Birding

Shipley Nature Center provides some of the best year-round birding in Southern California. The mix of Oak Woodland, Torrey Pines, meadows, Riparian, Sycamore-Alder Grove and Coastal Sage Scrub habitats make Shipley one of the best places in Orange County to spot a variety of songbirds. There are abundant numbers of California native plants which supply nectar to hummingbirds and wrens. Old groves of Redwood Forest and Coast Live Oak attract foraging raptors. Mature willows around the natural, freshwater pond draw grebes, herons, coots and ducks.

The sight of Great Egrets building their nests and creating a colony at Shipley Nature Center is not to be missed. Once a year the graceful birds arrive to build nests and create the next generation.
On June 25, the bird count volunteers counted 13 Great Egret nests. Six nests had chicks and we observed the parents feeding the chicks.  We observed two nests trading off parents as one would fly in and the other fly out.  Other nests, only one parent seemed to be doing all the work thus leaving the chicks alone while it foraged.  Begging chicks could be heard squawking loudly throughout the morning.

Monthly bird survey reports are posted to www.eBird.org  under Huntington Central Park–Shipley Nature Center.  https://ebird.org/hotspot/    To View the checklist:   June 25, 2021

Bird Watchers At Shipley

Volunteers do a bird count on the last Friday of the month which is recorded on the bird board. There is also a Field Form for visitors to record sightings of birds. For information on volunteering for the bird surveys, visit our Volunteer page.