Already off to a good start in ’09 with 3 new photo birds: Red-necked Grebe, Williamson’s Sapsucker and Great Horned Owl. I ticked the first two up in Ventura on Saturday and the Great Horned Owl right here in the Ballona Wetlands. He was located within a grove of Eucalyptus trees next to the Gas Co. parcel adjacent to the Ballona Freshwater Marsh. Apparently there has been a couple resident there for a while and even nested one year and fledged at least one chick.

Some other good fortune – I checked Ballona Creek a couple times for the Black Scoters that Martin Meyers found but it wasn’t until saturday afternoon that I was able to photograph them and in decent lighting conditions. There was also a nice adult Thayer’s Gull nearby. Photos follow.

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