March + 39 Species for a total of 382
151 species and 14 Lifers
First Stop:  Michigan 

A trip to Michigan's eastern UP in the winter without 4 wheel drive is tricky.  They measure the snow by feet, not inches.  It is only a five hour drive from home and I needed boreal species, so I sliced in a trip with the snow forecast as my guide.  I tried using AI to help me plan this adventure and it was a lesson on how much AI doesn't know about birding.  It was helpful with weather forecasting and driving directions, but AI doesn't have access to eBird checklists.  Additionally, species such as Snowy Owls and Great Gray Owls are considered sensitive and are not listed on public checklists. On the first day I drove around for 8 hours and got 9 species.  What I lacked in numbers was redeemed by quality.  I watched three different Rough-legged Hawks glide slowly over the snow covered fields.  I could've watched them for hours.  They are such majestic birds.  Another was the elusive Snowy Owl, who was perched high in a radio tower along the Rudyard Loop. It was a blob of white that I had to crane my neck to see and was sort of anti-climactic, but still a good species.  Although Rudyard is the self-proclaimed Snowy Owl Capital, they are still a challenge to find.  The best part of the day was a flock of Bohemian Waxwings at the Dafter Post Office - a lifer for me.  With only 9 species to show for a full day of driving, I reached out to birders on the Michigan Discord birding forums.  Within a few hours I had recent trip reports with pins for houses where people feed birds, which is where almost ALL the birds were.  I got up early the next morning and picked up Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks, ​and Sharp-tailed Grouse at feeders near Pickford. At both locations the feeders are visible from the road, which was very helpful.  
Birding around home in SE Michigan
I spent a several days birding around home specifically looking for a Snow Bunting and a Northern Shrike.  I failed to find either of them, but it wasn't for lack of trying.  I hit the shrike hotspot of 29 Mile and Omo Roads, but only picked up a Ring-necked Pheasant.  I visited a new place with my grandson - the Red Oaks Nature Center.  What a gem in the middle of the city.  I returned from a day of work (subbing), put my feet up, and opened my phone to see that a Yellow-headed Blackbird was at the feeders at Lake St. Clair Metropark.  While not rare, this is a good bird for the area.  I hopped in the car and was at the feeders ten minutes later.  As usual, I found fellow birders (or "your people" according to my husband).  We were rewarded with great looks at a bright yellow head among the many Red-winged Blackbirds.  It is nice to see an uncommon bird, but it is especially nice to see it with other excited birders.    

Time to find some California sun!

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I arrived in sunny LAX on St. Patrick's Day and spent the rest of March birding the following local hotspots:  LA Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens,  Frank Bonelli Regional Park, Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, Chilao Visitor's Center and Picnic Area, Mount Wilson Observatory area, Pasadena Memorial Park, Griffith Park, and along the Los Angeles River.  
We also took a weekend trip north to Death Valley National Park and Lone Pine, CA.  What a wonderful trip!  Our first night was in Lone Pine, which is a small town in the Owens Valley with the mighty Sierra Nevada to the west and the Inyo Mountains to the east.  The rock formations in the Alabama Hills are other worldly.  I saw many new species including a brief appearance of the elusive LeConte's Thrasher.  The sun had just come up and we were stopped on Movie Road (aptly named because many movies have been filmed here) and a LeConte's appeared at eye level on a sage bush, sang for about 10 seconds, and then hopped down and we couldn't find him again.  Merlin picked up the song and I got enough of a look to know if was a thrasher, but I really wished I could've seen him longer.  There were Brewer's Sparrows, Black Throated Sparrows, Sagebrush Sparrows, Rock Wrens, Horned Lark, and a lone Red Crossbill. We birded in the late afternoon and evening the first day, but the real highlight was getting up early and birding before 10 am.  Once that record breaking high temps started, everything shut down.  The loop from Movie Road to Hogback Road took a few hours, but it was very worth it.  You can camp all along this route and we plan to return.  The sky is super dark at night and on a clear, moonless night, I'm sure the Milky Way is spectacular.  

Birds were not the highlight of Death Valley National Park.  The wildflowers stole the show.  The area is experiencing a "Super Bloom" and it was breathtaking.  And yes, of course there was a record breaking high temperature of 105 while we were at the park.   
We took the long way home and stopped to view the bumper poppy crop in the Antelope Hills area.  While the Poppy Reserve had some decent blooms, the fields around that area had many picturesque (free) spots to pull off the road and enjoy the view.   
After Antelope Valley, we drove over to the San Gabriel Mountains and visited the Chilao Visitor's Center and Picnic area.  It is at just over 5000 ft. elevation and a great place to get Mountain Quail and White-headed Woodpeckers.  We also stopped at the Mount Wilson Observatory area and got the Lewis's Woodpecker again.