Feathering Their Nest : Bird-Watchers Flock to the Open Spaces to Take in the Sights and Raise Money for Sanctuary

Victor Leipzig trained his binoculars across the rippling waters of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, peering intently at the far shore of a brackish bay. Then he spotted it--a great blue heron feeding intently in the brine.

In concert, the covey of bird-watchers swung their binoculars up to get a look where Leipzig pointed. Some smiled. Others murmured appreciatively at the sight of the majestic, slate-colored bird.

They had bagged another one.

No, this wasn’t just any old bird-watching expedition. Leipzig and his group were birding for bucks.

They were among about 100 participants Saturday in the second annual “bird-a-thon” sponsored by Sea & Sage Audubon, the Orange County chapter of the National Audubon Society.

Armed with binoculars and bird identification books, these bird aficionados spent hours combing the coastal waterways and inland fields of the county in a search for as many different feathered creatures as they could count.

Much like a charity walk-a-thon, participants got pledges from sponsors or agreed to pay 25 cents themselves for every different type of bird they sighted. The goal of the event is to raise $10,000 for the group’s wildlife sanctuary in the Santa Ana Mountains and other avian causes.

The event featured bird-watchers of all stripes. Many of the participants broke up into four-person teams led by a seasoned birder and flocked to various birding hot spots around Orange County.

There were also two organized sessions for larger groups. An inland “sage” trip was led by Dave Bontrager, an ornithologist and independent biological consultant engaged in studies of the endangered California gnatcatcher.

The coastal “sea” outing was shepherded by Leipzig, a biology professor at Golden West College and executive director of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. Leipzig, who is a well-known birder in Orange County, and eight bird-watchers meandered about the crusty shores of Bolsa Chica for most of the morning, spotting more than 40 birds.

Indeed, the benefits of the bird-a-thon go far beyond the fund-raising goals. Saturday’s event will help augment other bird counts done periodically through the year, helping to gauge the health of the county’s bird population. And ourselves. Birds are a good barometer of the environment, providing vivid clues as to the complexion of the air, water and land.

The day is also a lot of fun.

“It’s a great opportunity to take part in an activity that’s completely non-destructive,” Leipzig said. “People are really curious about their environment. Bird-watching is a way to satisfy that curiosity.”

The event kicked off shortly after the sun wandered into the sky. Leipzig and the rest gathered in the Bolsa Chica parking lot near a wooden walkway leading into the heart of the wetlands.

By the time they had left the asphalt, the group had already sighted nearly a dozen different types of birds. Black crown night herons. A mourning dove. Some sparrows. A red-wing blackbird. A trio of black-necked stilts. Starlings.

Next, the bird-watchers trained their binoculars on some sandpipers hunkered in a small pond embraced by pickleweed next to the parking area. Heads bobbing, the birds foraged for food in the salty silt.

“They’re going after worms largely,” Leipzig noted. “But they also take very small snails, very small clams.”

Moving out along the shore, Leipzig’s crew began spotting various waterfowl. Cinnamon teal, ruddy duck, common coot.

Suddenly, Leipzig pointed out a relatively rare sight--a ruddy duck whose bill had turned its summer shade of blue. Typically, these birds have migrated north by the time their bills change color, he explained.

“Really?” chirped Betty Byelene as she crouched down and whipped up her binoculars to get a look.

For Byelene, it was her first experience on an organized bird-watching expedition. And the retired Huntington Beach schoolteacher seemed to be having a smashing time.

“I love to travel, and I like to notice the birds wherever I go,” she said. “When I was teaching, I’d take vacations to the Caribbean and I’d love to watch the birds. So I decided this would be fun.”

Gary Meredith wasn’t nearly as startled by the discovery of the blue-billed duck. He’s been a serious bird-watcher for the past three years, and nothing compares to the wood duck he spotted two months ago at Laguna Lake in Fullerton.

Whipping out his avian identification book, Meredith proved his point. The male is a kaleidoscope of maroon, brown, green, blue, red, white and black. A tufted plume of feathers arches off the back of its head.

“That,” Meredith declared, “is the most colorful duck God created.”

An assistant mechanic for the U.S. Postal Service, Meredith sees bird-watching as an enjoyable way to relieve workday stress. He got into it after he bought a pet parrot, and his interest evolved into a fascination for all types of birds.

“Within the last year, I’ve gone on lots of these bird watches,” the South Laguna resident said. “It’s a lot of fun, and it keeps me out of trouble.”

For experienced birders like Karen Perry of Laguna Niguel, there were few new discoveries. But even they got a few surprises. When Leipzig pointed to a pencil-legged bird known as a red knot, it was a first for Perry.

“I frequent water places, but I’ve never seen one of these before,” Perry said. “I may have ignored him because he looks like other types. That’s why birding with a groups is so great, especially when you’ve got someone top-notch like Vic.”

Perry has been interested in birds since she was a child. She has tried to import that enthusiasm into the sixth-grade classes she teaches at a Mission Viejo elementary school. Said Perry, “Getting the students familiar with things helps lead to respect.”

After sighting the red knot, she smiled and shook her head. There never seems to be an end to the varieties of birds.

“I went to Indiana--my kids go to the university there--and there’s a whole new world of birds,” she said. “That’s what I love about bird-watching, there’s always more birds to see. You’re constantly having to act like a detective because you’re breaking down clues all the time.”

As the group wandered along a earthen berm separating two estuaries, they suddenly stopped. On the ground were the remnants of a one-sided fight. An explosion of feathers from some small bird that had been attacked by a predator lay scattered on the soil.

“Oh my,” someone gasped.

“The story of life,” intoned Leipzig. “I’d say it’s a good chance this involved a peregrine falcon.”

But the group moved on. Moments later, they spotted a snowy egret ankle deep in the water, gobbling a soggy strip of marsh grass.

“There he goes,” Meredith announced as the meal slithered down the bird’s long white neck. “Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.”

Leipzig and the others smiled.

“This day,” he concluded, “is full of life and death in the salt marsh.”