As I travel the roads here in Southern California and look at the brush-covered hills I wonder if most people ever stop to think about what wildlife lives in this seemingly non-descript landscape?  For me this habitat is one of the most interesting of all. This world that no one sees is full of life and home to an unbelievable community of living creatures.

Birder’s Quiz: You are birding the chaparral and see a bird that is very unusual looking. It is about the size of a woodpecker but is all brown and has a very long de-curved bill. What is it?

This habitat we all see every day is actually called chaparral. Chaparral is made up of tough, mostly impenetrable plants composing of chamise, sage, scub oak, manzanita, and ceanothus species. It covers thousands of acres of hills and mountains all the way to the Oregon border and beyond. And it is home to some of the most interesting and unique species of birds that are rarely seen.

I love birding in the chaparral areas since there are few people in these areas and the birds are more than willing to show themselves for viewing or photography. You just have to know where to go and what to do. So let’s go!

Some of my favorite places to see chaparral birds in our area are Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve on Clinton Keith Rd. and the area along the Ortega Highway from Lake Elsinore to Caspers’ Wilderness Park near San Juan Capistrano. These areas are particularly productive and are easy to access.

Common year-round species here are Red-shouldered Hawk (near riparian corridors) Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, California Quail, Anna’s Hummingbird, Scrub Jay, Wrentit, Spotted and California Towhee, and Lesser Goldfinch. Winter brings Say’s Phoebe, Western Bluebird, Lark Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow, and others.

Some mammals that inhabit the chaparral are bats, raccoons, weasels, skunks, foxes, coyotes, mountain lion, bobcat, ground squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and Mule Deer. Although your chances of seeing any of these mammals are minimal they are there.

But to see birds try these tips:

1)      Go slowly and be observant. Sometimes sitting quietly in one spot is very productive. Birds become wary as you approach but will resume their normal activity after a short period if you are quietly.

2)      Make slow movements. Birds are very observant and will bolt at sudden movements

3)      Try “spishing”. Spishing is making a sound like Shhhh! with a sp in front. I know it sound crazy and you might feel a little foolish at first but it works. I think the birds think of it as a call resembling the call of a Red-tailed Hawk. Regardless the birds do react to this sound. You can be in a seemingly birdless area and as soon as you begin spishing birds begin to “pop” up everywhere. Expert birders everywhere use this method to bring birds into view.

4)      The best time to bird is early morning although birding can be very productive anytime during the winter. Birds are most active in the morning before the heat begins.

So there you have it. Just for fun try birding the chaparral. If you haven’t seen these wonderful birds that I call “Hidden Treasures” you have really missed part of California’s heritage.

Remember if you have questions about birding or would like more information on our photography classes currently being conducted at Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve please contact me through my website at www.cronbergphography.com.

Birder’s Tip: With all this rain we have been experiencing there is going to be a great wildflower season. So if your partner isn’t a birder the wildflowers will surely be enticing enough to get them out there.

Birder’s Quiz Answer: You have found a California Thrasher

A lot of patients believe that the only way to rejuvenate their lips is by having their lips injected. Most often patients come to my office and say they are frightened to have the duck bill look to their lips. While injectable fillers for the lips done properly can leave a natural result, some patients’ lips are not ideal candidates for lip injection. These patients usually have upper lips that are getting thinner in the red portion and longer in the upper lip skin portion. For these patients the most ideal procedure would be a sub-nasal lip lift.

A lip lift is a 30 minute procedure that can be done in the office under only local anesthesia. It is not painful and does not cause a lot of bruising or swelling.

Many dream of the freedom of self-employment, of being the master of their own destiny, the commander of their own ship. But, sadly, very few venture into self-employment. The majority of those who do attempt self-employment fail because of lack of experience and knowledge. They end up going back to spending 1/2 of their waking lives in a cubicle or sitting in traffic.

You can increase your odds of success dramatically by surrounding yourself with experienced professionals who can help you navigate the unfamiliar waters of self-employment.

In my 25 years of experience, here are a few of what I have found to be the MVPs of the successfully self-employed person’s dream team, along with some basic criteria for hiring them:

1.  Talk to your customers daily

Talking to your customers can be one of the most rewarding activities a business person can do.  Sure we all do it when complaints arise, but that is not what I am talking about here.  Spend the time to get to know them, enjoy the interaction.  Ask them questions.  They can tell you an awful lot about your business.  And most importantly this input is from their perspective.  Customers are very intelligent and they can see shortcomings in your business or product that maybe you don’t even realize.  In addition, they can tell you if your pricing is good or bad, the quality and durability of your product or the products that you are selling.  You can easily read their level of satisfaction and so much more, just by listening to them.  Don’t make interacting with your customer a task that only gets done when trouble is looming.  Make it a daily habit and your customers will appreciate it and your business will too.  And remember this applies not only to business owners, but salespeople and other employees too.

2.  Learn to say YES

Yes is such a powerful word in business, but so is the phrase I can’t.