Peanuts In My Pocket

My local park is Don Knabe Community Regional Park in Cerritos, though we’ve always just called it “Regional Park.” It’s been part of my life since it opened in the 70s. Before that, my friends and I used to ride dirt bikes across the large open field that eventually became the park. I even skateboarded in an abandoned pool there, collecting the broken bones and scars to prove it. Though I live farther away now, I’m still close enough to think of it as our park.

On Monday, I visited the park with my wife, son, and grandsons—ostensibly so the boys could test out their new RC boats. But I had another goal in mind: adding to my 2025 Bird Nerd Project. I’ve already identified about 10 species at the park this year, so I didn’t have high hopes for something new. To my surprise, I managed to capture a Cassin’s Kingbird, bringing my 2025 count to 58 species.

The Cassin’s Kingbird is a medium-sized songbird native to the southwestern United States and western Mexico. It features a dark gray head and chest, a white throat, and a bright yellow belly. Unlike the similar Western Kingbird, it lacks white outer tail feathers. – All About Birds

An Extraordinary Encounter

Near the end of our visit, I was sitting on a bench soaking up the afternoon sun when I noticed a large bird drop suddenly from the sky at the far end of the central lake. Behavior like that isn’t something you often see at the park’s old duck pond, so I watched closely. The bird rose back into the air, then repeated the dive moments later—this time surfacing with a large fish clutched in its talons.

The osprey is a large bird of prey found on every continent except Antarctica. It has a distinctive appearance, with brown upperparts, white underparts, and a white head marked by a dark eye stripe. Ospreys are unique among raptors for their diet, which consists almost exclusively of fish. They are skilled hunters, often seen diving feet-first into water to catch their prey. – All About Birds

I didn’t think I’d have any chance of capturing the moment on camera—it was too far away—but I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. To my surprise, the bird circled the lake in a victory lap, proudly displaying its catch. I yelled to my son and pointed. He managed to capture video while I pushed my camera to its limit, snapping 40 frames in less than a minute.

Later, with some help from post-processing, I confirmed that the bird was an osprey. It was the first osprey I had ever seen at the park and one of the few I’d seen anywhere.

A Shared Discovery

My son, who also participates in the Bird Nerd Project, earned credit for spotting the osprey. I didn’t, since I’d already photographed one a week earlier hunting over Seal Beach. Still, seeing it catch a fish was a new experience for me, and it left me pumped.

What this encounter taught me is the value of slowing down and being observant while birding. Spending just 15 minutes watching a pond can reveal something magical. You never know when an extraordinary moment will happen—and if you’re lucky, you might even capture a once-in-a-lifetime event.