Crescent City and Enderts Beach

A good start to the day with a walk to the nearby Smith River and views of Steller’s Jay mobbing a female Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus with a large cub. A fine Cedar Waxwing was also good to see really well. No signs of Dippers. Some Turkey Vultures soar along the high wall to the N of the river. I photograph a skipper near the fishpond outside our cabin. I think it is either a Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides or a Mardon Skipper Polites mardon – the latter seems to be a better match but I am uncertain. We then cross a drawbridge with some trepidation and have a browse along the far shore and the other two cabins of this establishment. Saw an Anna’s Hummingbird on the bright reddish orange Mimulus flowers. David picked out a Spotted Sandpiper on the opposite shore and we had good views of it bobbing along as it foraged among the boulders along the river bank. We then set off for the Forest Service National Recreation Area Visitor Center in Gasquet and the National Parks Information Center in Hiouchi where we collected some good books and maps before having lunch at an excellent café in Hiouchi. A family of Barn SwallowsAfternoon spent walking the trail at Enderts beach parking the car at Crescent Beach overlook (end of road) before taking the short trail to Nickel creek where we could get down to the beach. Turkey Vultures above and a large swarm of Vaux’s Swift seen. Brown Pelican feeding just beyond the surf and gulls passing by. Some Surf Scoter (ca 30) on the sea off Enderts Beach. Certainly some grebes at sea that I took to be Western Grebe and not Clark’s Grebe. Returning we saw a couple of Garter Snakes and I photographed another Skipper similar to the one seen before. We spotted a Raccoon Procyon lotor beside the road. We walked a while on Crescent Beach where I saw a few small groups of gulls including some Heermann’s Gull and a Semipalmated Plover a few Western Sandpipers and a Sanderling. Small groups of Western Sandpiper had been passing us while on Enderts Beach but not stopping. We found a small chick Common Murre without fully grown wing feathers dead on the strandline. A dependant fledged chick not yet able to fly. Returning to Crescent City I was left to walk the harbourside and out to Whaler Island for half an hour while David Tracey with James did some essential food shopping. In the harbour a group of about 50 Double-crested Cormorants, a couple of Black Turnstones, some Californian Sean Lions (ca 40)and about 20 Harbour Seal. Lots of Western Gulls at the fish gutting station while the fishermen were at work and at least a few Glaucose-winged Gulls. A scruffy Common Raven was with the gulls and called a few times, which was great to hear. A single Brandt’s Cormorant but at least 50 Pacific Loon in all stages of moult from summer (alternate) plumage and at least one moulting Common Loon still showing a considerable proportion of alternate plumage. A few Surf Scoters also seen. Two Savannah Sparrows on the Whaler Island pathway in short coastal vegetation gave me some trouble to identify but I feel reasonable confident that is what they were. Some feral pigeons on a pontoon with a hut. Two Caspian Terns flew over calling as David came back at about 1815 to collect me. Returned through the Redwoods to our cabin and had a fabulous steak meal cooked on the barbecue. Tired and to bed after writing up these notes. Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Sandpiper and Gray Fox highlights today.