Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach offer some of the best coastal birding in Southern California. From Brown Pelicans and shorebirds to the occasional Snowy Plover, every visit brings new wildlife, beautiful scenery, and plenty of reasons to keep coming back.

A spring camping trip to Joshua Tree National Park turned into one of my favorite days of desert birding, with Gambel's Quail, Verdins, Phainopeplas, Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, Costa's Hummingbirds, and plenty of other memorable wildlife encounters.

A spring pelagic trip out of Dana Point brought storm-petrels, Red-necked Phalaropes, a Brown Booby, migrating warblers resting aboard the boat, and thousands of By-the-wind Sailors drifting across calm Southern California waters.

An eight-hour LA Birders pelagic from Marina del Rey took us through Redondo Canyon, along Palos Verdes, and out to the 270 Bank. The day’s remarkable encounters included a rare Horned Puffin, a Manx Shearwater, spinning phalaropes, and a Wilson’s Warbler far offshore.

A fall pelagic trip from Dana Point took an unexpected route after an oil spill was reported off the Orange County coast. The day brought two remarkable Red-billed Tropicbirds, plenty of seabirds, and Brown Pelicans gliding through the boat’s wake.

A January pelagic trip from Dana Point took us into the Catalina Channel for a full day of seabirds, ocean views, and learning from experienced local birders. Highlights included a Black-legged Kittiwake following our wake, a rare winter Buller’s Shearwater, and Brown Pelicans playing behind the boat.

My first pelagic birding tour took us beyond the Channel Islands for twelve hours of seabirds, Brown Boobies, whales, dolphins, fog, and miles of open ocean.

I attended my first bird festival in San Diego, where two days of shorebird walks, nesting cormorants, colorful Brown Pelicans, and birding by bike introduced me to a welcoming community.

On our way to camp in Joshua Tree, we stopped at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve for a shady walk among fall migrants, desert birds, and one startled California striped racer.

A quiet walk through Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge brought coastal views, protected wetland habitat, a Western Snowy Plover, and a Snowy Egret chasing prey through the waves.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve offers some of Orange County’s best coastal birding, from nesting herons and Least Terns to feeding pelicans and dancing Reddish Egrets.

Hidden in the middle of Irvine, San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary offers peaceful walking trails, thriving wetlands, and excellent birding. It also happens to be where my love of birding really began.