Friday Postcard: Bird of the Day!

I didn't even know there was a bird of the day, but I got it

Orange-crowned warbler in La Jolla, California © Jason P .Odell

I’m in San Diego leading my birding workshops, and before I met my clients, I went out to do a little scouting. It’s not like I was worried about the wildlife being around; it’s reliable. But I do like to check on where the birds are hanging out, and make sure that all of my gear is in working order before meeting with my group.

While the pelicans, cormorants, and sea lions garner most of the attention here, sometimes you’ll encounter a small bird in the shrubs near the sidewalk. That was the case here, and I happened to be quite close. Of course, I had no idea what it was, so that’s when I turned to my go-to tool for bird identification, and got a pleasant surprise!

What bird is that? How to find out what you saw