Schutsky
216 Spring Lane
Peach Bottom, PA 17563
Phone: 717-548-3303
Fax: 717-548-3327
e-mail: info@birdtreks.com
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