Desert to Sea: Returning to My Roots in Southern California
It’s funny how some early experiences shape the way you see a place, even if you don’t realize it at the time.
Growing up in California, some of my first jobs in the field took me everywhere from the Channel Islands to the Sierra Nevada. But for me, Southern California stayed with me the most. It isn’t just a destination, it’s a landscape layered with memories: quiet green ribbons of desert riparian corridors, evenings where the Pacific breeze meets rocky cliffs lined with seabirds, and the desert corridors pulsing with hidden life.
Turning Memory into Movement
Last year, I turned those old haunts into a living itinerary. I led a group of six birders through those same landscapes, and the trip unfolded like a homecoming.
We began in the desert’s hidden waterways, places where life clings to the presence of water. And we ended the tour on the coast, where we watched cormorants and pelicans ride the ocean air. It was a reminder of how this region’s beauty lies in the contrast: like the way the desert and the sea each tell their own part of the story.
Letting the Days Lead
What surprised me most last year wasn’t just the birds, though they were incredible. It was the cadence of the days themselves. There’s a rhythm that emerges naturally out there: the stillness before the desert wakes up, the sudden burst of movement when a thrasher cuts across the wash, and the slow shift toward salt and wind as you approach the coast.
By the time you reach the ocean, the air feels different; cooler, heavier, carrying the low rumble of surf. It’s a transition you feel deep within.
Time Slows in the Field
Then there are the small moments that anchor you in time. These are the profound moments that stay with you, like:
- A perfectly timed flyover from a raptor against a backdrop of pale desert sky.
- The first glimpse of the coastline after weaving through the inland scrub.
- The sound of waves at dusk after a long day in the field.
Crafted From Experience
Those moments are what give shape to the trips I build. That’s why I built this tour, to ground the birding experience in something wider, something connected to place, memory, and season.
This spring, I’m excited to share that journey again. The 2026 Southern California tour follows that same path, blending my California roots with the joy of introducing others to these habitats.
Come Bird California With Me
If you’d like to be part of that experience and see the landscapes that helped shape my love of birding, I’d love to have you along.
Now Booking: Southern California Birding Tour: March 23–29, 2026
From desert waterways to the Pacific coast. Small group, slow pace, unforgettable landscapes. Reserve your spot here