I'm voting for White ibis (Eudocimus albus) instead of White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) of chestnut plumage which nest annually in the tall trees at Carr Park in Huntington Beach CA, They arrive in a large flock precicesly at sundown with an erratic acrobatic diving approach. A dozen birders are on hand with their megaequipment each evening at sunset. Orange County in Southern California has over a half dozen great water sites.
At Molino Beach in Long Beach, CA there are a couple hundred Black Skimmers nesting each November-December for the past several years. Their short flights down the beach to try to shake the seagulls is amusing, but the gulls like to hang out on the fringe of the large flock of Black skimmers. Both groups include lots of juvenilles at the present time. If they go to a site in the path of the huge sand-moving equipment, they will move to just a few feet beyond the tire tracks and ignore the monster machines. And they are not disturbed by the humans who walk or jog within a few feet of their encampments.
Bird behavior is fascinating.
Bill Zahn, Long Beach CA 12-29-08
