Heading home

Last day of this trip. Woke to a very misty day and sound recording not much use because traffic noise from the freeway was very loud under these conditions. Not much to note from the garden this morning because I was busy packing. However, the orioles have not gone! Tracey, James and I go to Ormond Beach at mid-day and have a Mexican take-away lunch before I go off to look at the lagoon which was full unlike its condition a couple of weeks ago.

Lagoon at Ormond Beach

Tide was now lower than before but rising. Much less to see this time but the Red-shouldered Hawk was present and about 20 Double-crested Cormorants were loafing. Also 3-4 Pied-billed Grebe were present and a first autumn Horned Grebe was swimming about but not diving. A few Mallard and a good number of gulls on the far E end of the lagoon and out to sea and gathered on the surf beach up nearer to the pier. Probably 1000 birds but I never got round to scanning many of them. I did a bit of photography on a Long-billed Curlew, some Marbled Godwits and a few Willets. A few (ca 20) Western Sandpiper were present on the lagoon and a single Spotted Sandpiper. One Great Blue Heron and a single Snowy Egret was also seen. I was reasonably confident that two cormorants well out to sea were in fact Brandt’s Cormorant. A small number of Brown Pelican were seen moving E along the beach. We came home about 1430.

Brown Pelicans

Long-billed Curlew

Marbled Godwits

Off to catch the plane at 1800 in the Roadrunner shuttle bus. Depart from LA at 2330 tonight. Roadrunner arrives at about 1840 and I get to LAX at about 2000. Check in and security are very quick and I am at gate 41 in no time at all. Flight out was comfortable and the plane not overcrowded. Arrival in Sydney was on time but held back by 0600 curfew so clearing immigration and customs was slow with the simultaneous arrival of several large flights. Transfer to domestic by 0730 and on to the Canberra flight at about 0845 for an arrival in Canberra that was only about 10 minutes late. Katie at the airport to take me home. Relax and go through the mountain of mail. Mrs Cummins has completely re-landscaped her front garden while I have been away! Jim is at the coast. Hailie very pleased to se me!

Red-shouldered Hawk and Long-billed Curlew are highlights.

Paradise Cove

David and Mark in the restaurant at Paradise Cove

Sound recording hummingbirds at first light 0600 using the minidisk and stereo Sennheiser ME64s in vertical plane at less than 1m from hummer feeder. Mostly Allen’s, I suspect, but some wing noises might have been from Anna’s Hummingbird of which at least one is still about. There are now several Allen’s attending the feeder. We (David, Tracey,James, Mark and me) all go to Paradise Cove for breakfast at 0800. I spend the morning trying to get better shots of the hummingbirds and do some journal entries which I am now completing at about 1345!

Anna's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

It seems that the Hooded Orioles have gone. American Crow roosting flight as normal at dusk. Walked up the hill behind the house with David and Alice the dog in the late afternoon (1830-1915).

California Thrasher and House Wren are highlights today.

Rest and recovery day

Recuperating and catch up on downloading pictures from the digital camera.

I set up the minidisk for recording at dawn tomorrow at the hummer feeder outside my window. American Crows pass overhead as usual between 1900-1930 going to roost in a NE direction somewhere – probably a couple of hundred or more. Mark from San Francisco office came to stay for two nights.

Return to Thousand Oaks

We set off from our Middlefork Smith River cabin at a little after 0700hrs. A Steller’s Jay is about early and some American Robins are working the lawns. A flock of 20 or so California Quail farewell us as we turn out onto the highway. We head up to Oregon on highway 199 to Grants Pass and then on to Medford and down into California again passing Mt Shasta where we make a brief stop at a rest area. Here I find a dull plumaged Western Tanager fossicking in the top of a low tree. All long the way we can spot Turkey Vultures soaring and an occasional Red-tailed Hawk. These continue to be obvious from the car all the way to well south of Sacramento. I see a few flocks of Canada Geese in the valley near Redding. I spot a Purple Martin. We stop at the Riverside Restaurant in Red Bluff for lunch. Sitting behind an array of fine nozzles spraying water as a mist we have an excellent meal and watch 8 Common Merganser drift by preening. They are obviously a brood of l-fg (large-full grown) young with flight feathers about 3/5 grown. Cliff Swallows have a mass of nests under the nearby road bridge. A Green Heron takes off from a bankside tree to fly under the bridge. A Black Phoebe flits about over the river and below the bridge. We press on through Sacramento, see one paddock full of Great Egrets perhaps 100 or more but nothing much else of note and we stop south on a knoll with spectacular views across the San Joachim Valley somewhere about 10 miles S of the intersection with Freeway 580. A large RV passes towbaring a white Hummer!

I have stopped here before some 15 years ago when I was on my way from Sonoma to the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Today we press on with another stop on Freeway 5 just W of Bakersfield at a place called Castro. A tree in the rest area is full of noisy House Sparrows and some European Starlings.

Common Starling

It seems that Brewer’s Blackbirds are always to be found at roadside rest areas. A spectacular fly over of White-faced Ibis in V formations occurred at about 1930. About 85 + 65 + 45 and a few stragglers making over 200 birds, all told, and heading along the same direction as our highway. Later I find they were heading into the Buena Vista Lake bed area and crossing the freeway from the north I saw 50-100 Cattle Egret heading into the same wetlands on the S side of the road. It was now getting towards dark and the Freeway was soon to become a crawl until we were through the mountains and descending into LA. We were home a little after 2200. Very tired.

Western Tanager and White-faced Ibis highlights of the day.

Ossagon Trail

Common Raven

I set off at 0630 and go straight to Lake View Road. The activity is much the same as yesterday except there seem to be fewer Great Egrets (10) and less Blue-winged Teal compared with Green-winged Teal. Today the latter outnumbered the former by at least 4:1 with as many as 50 Green-winged Teal visible. Again some Northern Pintail (4) and this time some Northern Shoveler (4). Mallard not particularly numerous as was the case yesterday. Again some Gadwall. Also fewer Western Sandpipers but they were still conspicuous and about 50-100 present today. Still 2 Great Blue Heron but no Bittern seen. There were 12 Canada Geese but none of the small dark Aleutian form Branta hutchinsii leucopareia. A few Cliff Swallow amongst the many Barn Swallow feeding above the rushes. A single White-tailed Kite seen sitting up on a bare branch. I noticed at least 60 Band-tailed Pigeons sitting in another dead tree or two before suddenly they all came pouring in to the road beside the car. Obviously filling up on grit! Some came right up to the car and ate from the soft mud alongside about 30m from me. Most interesting and a very handsome pigeon with black tipped bright yellow bills and yellow legs and feet; neat white collar across back of head; large iridescent nape patch and clean grey general body colouration with lavender shades on the breast and a distinct band on a long broad tail formed by contrast between dark base and pale outer portion. Remained almost silent except for an occasional soft coo. The loud clapping of the wings as they flew up or came into land and the soft whistling of the wings in flight was much more audible. Today at least 4 Yellowlegs seen and again I assume them to be Greater. Clear tu-tu-tu calls. Fewer gulls and not much else to note.

I drive out to the Lake Earl Wildlife Area down Old Mill Road to the end at a trailhead car park. This is a little past the LEWA headquarters building and car park mentioned by Barron (2001) - continuing left another half mile. The whole area looks very good and worth a walk or two if I had the time. I see a small party of American Goldfinch as I return to go out to the harbour and a White-crowned Sparrow. I take the Pebble Beach road from the turn off on Washington Blvd opposite the airport having missed the turn to Dead Lake which I was going to explore. I then slowly drive back to Crescent City stopping to view the sea and shoreline at several pullouts on the way. The tide is out. Nothing special to note and I eventually park at the base of B pier for a look at the harbour. Here I find 2 Short-billed Dowitcher which I am sure are the same two seen a few days ago! A few Common Loon on the harbour including a remarkable performance by two birds, one still very dark on the head and neck the other in ‘winter’ plumage as far as I could tell. They chased each other with flapping wings propelled by their feet at a remarkable pace motor-boating hither and thither for at least 2 minutes without stopping. They covered a lot of water in that time. Sometimes they were side by side but mostly in line and often close but occasionally 10-20 m apart. On at least two occasions a typical wailing call was given briefly by one or possibly both birds. Eventually they stopped, each dived, wing flapped and preened and both settled without further ado. A sustained effort that must surely have been exhausting. It certainly showed the enormous power that exists in the legs of loons. Was it part of some courtship performance? A testing of fitness? Was it an adult with a full grown young? This latter possibility only came to mind after the experience of later in the day!

I move on to the car park near the outfall of Elk Creek but find that most of the gulls have dispersed onto the wide beach now it is low tide. With the gulls a few Black Oystercatcher on the muds. A party of at least 6 Common Raven give me a chance for a few pictures.

Common Raven

Heermann's Gull

Glaucose-winged gull

It is now nearly 1000 so I return to the cabin in Gasquet ready for the main walk today which will be in the afternoon after we return to have lunch at the Chart Room at about 1200.

Seals on the pontoon while we eat at the Chart Room include at least 30 Harbour Seal and 20 or more California Sea Lions that seem to be mostly mature males; large bodied with very high foreheads and short muzzles. I have not certainly seen any Fur Seals or any Northern Elephant Seals. Sea Otters have also not been seen at any time.

Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway at trailhead, a fern and some fungi on a log

We head down to Klamath and the Newton B Drury scenic Parkway to walk the short Ossagon trail to the beach. This trail starts in tall redwood forest rising a little (to about 800’) before taking a long descent to sea level. We see a few Band-tailed Pigeons and hear a soft cuc-whoo call from at least one of them.

Ossagon beach

The redwoods domination very soon progresses to mixed conifer still of massive proportions then as it becomes cooler and wetter broadleaf components become more conspicuous and it eventually becomes Alder woodland before breaking out onto a broad flat dune system at least 500m wide before the final steep slope onto the tide line. In the wet gully of the Ossagon creek we saw a Varied Thrush. The sea is calm. While still in the edge forest I can hear Murres moaning and their food begging chicks squeaking. Sure enough out to sea are scattered couples of Common Murres an adult and an accompanying well-grown but generally slightly smaller chick. I see one chick fed a large fish that must have been about 10cm long. There are countless numbers of them visible to the limits of our vision in both directions. Mostly about 1 km out from the tide edge. Also present are numerous loons. Both Pacific and Common Loon but many of the latter appeared to have a ‘murre’ in tow! I assume these were recently fledged young Common Murre that have latched onto a Loon as a surrogate parent! How extraordinary! I could find no Pacific Loon with a ‘chick’ in tow. All parents had but a single chick. There were plenty of them!

Also present in large numbers were gulls dominated by Western Gull but the next most numerous was Heermann’s Gull. There were Caspian Terns and many cormorant that mostly seemed to be Double-crested but some were certainly Pelagic Cormorants. Cormorants were sitting on some offshore craggy rocky up and down the coast. There were numerous Brown Pelican. A few Surf Scoter were present or flew past in small groups or singly and a few Western Grebe were in amongst the loons and Common Murres.

Tracey saw an Osprey drop down to the sea and we then saw it fly off with a large fish. The Osprey headed S and into some trees about 2 mile down the beach often shaking itself dry as it flew. Maybe a feeding post but possibly a nest site.

Just before we left we spotted a small dark grey dolphin with a very short rounded dorsal fin. It seemed to be an adult with an accompanying young and the snout on the uniformly coloured body was rounded. After looking at Carwardine (2000) I am reasonably certain that these were Harbour (Common) Porpoise Phocoena phocoena. To quote Carwardine .. 'when it rises to breath, the lasting impression is of a slow, forward rolling motion, as if the dorsal fin is mounted on a revolving wheel lifted briefly above the surface then withdrawn'. Exactly how it was. At about the same time we saw that a seabird feeding frenzy was building up out to sea to the S and just about every gull, pelican and many of the cormorant were gathered in the one spot. Mostly it was a mass of squabbling gulls feeding on the surface close together as a mob. Gulls were flying in from a mile or two from both directions. I take picture of the dune vegetation system and its most prominent colonizing plants for Petrus Heyligers!

View north on dunes

View south on dunes

Strandplants at Ossagon Beach

A Marsh Wren crosses my path as I leave the creek side and enter the woodlands at the back of the beach and we plod uphill back to the car. Again not a lot to see or hear in the forests at this time of the year but we do see many small frogs in the wetter parts near the Ossagon Creek. They were almost certainly Pacific Treefrogs Hyla regilla, mostly as far as I could tell in the brown colouration with none green. I use Stebbins (2003) for this identification. A very good field guide it seems to me.

We take a quick look at Walker Road in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park on the way out from Crescent City and drive to the river taking the right fork in the road. A Common Merganser bashing upstream at the surface was presumably engaged in chasing some fish. It was thrashing along with the head underwater!

Band-tailed Pigeon and Common Murres with chicks at sea were highlights today.

Jawbone Road and Doe Flat

View of Lake Earl from the end of Lake View Road

I set out for the coast at 0700. I go straight to lake view road and sit there in the car for about an hour. It is exactly as described by Barron (2001). About 20 Great Egrets, 2 Great Blue Herons, 3-4 Yellowlegs that seem to me to be Greater; a very close view of a Northern Harrier in front of the windscreen and good numbers of Western Sandpipers along the shoreline feeding busily on the muds. Probably a couple of hundred in view all told. A few very scruffy gulls that included one or two certain Californian Gulls. The duck were mostly Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal, about 30 of each, with lesser numbers of Mallard and 2 Gadwall and 3 Northern Pintail. A honking Canada Goose eventually came in sight as it flew across the lake towards the N and later a small skein of 8-10 flew off E. An American Bittern seen briefly sitting out on a low clump before it scuttled off into the rushes (Eleocharis-like but tall) was a pleasing bonus.

Cliff edge near Point St George looking west

Next, I drove out to Point St George stopping on the way to look at Castle Rock. Here I saw at close range two Marsh Wrens at the side of the pull out and under the car!

Castle Rock from Point St George

A much better day at the Point with the St George Reef lighthouse now visible, at least partly, with its top still in the mist. A party of about 30 Lesser Goldfinch, glimpsed yesterday in the same area but seen well today, was hanging about one of the fenced off areas near the mast at the point. They flew down to feed on the ground amongst the grasses. Out to sea there was a gathering of about 50 Western Grebe idly drifting on the sea and scattered small parties of Surf Scoter doing much the same. A small group of about 6-8 Marbled Murrelets was identified and at least 1 Pigeon Guillemot and a Common Murre seen flying. Numerous Western Gulls were hanging about in the rock pools below. Also, two Spotted Sandpipers. A few Common Ravens seen. I checked out a few Pelagic Cormorants on the offshore stacks but could not find a Brandt’s amongst them. Double-crested Cormorants were passing in small flights, mostly going N as were Brown Pelican. An Osprey was again present but not seen to take anything. Some Cliff Swallows in flight along the cliff edge.

Panoramic view of Castle Rock from Pebble Beach Drive

I now returned towards Crescent City stopping off to have a closer look at Castle Rock. Several groups of Brown Pelican and cormorants that I took to be Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants, the latter, it seemed, more often on the steeper cliff slopes. To the E of the Rock on the lower rock stacks and rock shelf a loud gathering of California Sea Lions was present and a few Harbour Seal were hauled out amongst them. Must have been 50-100 Sea Lions and about 10-20 Harbour Seal in view. I see some Surf Scoter along the surf break and note that a male was in full wing moult. Each time it dived or rode through the surf break it would either do a whole body shake or rise up and wing flap when I could see that it had no remiges or they were at least still very short. Certainly unable to fly. Interesting. Suggests they disperse from their breeding grounds before moulting.

Scruffy 'glucose' Gull. Glaucous-winged Gull?

Back in Crescent city I go to B Street pier and then to the Elk Creek outfall and have a brief look at the gulls. It seems about 2% are Glaucous-winged Gulls. Two Caspian Tern growl past. A couple of Western Gulls, of slightly different plumage stages, in pair formation displays in the car park. The more mature bird calling and strutting round the younger. There are some Common Ravens sitting on the backs of park benches and hoards of Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in with lesser numbers of European Starling on the nearby grassy lawns.

Courting Western Gulls

Collect some pastries from the bakery and head on back to the Cabin.

We set off almost immediately for a drive up Jawbone Road past Bear Basin Butte down to the trail head for Doe Flat. It says in the guide that the trailhead is at 4100’ and Doe Flat is at 3200’. Along the road we seen 3 Northern Flickers but not much else. The trail head is on a superb hillside lookout.

Views from Doe Flat trailhead

Black-tailed (Mule) Deer hinds

There are two Black-tailed (Mule) Deer at the car park. The first part of the trail heads downhill along a road to an old chrome mine. At 1.5 miles and at 3900’ a short branch to the right goes up to Buck Lake. By this point we have entered the Siskiyou Wilderness area. We head on down to Doe Flat. We probably travel at least 1 mile from the Buck Lake fork before turning back. The whole trail is in mixed conifer forest with at least Douglass Fir and Sugar Pine but I suspect at least 3-4 other significant conifers that we do not identify.

'Spanish moss'

Snapshots along the trail

We hear a few birds but only Steller’s Jay is identified on the outward journey. On the return we have much better luck with a good view of a noisy Pileated Woodpecker that flies into a tall fir at Doe Flat and disappears despite still calling for some minutes. Absolutely infuriating! A Pacific-slope Flycatcher meanwhile stays top a dead snag and calls steadily for 10 minutes or more. Probably the soft male tseeweep of Sibley. A little further along we surprise two Varied Thrush and see them briefly at close range. David does the side walk to Buck Lake which was only a few hundred yards off but Tracey and I continue back up the hill to where we left the car. A dull immature Slate-coloured Junco with its distinctive white outer tail feathers is the only other bird identified. Most of the time the forests are silent. We occasionally see a Merriam’s Chipmunk and come across three together when we reach to the car.

Merriam's Chipmunks

We drive home and see two Band-tailed Pigeons just before we get back onto the Highway. We head straight to She She’s in Gasquet for dinner. Home exhausted!

Pileated Woodpeckler and Lesser Goldfinch highlights today

Hope Creek and Ten Taypo Trails

Heermann's Gull

Early in the morning at least 20 American Robins are on the lawn outside the cabin. Some keenly feeding on the berries of a shrub but most are working the lawns as all good thrushes would. The robin I capture on the following picture is obviously a youngster - a bird of the year.

Today we are off to the redwood forests going south of Crescent City into Humboldt County. We head down highway 101 with, of note, only a small party of 10-15 Band-tailed Pigeon crossing the road just before the Klamath River and several Ospreys spotted along the Klamath including a very conspicuous nest site at the top of a dead conifer.

Black-tailed (Mule) Deer stag in velvet

We go S on the highway then backtrack up on the Newton B Drury scenic parkway to the Elk Prairie Visitor Centre where we see half a dozen Mule (Black-tailed) Deer and 4 Elk – all at close range. A party of Vaux’s Swifts with a few Barn Swallows swoop to a fro across the relatively small clearing of prairie grassland near the Visitor Centre.

We decide to walk the Hope Creek Trail and the ajoining Ten Taypo Trail through old growth and regrowth Redwood forests with other conifers including Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce more prominent towards the back of our loop. Silent and majestic. Massive old butts and many forms of regrowth from them. Lots of signs of fire and may fireboxes. Huge trees with great stature in many cases.

Tracey counting tree rings on a felled Sequoia with the help of James

Along the Ten Taypo trail




Evidence of past forest fire

Dung-like fungus

Very little seen but Tracey claims almost constant calling from the canopy of high pitched sounds that might have been kinglets but could possibly have been insect noises. Inaudible to me! I can see nothing but we do come across a small feeding party in a moist gully that seemed to be two Pacific-slope Flycatchers and a Wrentit. No woodpeckers, thrushes, chickadee, wrens or nuthatches – and certainly no parulid warblers. Three birds and an unidentified chipmunk constitute absolutely all I note in 3.5 hours of walking these trails. Very dull on that score. On the return drive I see a Red-shouldered Hawk on a post in a meadow alongside the road just N of Klamath.

Another large Banana Slug

Sequoia sempervirens

We return to Crescent Beach carpark off Enderts Beach Road for a short stroll along the tideline and I find some groups of Heermann’s Gull, about 20 Whimbrel of the dark rump subspecies that I am reminded occur in N America; 4 Pacific Golden Plover, still pretty much in summer plumage, and a small party of 10-15 Sanderlings, all at the strandline. That pretty much sums up the day.

Leucistic Gull

Sub-adult gulls

Heermann's Gulls

Sanderling tripping at the tideline

Band-tailed Pigeon, Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Pacific Golden Plover are highlights for today.

Darlingtonia Trail and Crescent City

Turkey Vultures in the mist Point St George, Crescent City

A walk to the Smith river after breakfast revealed little except a couple of Barn Swallows foraging over the water and a Cedar Waxwing again in the area. A few Steller’s Jay noisy on the far bank and, later, back near the cabins. For a short while 2 Vaux’s Swifts swooped about close to the river giving excellent close views. Still no Dippers!

Start of the Darlingtonia Trail

We all head N on the highway for a short distance to the Darlingtonia Trail. Magificent spread of pitcher-plants on this small bog. No birds.

Pitcher Plants

The Madrone tree

We continue on up the highway to have lunch at ‘Patricks’ on Patrick creek. Excellent. A walk along a short trail downstream reveals nothing (no Dippers!) but we found a very tired and tatty Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus. Two feral ducks were on the ornamental pond outside the restaurant!

Moribund Swallowtail

Back at the lodge there was an American Robin on the lawns and a noisy Steller’s Jay.

In the afternoon I set off on my own to have a more leisurely look at the north side of Crescent City and its harbour. David lets me have the Subaru WRX on my own!

Two panorama views of Crescent harbour looking south and the sea defence wall with the famous B street pier to the left

First I go to the B Street pier and wander out about half way before I spot a MARBLED MURRELET in non-breeding plumage out to sea towards Steamboat Rock. Easily identified by dark crown and face with white chin and half collar; two irregular white patches on the back and white undertail. The Sibley illustration gets the outline and pattern exactly right. A glimpse of a few more further out and I see at least one of them in dusky summer plumage. They dive and drift about in pairs or small groups of up to 10 or so. Otherwise I can find only a scattering of Pacific Loons and a couple of Common Loons along with a few Surf Scoter – all at a considerable distance off in the harbour mouth. A black and white Pigeon Guillemot flying past far out to sea. A large collection of gulls and a couple of Harbour Seals on the beach up towards Sunset circle. The gulls look mostly to be Western Gulls.

Sub-adult Western Gull

Far too far away to determine more accurately and since I have spent some time with them I decide not to go that way to scan them more thoroughly. Two waders fly by with a clear Tringine-like call (kewtutu according to Sibley would be right), white rumps, barred tails, whitish along inner trailing edges of upperwings and very Redshank-like in flight. I think of Yellowlegs. They turn out to be Short-billed Dowitchers. One still more or less in summer plumage the other almost half way into winter plumage. I return to the car to collect my longer lens and get some record shots of them diligently feeding including their typical sewing-machine actions, which of course I cannot capture without video. Splendid views.

Short-billed Dowitchers feeding

Other waders include at least 12 Black Oystercatchers on the rocks inside the harbour and a few Semi-palmated Plovers, Western Sandpipers and Black Turnstones but nothing else of real note. I move out to have a look at Battery Point and its lighthouse, but not before taking some pictures of Ground Squirrels in the car park. A mob of Brewer’s Blackbird including many dull brown juveniles in this same area.

Ground Squirrels

Battery Point Light Station

At Battery Point lots of people on the pebble beach that cuts it off from the mainland and at the lighthouse doing a tour of the building for $3. I set up the telescope on the N side of the buildings and have further good views of Marbled Murrelets including another good summer plumaged bird with overall dark blotchy brown feathering. Non-breeding birds show a clear collar of white that just fails to meet across the lower nape and a reciprocal black band that just fails to cross the upper breast. With the two white wing patches, the forward scapular patch is irregularly marked dusky and white but the rear patch above the folded wingtips is on the sides of the lower back showing as a clear white patch. The underside of the body is all white. I enjoy watching them with the telescope. An adult Osprey flies in off the sea with something in its talons. On a rock islet to the N of the point I spot at least 4 Pelagic Cormorants. The Oystercatchers disperse into this bay. The tide must be falling. It was gloriously warm and clear when I arrived at about 1415 but by 1530 there were ominous signs of a thick sea mist swirling in.

Gathering sea mist

As I worked along the Pebble Beach Drive I stopped at the turnout above the cliffs at 9^th street and had a look at Castle Rock in the thickening mist. A couple of Wandering Tattlers were foraging below me on the rocks along the tide edge.

Castle Rock photographed on 19th August

It is here at Castle Rock that all of the Aleutian Canada Geese assemble in March before going N. The majority of the world population uses this staging area on the spring migration. This subspecies has rebounded from a low of about 800 birds in the mid 1970s to about 40,000 geese by 2000, according to Barron (2001). There is now an annual ‘Aleutian Goose festival’ held in Crescent City in late March.

Sure enough the thick mist arrived soon after and visibility falls off to half a mile or worse before I can get out to Point St George. The details in Barron (2001) were spot on. I walked to the headland and saw very little except a Turkey Vulture in the mist perched atop the rock at the point. A Surfbird was on the rocks along with 2 Wandering Tattler.

Cliff top vegetaion at Point St George in the mist

It was cold and bleak on the headland and with such poor visibility not much point me staying longer although I did take a few pctures in the misty light before I returned to the car and drove back to our cabin arriving at about 1800. Two American Robin on the lawns this evening though noe seen here all morning. Another a good day. Tracey reports seeing a Red-tailed Hawk when she had a swim in the river near the cabin during the afternoon. Now seen 116 species this trip. Not spectacular but reasonable. Pitcher-plants and Marbled Murrelet highlights today.

Myrtle Creek Trail

At the end of the trail, Myrtle Creek

Up reasonably early (0630) and by 0800 at least 8 American Robin on the lawns outside the cabin with 2 Steller’s Jay. A hummer about and I assume it is Anna’s Humingbird. A cock and hen bantam roam the veggie garden with the cock often crowing! Mist at treetops level on the ridge to the N of Smith River. The pattern of low cloud and cool conditions at the coast only 20 miles away contrasting with the high temperatures back here in Gasquet is remarkable.

Found an excellent local bird guide yesterday –Barron (2001). Best site guide I have ever come across.

After breakfast we walk the Myrtle Creek Trail just N of Hiouchi but see absolutely no birds all morning!

The trail is in an interesting area on a geological boundary between two soil types combined with the climatic transition between cool humid coastal conditions and the warmer interior. The more unusual soil is serpentine derived from iron and magnesium rich rocks. The area is designated a Special Botanical Area – one of six in the six rivers National Forests.

Serpentine

Also of interest is the fact that his area was worked as an hydraulic mining operation for gold between 1894 and the early 1920s. Gold was first found in this area in 1853 when panning was the method used. When pacer deposits were exhausted (gold bearing deposits in sand and gravel in the streams) the hydraulic method took over. Most of the vegetation along this trail has regenerated after intense occupation and clearing.

Flume alongside the ditch used to direct water to outlets below

The ditch with the present Myrtle Trail along its bank

The mining operation was made possible by a long ditch that acted as an aquaduct to bring water from a mile up the stream to provide the pressure on the hoses used to sluice out the alluvial deposits. The pressure was as much as 200 lbs per square inch.

We see a good variety of plants including fruiting Huckleberry, Western Azelia Rhododendron ocidentale (typically found away from the coast) and a true Rhododendron R. macrophyllum (typically found near the coast in the Redwood forests) . Trees include Coastal Redwood Sequoia sempervirens, though none are large due to soil and climate, and an abundance of Tanoak Lithocarpus densiflorus.

Giant Banana Slug

Oregon Myrtle Umbellularia californica otherwise known as California Bay or Laurel gives the trail its name and the colourful Pacific Madrone Arbutus menziesii with its flaky peeling bark revealing rich reddish-browns and yellows is spectacular. In serpentine soils with permanent water we see some insectivorous Pitcher plants Darlingtonia californica.

Pitcher Plant

Conifers include Knobcone Pinus attenuate (a closed cone pine), Sugar Pine Pinus lambertiana and Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii. We also saw some Port Orford Cedars Chamaecyparis lawsoniana a conifer often ravaged by a spore born root disease.

The spicy Wild Ginger Asarum caudatum was found and California Hazel Corylus cornuta. Riparian vegetation becomes more obvious as we near the end of the trail at about 1 mile. Here there are Bigleaf Maple Acer macrophyllum and Red Alder Alnus rubra.

Red Alder

I spot a California Sister Adelpha bredowii, a distinctive medium size (2-3”) butterfly rather like a White Admiral with two white bands extending across the wings and large oval spots at the
wingtips. Ferns are abundant on moist slopes and along the ditch near the stream abundant five-finger Maidenhair Fern Adiantum pedatum is conspicuous.

No Dippers.

Five Finger

We go into Crescent City and have a good seafood lunch at the harbourside café ‘The Chart Room’. I take a few pictures of gulls and cormorants and we see a Pigeon Guillemot far across the inner harbour. There are fewer Sea Lions visible today but time of day and tide probably have an influence on numbers hauled out. There are still lots of Harbour Seals – at least 40 I should think. A large number of Semipalmated Plover (ca 50) on the beach to the south with some Western Sandpiper. Not much else to note.

We return to walk in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and pay $6 to enter. We park near the Smith river on the N side of the park and David and I walk the Nature loop trail where some ‘interpretive’ signage is helpful but there is no pamphlet it seems. Along this trail towards the end it is noted that this is a place where the Marbled Murrelet breed above us in the redwood treetops. August is a bit too late in the year to see them (May to July is best) assuming one has the patience to sit out at dawn and spot a high pitched squealing speck of a murrelet buzzing past over the canopy – if you are lucky! Feeding occurs only twice a day it is stated.

Coastal Redwoods Sequoia sempervirens

I saw a couple of Steller’s Jay and 5-6 Common Merganser (Goosander) all in female plumage and I suspect a brood. They were lazily swimming against the flow in shallow clear water with frequent dipping of their head below the surface to look for fish I suppose. Nothing else seen. No Dippers. Goosander and Semi-palmated Plover best birds of the day.

Return to our cabin very weary.

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.

Heading north

We prepare for the trip north and stay at home all day. We have an outside oven-roast lamb dinner next door early in the evening with Elizabeth and her mother (Swedish) before departing at about 1900 for Williams which is about 60 miles (100km) N of Sacramento. A long run. Nothing to note about the journey N on Freeway 5 which was mostly driven after dark. Arrive 0200. Motel not special and room rather musty. Too tired to bother!

Next morning we move on via Redding and into Oregon to Grants Junction then turn S to Gasquet in the Coastal Redwoods. Total journey length was 870 miles (1400km). We set off at 0930 after breakfast at Granzellas in Williams and arrive at 1700 after lunch at Elmers in Medford. Both of these establishiments can be recommended for excellent food. From Sacramento the scenery is much more interesting and becomes spectacular through the mountain with views of Mt Shasta.

Mt Shasta and Spring Hill from Freeway 5

Not a lot of birds seen from the car except good numbers of Turkey Vultures sometimes with up to a dozen or more soaring low in tight kettles. These were seen mostly before we got deep into the mountains. A scattering of Red-tailed Hawks and a few glimpses of what might have been other raptors but they were not identified while speeding along in a car with no way of stopping to look closely. Maybe a Peregrine and a certain a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk close to Gasquet. Not much about in the late afternoon near the cabin nor at the riverside. Our Cabin is excellent. We are the first to use it. It is larger than we really need but the space will be appreciated.

For further details see the Middlefork Ranch website at: http://www.smithriverretreat.com/index.html

Still very hot and said to be 97◦F but on dropping to the coast through some splendid redwoods the temperature drops at least 30◦F and it was misty and cold!
Into Crescent City for a fish dinner near the harbour, although not at the Chart House because it was closed on a Sunday night, and some food shopping. In the harbour we saw 2 Belted Kingfisher making a lot of noise near or on a boat in the marina, a good number of Western Gull, a Glaucose-winged Gull, a Common Murre, a Great Blue Heron, ad some other gull which I did not have time to follow up but certainly more species present. A dead Surf Scoter in the harbour. California Fur Seal and Harbour Seal visible hauled out on a pontoon in the middle of the harbour. Belted Kingfisher and Glaucose-winged Gull were good to see.

Ormond Beach

The boss on guard

To the Conejo Botanic gardens early in the day. Here I found an Acorn Woodpecker’s Oak tree. I am told they are no longer seen hereabouts but the oak tree is testiment to their former occurrence in the area.

Oak tree larder used by Acorn Woodpeckers

I walked round the bird habitat maintained in honour of Elliot McClure (1910-1998). Also the Butterfly garden. A Cooper’s Hawk seen and some hummingbirds but not much else. A squirrel up a tree seemed very richly coloured – it was photographed!



[ORMOND BEACH/PT. HUENEME BEACH
[Restrooms, Parking, Fee at Pt. H. Beach, free at end of Perkins Rd.] Coastal strand, dunes, marsh between ocean edge and water treatment plant.
Location: From Ventura, take Harbor Blvd. (becomes Channel Islands as curves to left). Stay on that to Ventura Rd. and turn right. Follow to end. Pay fee, park, bird. Or, turn left on Hueneme Rd., continue to Perkins Rd. (just past 'J' St.), turn right, go to end. Free parking at end of road on right.
Highlights: Endangered Least Tern/Snowy Plover nesting site. Sea and shorebirds, terns, Brown Pelican, bitterns. Rare migrants often found.
Best Season: All year, esp. summer for shorebirds; late spring and summer for nesting species.]

The above is the website extract for the area visited this afternoon. My observations follow.

We (that is Tracey, James and me) drive to Point Hueneme Beach at lunch time and here I find lots of waterbirds, also some ground squirrels that did not have clearly striped backs.

Ground squirrel

Excellent views of lots of waders and a Red-shouldered Hawk which explained the odd rapator seen out at Ojai that I was uncomfortable about identifying a few days ago. Turkey Vultures (at least 4) onto a carcass in the dunes. Saw a Western Meadowlark and 4 Black-necked Stilts, a few Sanderling but most numerous were the Willets and Marbled Godwits, but also about 15 Killdeer and half a dozen Snowy Plovers, a handful of Whimbrel and a couple or three Long-billed Curlew.

Long-billed Curlew

Snowy Plover

Also noted a female Ruddy Duck, about 10 Snowy Egrets, some Heermann’s Gulls (at least 4) and some Ring-billed Gulls. Plenty of Western Gulls. Lots of things photographed.

Snowy Egret

Industrial Mallards

Heermann's Gulls

All seen in the space of about 80% the length of the lagoon and along the tideline on my way back to the carpark. Great stuff. We visited Ormond Beach on the way home but did not stay – called in just for orientation purposes because this is the beach that David and Tracey often visit with Alice the dog becaue dogs are tolerated here. Mourning Doves calling well on dusk at home. Marbled Godwit and Snowy Plover were highlights today.

Marbled Godwit

Marbled Godwits & Willets

Willet

Brewer's Blackbird

Great Blue Heron

Another rest day

A day of recovery following the trip to Anacapa. Lots of pictures to download from the digital camera and texts to work up for this blog site. Therefore, not much done outdoors today. Don and Laurie come over late in the afternoon for a pizza. I remained in the house most of the day except for a brief visit to the National Parks office early in the afternoon where I find some very interesting books on the local natural history and indigenous cultures. An especially good book, which I bought, was an 'Atlas of the Biodiversity of California' published by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Allen's Hummingbird -the dominant male!

Anacapa

Northern Mockingbird in Calle Salto

Today we are going out to one of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands for a quick trip. We are supposed to leave at 1330 and should be back by 1800. We might see some cetaceans and a few seabirds. It is expected that we will have about 2hr on the eastern most islet of Anacapa which is small and therefore it should be possible to get round the trail in that time.

After boarding the Island Packers twin hulled 'Islander' (see website at: http://www.islandpackers.com/contact.html) along with about 50 other passengers we head out from Oxnard harbor shortly after 1330.

The marina is enormous and a large junior sailing school group opposite our embarkation jetty has set off before us with at least 25 Sabots. In the harbor I saw an immature Great Blue Heron hanging about on the pontoons, a Snowy Egret and a Black-crowned Night-Heron fly over and Western Gulls were prominent but not abundant. A few Double-crested Cormorant were in the marina area but not much else. Some House Sparrow were hanging around the fish shop where we had a quick lunch before leaving - the first I have been conscious of since I arrived in California. A lone California Sea Lion Zalophus californianus was casually rolling over again and again close by seeming content to stay in a small area off the end of a jetty.

The trip down the marina was taken slowly and we passed close to a tall ship 'Californian' as we came nearer to the outer harbor. Gulls and a few cormorants were all that seemed to be visible. The sea was calm with only a soft breeze and almost no swell. Speed picked up and we were soon level with a gas platform beyond which we came across a school of about 70 Pacific Bottlenosed Dolphin Tursiops gilli that played with our boat as it cruised slowly in tight turns until everyone had seen some dolphins riding the bow and stern waves and occasionally leaping from the wash. Close alongside they were clearly visible below water.

The only other seabirds I saw were Western Gulls and Brown Pelicans and a few cormorants. As we got nearer to the E end of Anacapa I saw a Pigeon Guillemot fly low to the west - the only one all day.

We reached Anacapa in about 40 minutes and disembarked at a concrete landing. Here we were required to stay for a brief orientation talk before those of us keen to walk the tracks were able to climb the ironwork stairs and concrete steps that led up to the level of the plateau. This is the hardest part of the walk on the island because from here on it is reasonably flat over the top of Anacapa and the cliffs are too crumbly to go too close. There is a trail that loops the whole of the island and we took this completing it in the 0ne and a half hours available before we were to be back at the landing jetty. Longer would have been more enjoyable but it was enough considering we had James with us. He seemed to enjoy his first experience of a seabird island, staying awake most of the time we were walking. An underwater live show was staged on a couple of large monitors for some of the passengers who opted to remain on the lower landing area. A diver went down into the kelp bed with an videocam. This bonus screening is put on on some days for the tours.

Western Gulls greeted us from the start and we were never out of sight of them. They breed over the whole of the top of the island and at this time in early August most adults seem to be attending to a single well feathered young that was fully capable of flight. These dependent young were still frequently food begging to an adult. Some adults were still giving long-calls. The voice of the Western Gull is strangely deeper in pitch, rougher and more clipped compared with most other members of the Herring Gull group that I am familiar with. Quite distinctive it seemed to me. We pick up a useful self guiding pamphlet, but it did not give a list of the birds for the island nor any proper scientific names of the plants mentioned in it, which is irritating to me.

I madly photographed Western Gulls in all position (sensu Pete and Dud)! The only other conspicuous birds seen were Brown Pelicans and a few cormorants. The Brown Pelicans were only ashore at the easternmost part of the island near the lighthouse but this area is out of bounds to visitors so I did not get a chance to get near enough to them for proper picture making. The main breeding area for these pelicans is on West Anacapa which these days figures as one of the most important sites on the west coast of North America. A few cormorants were hanging about on the low sea stacks offshore and in the calm waters, often amongst the swirling heads of the giant kelp.

From the west end of the island there are spectacular views towards the main islands of the Channel Island group, the nearest of which, beyond Middle and West islets that form the broken chain of Anacapa, is the much larger Santa Cruz Island that is in fact the largest island in the whole group. Today they were veiled in a typical Santa Barbara channel sea mist.

The only songbird I saw on the plateau of Anacapa was the Winter Wren and I saw only two.

The island vegetation has been drastically modified from the time Europeans arrived and settled in California. Many invasive weeds have been introduced, often deliberately for stock feed - one still prominent in most parts of the plateau was the Ice Plant Carpobrotus edulis. Sheep were grazed on Anacapa from 1869 until 1938; although sheep ranching ended in 1912 on East Anacapa when the lightstation was built (McCawley undated). Several endemic plants, however, still persist including the bizarre Coreopsis gigantea, unfortunately no longer in flower nor having any remaining green leaves this late in the year.

Along the south shore a stop at Pinniped Point allowed a view of the California Sea Lions hauled out in huddles on the beach below. Northern Elephant Seals Mirounga angustirostris are also recorded from the island but none were seen today. Just behind this viewing spot there is an extraordinary concrete apron about the size of a couple of tennis courts. This was a water catchment device at one time but is now so used and polluted by the gulls that I would find it unlikely that any run off would ever be drinkable!

We returned along the path past the Visitors centre and Ranger's Quarters but did not go out on the short path towards the lighthouse. It was not possible to approach closely the lighthouse and in any case a loud foghorn sounds off most of the time making it unpleasant to go too far in that direction.

We returned to the jetty and boarded the 'Vanguard' (a smaller craft with conventional hull) for our return to Oxnard. Before heading back we rounded the east end of the island chain close by the Arch Rock and on the southern side saw a small group of 4-5 Harbor Seals Phoca vitulina and some small groups of Californian Sea Lions. There were two Black Oystercatchers on the rock shelf. I concluded that amongst the few cormorants seen most were Brandt's Cormorant but with a few Double-crested Cormorants. I did not see a Pelagic Cormorant nor any murrelets. Judging by the guano in several places on the cliff face it would seem that large numbers of cormorants and gulls must be present in season. The passage home, although a bit slower than our outward journey, did allow me to spot 4 Sooty Shearwaters passing W but other seabirds were much the same as those seen on the earlier crossing.

We were back in Oxnard marina by 1830 with two Great Blue Herons near the Packers jetty and several Black-crowned Night-Herons seen fly by. The Sea Lion was still present. A Caspian Tern flew past up the channel.

A very good day.

McCawley, Bill (undated) East Anacapa Island Map & Guide. Pamphlet illustrated with a map and line drawings by Jean M. Keast; Western National Parks Association, 18pp

Trails Illustrated. 1999. Channel Islands National Park - California. Folded double sided compilation of topographic maps on waterproof and tearproof plastic material produced by National Geographic Maps. Various scales on this sheet but Anacapa at approximately 1:24 000. Sheet 252. See website: http://www.trailsillustrated.com

Three days off

Western Scrub-Jay

August 7th, 8th and 9th have been recuperation days. A lot of sorting out of pictures and setting up this website which has been no mean feat with getting to grips with the Google blogger operation. There have been on-line orders to deal with and some films to watch in the evenings using David's widescreen digital video projection technology! We had a most enjoyable dinner with Jenn and Charlie on Sunday evening. I took Alice for a walk on Monday morning up the usual track and Tracey and I with James did the same track on Tuesday morning. Few birds seen on either day except for Califorina Towhee, California Quail, western Scrub-Jay and sometimes a couple of Tree Martin. I had a good close look at a Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight on the 7th.

Sometime shortly after 0500 on Tuesday morning (probably at about 0505 or a little after because it landed at 0512) we were woken by the very loud double bang and rushing sound of the space shuttle returning to the Mojave desert Edwards Airforce base. It must have been the re-entry noise as the shock wave released on passing back through the sound barrier. It was supposed not to pass over LA but I expect Thousand Oaks doesn't count as LA and does not qualify in the eyes of NASA as a heavily built up area!

James, Jenny and Charlie

Birding day with Charlie Swegles

Charlie Swegles collects me at 0545 for a day birding the local region. We set off in his truck for:

1) MUGU LAGOON Part of Mugu State Park. Habitat: Ocean backed by cliffs, salt marsh. Location: From Hwy 101, exit Las Posas Road. Drive south to Hwy 1 (PCH). Turn left onto PCH and drive past Navy Base. Lagoon overlook is on right side of road approx. 1 mile. Additional stops between overlook and firing range to scan wetlands recommended. Mugu Rock overlook on right side of PCH immediately after road cut through cliff - 1/2 mile south of lagoon. Park along cliff edge between Mugu Rock and smaller rock to the left. Best lighting conditions during early morning before sun is in south and wind and waves pick up. Peak migration in mid-April when 1,000s of Pacific Loons and Surf Scoter may pass by every hour. Highlights: Lagoon: Herons, Egrets, Ducks, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Belding's, Savannah Sparrow. Rock: loons, grebes, shearwaters, scoters, jaegers, gulls, terns and alcids. White-throated Swifts and Rock Wrens resident on Mugu Rock. Mammals: Harbor Seal, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Common Dolphin, Gray Whale in season. Best Season: Winter, spring.

Not much seen except a Great White Heron (Great Egret) and a Willet. On the way in I saw an Osprey. We decided to move on to Sycamore Canyon.

SYCAMORE CANYON ( Part of Pt. Mugu State Park) [Parking, Restrooms, Camping -- Fee.] Coastal sage scrub, Eucalyptus and sycamore groves. Easy walking in camp area; canyon more difficult.Location: Follow Hwy 1 (PCH) south past Mugu Rock about 4 miles (see directions for #10). Park on highway or pay day use fee.Highlights: thrashers, towhees, migrant flycatchers and warblers, grosbeaks, woodpeckers.Best Season: Early spring, summer, fall.

Here we saw plenty of California Towhee, Black Phoebee and, unexpectedly, four Black-hooded Parakeet that seemed to have roosed in the top of a tall riverbank tree and only departed sometime after we first spotted them. They returned up the canyon some time later. Other interesting birds were Nuttell's Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, house Wren, Mountain Chickadee, Song Sparrow and Spotted Towhee. Several frustrating sightings of what were certainly parulids remained unidentified but I did see one good Yellow Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen and an American Kestrel tried several times to fool us into thinking it was a Peregrine atop a dead limb on a tall tree! As we were leaving a blast from a pack of Coyote yelping from very close in the almost dry watercourse indicated a kill according to Charlie. However, we could not see them! On the way out we had a look at a typical bottle shaped nest of a Cliff Swallow that was tucked under the eave at the end of low building. A few Cliff Swallows were flying bout nearby in the campsite.

Next we moved to Ormond Beach-Point Hueneme Beach:

ORMOND BEACH/PT. HUENEME BEACH [Restrooms, Parking, Fee at Pt. H. Beach, free at end of Perkins Rd.] Coastal strand, dunes, marsh between ocean edge and water treatment plant.Location: From Ventura, take Harbor Blvd. (becomes Channel Islands as curves to left). Stay on that to Ventura Rd. and turn right. Follow to end. Pay fee, park, bird. Or, turn left on Hueneme Rd., continue to Perkins Rd. (just past ìJî St.), turn right, go to end. Free parking at end of road on right.Highlights: Endangered Least Tern/Snowy Plover nesting site. Sea and shorebirds, terns, Brown Pelican, bitterns. Rare migrants often found.Best Season: All year, esp. summer for shorebirds; late spring and summer for nesting species.

Not a lot to see because a paraplane was in action in the dunes and a few unsavoury characters lurking about mde us nervous of leaving valuables in the truck. We saw some Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds and lots of Western Gulls in the nearby cultivated floodplains.

The next point of call was an unnamed canyon on private property but there was an airfield for model planes and a lake where model boat racing was scheduled. This area was a former dairy ranch now with abandoned decaying buildings including a huge barn and remnants of the feeding troughs that had been used by the cattle. We were hoping for a Say's Phoebe but no luck - only Black Phoebe. The noteworthy birds seen here were Black-headed Grosbeak and Northern Shrike.

We then moved on to the campus of California State University Channel Islands where we found a Great Horned Owl in a tall tree in the quadrangle below the Bell Tower. Barn Swallows in the courtyards. At this point we took a break and Charlie prepared a late breakfast at his house which is on the campus.

We then went to McGrath State Beach. As the website says:

SANTA CLARA RIVER ESTUARY and MCGRATH STATE BEACH [Restrooms, Interpretive Center, Parking, Fee -- McGrath St. Beach]. Habitat: Coastal estuary, salt marsh, riparian.Location: From Hwy 101, exit at Seaward Ave. Turn left (south) onto Harbor Blvd. Continue south to Spinnaker Drive. Turn right onto Spinnaker and continue past entrance to Ventura Water Treatment Plant (Site #9). Park at Surfer's Knoll (parking lot on left, to reach it you take a U-turn once you've passed the lot). From parking lot walk down to estuary (approx. 400 yards). During May-August avoid fenced-off Least Tern colony on your way down there. Also check the breakwaters at the end of Spinnaker drive for turnstones, tattler and surfbird. Channel Islands National Park Headquarters are at end of Spinnaker Drive, while Island Packers boats for Santa Cruz Island leave from dock off Spinnaker Drive. For a shorter walk and better lighting during mid-day, continue south on Harbor Blvd. Over bridge and turn into McGrath State Beach (fee). Park at head of nature trail and follow out to the estuary. Highlights: shorebirds, gulls, and terns. Least Tern and Snowy Plover nest on north side of estuary. Peregrine Falcon often present in estuary during winter. Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Wandering Tattler often visible on breakwaters during winter.Best season: All year. Shorebirds July-September, gulls October-March. Least Terns (May-August).

After parking the car we moved down the trail to the edge ogf the river where it became lost. I suspect the river bank was eroded during the heavy rains some months back and the trail lost. Anyway, we cautiously worked our way out over the mud avoiding the soft sinking bits and got onto some good shorebirds. A family party of Kildeer Plover (at least two young of the year), some Semipalmated Plover and flocks of Western Sandpiper numbering several hundred, with probably more than a thousand seen. These Western Sandpiper seemed very keen to get out of the wind into hollows if they were resting but by far the most of them were very actively feeding including flies that were in swarms often covering the mud in a carpet of movement around some shallow pools. I think they must have been new arrivals from the north and very keen to refuel. Many seemed to be young of the year. On the far beach we could seen a large flock of Brown Pelican, again close to a thousand in number, I guess. Some Long-billed Curlew. two Caspian Terns and calls of Elegant Terns from the direction of the beach. There were many large gulls and doubtless more species of wader to find but we were not able to get closer because of the soft muds. There was much debris in this estuarywith lots of signs of rbbish pollution.

Back home for a late Saturday lunch. A very enjoyable day.

Western Sandpiper

Conejo Botanic Gardens

James having a nap in the Conejo valley Botanic Gardens

Coyote calling in the early morning. Off early with Tracey and James to the nearby Conejo Valley Botanic Gardens. American Robins were mobbing a couple of American Crows in the cul-de-sac outside the house as we left and they were still at it when we returned! These gardens, which are not far away, are where Tracey does volunteer work in the specially set up Kids section (see: http://www.conejogarden.com/). Tracey wanted to do some watering early in the day before it got too hot and various other jobs and I went for a walk through the gardens, alone except for one other volunteer gardener seen just before I returned to the Kids section. I photographed some Desert Rabbits. I had some good views of Bewick's Wren but not much else of note was seen. Coyote were calling outside the house at 2330.

Ojai Botanic Gardens

With Tracey and James we went to a private botanical garden (Taft) in the foothills of the Santa Barbara mountains near Ojai in the morning and then a quick visit to Lake Casilas followed by refreshments at 'Dukes' at the beachfront in San Buenaventura with a peak at the shore.

At the Botanic gardens we met up with Jenn for a stroll. There was a fine display of Swallowtail butterflies on the wing at this time and I had a close view of a California Ground Squirrel. Not a lot to see in the way of birds except a motley collection of parrots in cages at a rehabilitation centre. Molluccans, Hyacinth Macaw, several species of Amazona and Aratinga, Thick-billed Parrot, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Cockatiel, Peach-faced Lovebirds and even one scruffy Sulphur-crested Cockatoo! As we were leaving Alice found the headless corpse of a still moving Rattlesnake, obviously killed recently by one of the Mexican gardeners. So unnecessary.

Swallowtail butterfly

California Ground Squirrel

Noteworthy birds included several Turkey Vultures, both soaring and perched on the road perched on telegraph poles. Also seen were few Red-tailed Hawk and an American Kestrel in flight that momentarily I took for a colorful marked owl until I realized the tail was far to long. A pair of Common Raven were calling often from a deep Canyon extending back from the gardens and I had some good close views of California Thrasher.

Information compiled for the Central Coast Birding Trail by the National Audubon Society - California, avilable on the website for Ventura [http://ca-ccbt.info/Ventura.htm] shows the following:

LAKE CASITAS [Restrooms, Parking, Fee or park outside main gate. Camping.] Habitat: Open Lake, freshwater marsh, oak woodland, open meadows.Location: From Hwy 101 in Ventura, take Hwy 33 North. Exit Casitas Vista Rd (approx. 5 miles). Turn right. Go under freeway, cross Ventura River and continue ~1mile to 1st right turn across another bridge (Santa Ana Rd.). Follow Santa Ana Rd. to lake (4 miles). Entrance to lake will be on left. Pay fee to enter, or park outside and walk in. Once in park, stay left and walk/drive to marina area, making sure to check inlet on the right side of road.Highlights: Clark's and Western Grebes year-round. During high water they nest in protected bay inland from marina, ducks, Osprey and Bald Eagle in winter, Cassin's Kingbird in eucalyptus along Santa Ana Rd. White-breasted Nuthatch in pines, Western Bluebird in open meadows. Hooded and Bullock's Oriole in spring and summer. Good variety of sparrows in winter.Best season: winter for grebes, ducks, raptors and sparrows. Spring and summer for breeding grebes, bluebirds and orioles.

We paid the entrance fee so that we could look more closely at the shoreline but in the heat of the day it was not very profitable in terms of anything very interesting in the way of birds. However, I did find Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe and Western Grebe but I could not spot a Clark's Grebe in the little time available. This is a know breeding site for this species that is very like the Western. Double-crested Cormorant and a fine Great-blue Heron and scores of American Coot. Amongst the mobile homes and campers I saw some Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Great-tailed Grackles.

Working around the surfers and sunbathers during a brief look at the beach in San Buenaventura I found plenty of Western Gull a scruffy looking Glaucous-winged Gull and remarkably three very tame Willet feverishly active at the tideline dodging the lapping waves and the bathers! There were two equally confiding Wandering Tattlers and a few Black Turnstone near a rocky breakwater with a Surfbird at its outer end. Quite a collection in a most unlikely setting and not the easiest place to go scanning the scene with bin's without some embarrassment! It was for this reason I did not also have my camera with me which was, in hindsight, a mistake.

To another private garden nearer to home in the late afternoon and finally to a viewing of Hamlet (Olivier 1948 version) in the evening on a super luxurious Bang & Olafsen audiovisual system. The start of Hamlet was accompanied by the loud calling of nearby Coyote!

Getty Center

I took a short early morning walk with Tracey, James and Alice onto the nearby ridge (the same walk I did with David and Alice on my first evening). Some good birds especially a load of California Quail with at least 6 well grown young. Also seen was a California Thrasher.

Today the highlight was a visit to the Getty Center.

The tramway to the Center

Buses and cars are left in a massive multilevel park (for a small fee, which is the only fee that is required) then up the hill to the Center by tram, travelling slowly by a cable system in frictionless carriages riding on a cushion of air with everything electrically powered. The number of people arriving in the carpark, even for mid week, looks daunting but they all seem to disperse somehow in the immensity of the Center. The availablity of all sorts of brochures and facilities is inspiring and remarkable in that it is provided absolutely free! There is extensive use of travertine stone for facing and pavement. The form of the building as a complex of linked shapes is stunning.

The entrance Hall

The architecture, the specially created gardens and a premiere presenetation of 16 portrait paintings by Rembrandt were part of the cultural feast but also two other interesting ongoing exhibitions, amongst a total of seven, were very well worth a look. Both of the ones we chose to visit were on photography, one on the works of Paul Strand and the other a centenial tribute to the innovative work of Frederick Sommer. We had a very good lunch in the cafe. I had a quick look in the east Pavilion at works of the period 1600-1800 and by then we were all exhausted!

Tracey, James and I have a wonderful day.

Tracey and James at the Getty Center

Many American Crows again pass over at 1930 hrs. A Barn Owl slipped by at the bck of the garden just as the light had faded.

At home

Preening male House Finch. Well into body moult

All day at home. It is decidedly cooler but still pleasantly warm. At least 4 Bushtits come into the garden. I now realize that these tits are the only representative of the family Aegithalidae in North America. Most of the the other usual suspects out and about during the day. A couple of Northern Mockingbird seen jerking open and holding raised wings in a posture said to be used to scare insects from cover but I suspect, on this occasion, these individuals were interacting in some way. I took pictures of some moulting House Finches. Hummers not very obvious today. Again about 100 American Crows fly over at dusk but this time they were in well spaced smaller groups of 10-20. Highlights in the garden were a pair of Hooded Oriole and some superb views of California Quail.

House Finch

Thousand Oaks

At Calle Salto today. We went into Westlake village for morning shopping. Not much time spent outdoors but instead the day was used in catching up on tasks following the trip to the Sierras. I start to prepare some notes, in fact I start work on these postings! I visit a bookshop (Barnes & Noble) and then order from Amazon.com acouple of bird books! More than 100 American Crows fly past E at dusk (1910hr) and a fine Western Phoebe was working the garden late in the day.

Onion Valley

David tackles the Robinson Lake walk (34) soon after breakfast (a forty minute grunt up the hillat the back of the campsite) and Tracey & I wander about photographing and birding in the area of the Onion Valley campground. I have some splendid views of an adult male Mountain Bluebird a species that I have seen briefly each of the past two evenings, but the individuals on those occasions have always been drab plumaged females or immatures. It looks as though a family party must be in residence. This particular male flew past me very close and settled for a short while on a roadside post. The other highlight was finding 20 or more Rufous Hummingbirds in a patch of Larkspur Delphinium glaucum. Excellent views!

Larkspur

It was during my wanderings earlier this morning that I got to grips at last with the Green-tailed Towhee and satisfied myself that it was a Song Sparrow that was singing in the campgrounds. He moved about a lot and sang from high in the firs. Later, I was amazed at how many samples of different species of sparrow song I could Google-up on the internet! Over the next day or so these sound files were invaluable in clinching this one! Also seen well in the same area most of the time was White-crowned Sparrow. afew individuals. We set off for home at 1130 with a stop in Lancaster for snacks and we were back by 1800. On the way I saw my first duck of this trip - a couple of Mallard and the first American Kestrel. Also seen today, but not for the first time, were Brewer's Blackbirds often seen near settlements along the freeway and a Great-tailed Grackle in Lancaster.

In the evening we installed a new hummingbirds feeder (Humm-Zinger Ultra with Nectar-guards inserted). At the end of the day we had some good views of a Nuttall's Woodpecker working a small area of bark on a Sychamore tree in the back garden. It tapped away persistently in several places just below a fork. It seemed not to make major gouges in the tree and worked the area for some time. Just on dusk a Sharp-shinned Hawk suddenly shot out of a dense bush at the top of the garden pursued by a small songbird suggesting that it had possibly missed its target. Late in the evening, well after dark, a pack of Coyote burst into loud yelping calls just outside the back fence (about 2300hr).