Monday 23 January 2012

Channel Islands to San Diego - Jan 9 to 13, 2012

January 9/10 - Channel Islands National Park

  1. We traveled to the Channel Islands National Park visitors centre and confirmed our 9:00 a.m. departure. The next day we joined 60 people on an Island Packers tour ship for a hike on Santa Cruz Island.  The Channel Islands are special in that there have been little to no human settlement there, and it is the most westerly set of islands off the California Coast. It has a variety of flora and fauna that is not found anywhere else, hence it's title as the Galapagos of North America.



Santa Cruz is the largest of the five Channel islands in this national park. It takes about one hour to travel from the mainland but it takes longer as the boat stops for any whales or dolphins that pass by.


We were treated to several passing grey whales in addition to Common [9] and Risso's [10] Dolphins. The marine biologists on board pointed out to us that the whales and dolphins were playing with us, and with each other. The dolphins darted in and around our boat, as if to say hi. The whales came closer to the boat than we ever expected.

Common Dolphins

 Grey Whales - Surfacing



Grey Whale - Sounding

We saw several Common Murre and a few Rhinoceros Auklets and many Brown Pelicans.

 Brown Pelican


We also saw many oil rigs pumping away.



The California Channel Islands are sufficiently isolated from the mainland and this enabled new species to evolved. Santa Cruz Island is now a nature reserve with unique native species like the Island Fox and Island Scrub Jay.



Species introduced by humans destroyed much of the local flora and endangering the native fauna.
Sheep and wild pigs were removed from the north west end of the island in the 80s and from the south east section in 2000.

South east Santa Cruz Island near Scorpion Bay is still deforested and slowly recovering from the effects of  sheep and pig grazing.

 

Central Santa Cruz Island near Prisoner's Harbour has had longer to recover from the former grazing of invasive sheep and pigs.



Bald Eagles had been wiped out by DDT and Golden Eagles had filled the vacuum. Unfortunately, Golden Eagles had a taste for the small Island Fox and this species was driven close to extintion. The Golden Eagles were removed and the fish loving Bald Eagles were re-established to fill the vacuum.

 Most passengers got off at the south end of the island at Scorpion Harbour. Emma and I continued to Scorpion Harbour in the middle of the island. The Island Scrub Jays are more abundant in the more forested regions of the island.



We joined the three hour nature hike through beautiful landscape. A marine biologist led the hike. She told us many interesting facts about the island.The Island Scrub Jay (93) is only found on Santa Cruz Island and nowhere else. This species is about one third larger than its mainland counterpart and we were fortunate enough to see several.  

Island Scrub Jay

We also saw several Ravens (94). It was an easy identification as there are no crows on Santa Cruz Islands. Unfortunately, we didn't see any island foxes. This is definitely a place we want to return to, so perhaps we'll have more luck spotting the fox next time.

Raven - profiling his large beak


January 11/2 Ventura to San Diego

We drove through the the Santa Monica Recreation Area and into Los Angeles.

Emma and I have both been to L.A. many times so we worked our way through the freeways to travel along Long Beach and Huntington Beach.


We camped alongside the Huntington Beach Nature Reserve. At dusk, I walked into the adjacent marsh and saw a Sora (95). Next morning we continued to bird watch in the adjacent marsh. No Disneyland, Universal Studios or Knotts Berry Farm when we visit L.A. It's all about the wildlife.

  Pintail - male and female

  


 Greater Scaup (96)


Snowy Egret

Great Blue Heron

S
Say's Phoebe

Eared Grebe - winter plumage

Red-breasted Merganser - female in winter plumage

Savannah Sparrow (97)

American Wigeon

Marbled Godwit

We also saw American Pipits (98) before south to the New Port Beach Estuary.

Rabbit - sitting motionless in the bush

Anna's Hummingbird

There were four Black Skimmers (99) roosting on the shore among a host of Marbled Godwits and Willets. We continued on to San Diego for the night.

January 13 San Diego

We decided on a tour around San Diego bay. It is a huge bay with a wild life refuge at the south end, lost of anchored naval vessels, downtown San Diego and Cabrillo Point at the north end.


We stopped at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and saw:


Savannah Sparrow - Beldings (100). This sub-species has a very localized range along the coast in southern California.  It has very dark distinct striped on its chest and belly compared with the Savannah Sparrows that migrate north to Vancouver.

Merlin (101) - assessing the prospects for lunch

 White-crowned Sparrow - also potential lunch for the Merlin

 Redheads (102) resting - they were too big for the Merlin and there were no peregrines around.

Tall Ship at the San Diego Marine Museum

San Diego Harbour


Statues along the waterfront




San Diego Harbour from Cabrillo Point

 Cabrillo National Monument and statue of Juan Cabrillo


From the point we watched Grey Whales pass by on their migration south

Top of decorative cacti at Cabrillo National Monument

Friday 6 January 2012

San Fransisco to Morro Bay - Dec 26 to Jan, 2012

Dec 26 - Point Reyes to San Fransisco
California is broke and the highway infrastructure is really deteriorating. As we drove along the Francis Drake Boulevard to San Fransisco the RV sounded like the percussion section of a heavy metal band. We rocked and rolled over the road's twists, turns, potholes and crevices. The constant crashing rhythm is the back beat to the song we are composing and singing.  The chorus is "California is broke" and it sounds great as our voices vibrate along with the RV as we hit the potholes and cracks.

We reconnected with highway 101 at San Raphael then drove toward the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't have any particular plan heading into the city. After decades of planning events for the Vancouver Park Board I'm more comfortable playing it fast and loose to see what comes up. I was thinking of trying our 28 foot RV down Lombard Street (the windiest and steepest street in the world).

We ended up in Sausalito then though a tunnel to Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  At the visitors centre, they suggested we drive to hawk hill overlooking San Fransisco Bay. They were not too sure if  our 28 ft. RV could handle the narrow road. It was close but we squeaked through.




The ride over the golden Gate bridge is always an experience. We ended up at a nice RV park on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Sections of the RV park were closed as the cliff in that area had collapsed into the ocean. 

 
Dec 27 and 28 San Fransisco
We caught the BART at Colma station and rolled into San Fransisco to see the sights.

                                                                       Steep Hills


 
                                                              Walking up Knob Hill
 
                                                                 Taking a refreshing break


 
Watching cars going down Lombard Street

Visiting the National Marine Historical Museum

Sunset boat cruise around San Fransisco Bay

San Fransisco


 Fisherman's Wharf


San Fransisco City Hall is impressive but the area around it is as bad or worse than Main and Hastings in Vancouver.

 You know you are in Castro (the original American Gay district) when the palm trees have bows.

Harvey Milk's District
Emma wanted to experience the ambiance of Harvey Milk's stomping grounds. Harvey Milk is one of Emma's heroes. He fought tirelessly for gay rights, and ran for council repeatedly (eight times) until he was finally elected. He was the first elected gay man in the States. Tragically, he and the mayor were gunned down by a mentally ill colleague in 1978. We visited the Harvey Milk centre and got updates on the status of gay rights in America. Interestingly, it is corporations in America that are pushing for gay marriage and medical benefits rights as it will give them the opportunity to headhunt the best and brightest.  It was a colourful and friendly neighborhood; most enjoyable to walk the steets and visit the restaurants.

 Painted Ladies

Haught Ashbury
 Most of the Haught Ashbury district had some of the flavour from the late 60s. It was a mecca for modern day hippies, with dreads, pot shops and body odor.  However, the entrance to Golden Gate Park by Haught St. was grungy. It's not a place you want to be after dark so we caught a street car to Chinatown.

Chinatown

See no, hear no, speak no


A real highlight was riding the famous street cars. The trams whiz by corners on steep streets. This is especially exhilarating if you are lucky enough to have one of the outside, standing positions, as demonstrated by Emma. Sometimes, the trams come inches away from parked cars, and the attendants yell out to huddle in close.

The Double-crested Cormorant (62) was the only new bird to add to our current trip list but we had a blast in San Fransisco.The three restaurant meals at very humble places - a diner, a bistro and a semi-fast food mexican place - were outstanding. Emma still salivates at the thought of the fish tacos she had.

December 29 to January 2 - Monterey Bay Area

We left San Fransisco and followed the coast highway toward Monterey Bay. North of Santa Cruz we took a walkway down the cliff face to a typical sandy California Beach.



Brown Pelicans were riding the air currents above the breaking surf while Sanderlings were sprinting back and forth feeding in between crashing waves.



  Most birds havefour toes but Sanderlings evolved without the hind toe which enables them to sprint on the tips of their three remaining toes. They are well adapted to sandy beaches.

  Two Black Oystercatchers (63) were stationed on some nearby rocks where they were resting before foraging with their long red bills.

It was getting late as we approached Monterey and we had no idea where to stay for the night. Fortunately, Emma's mom and dad gave us a  Magellan -  a fully-loaded GPS/google type device -as a wedding present. It finds all places and all routes. Emma calls it the marriage saver.  It identified a nice RV park and guided us there in the dark. Yay. However, we need to learn to check prices: the cost for staying one night in this RV park? over $70. Emma, always the industrious one (thanks Mom, for the training!) got us a free night as the wifi was down, and Emma convinced the RV park managers that having wifi was the main reason for us choosing their over-priced site!

December 30 
We unpacked our folding bikes and cycled along Monterey's great bike path. We cycled past Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row to Lover's  Point then doubled back for a day at the aquarium.
Entrance fee $29 each. Well worth the price, as the aquarium is focused on conservation rather than entertainment, as there were amazing displays of the kelp forest and local fish, sharks and birds.

Fisherman's Wharf attracted a collection of sea mamals looking for food.



 [5] Sea Lions
[6] Sea Otter

Monterey Aquarium is excellent with many interactive displays. It,s a great place for children and families. As school was out for the holidays the aquarium was packed with families. Oh, joy!

This is a life-sized model of a grey whale. We had great luck viewing real grey whales, coming up!



 A Ruddy Turnstone (64) was foraging on the beach beside the Harbour Seals [7]. It was too far away to get a good picture and I wasn't going to thread through the seals to get closer.

Hermann's Gulls (65) were about in large numbers mixed in with Western Gulls.


Dec 31
We went whale watching and boarded a ship at Fisherman's wharf in Monterey. Harbour seals were lounging about as we left the harbour.
 
We went well out into the open ocean and spotted grey whales when we reached the deep canyon out in Monterey Bay. At this time of year, the Gray Whales are headed south to warmer waters to birth their calves.

The Grey Whales typically surface, take three or four breaths then dive for 5 to 15 minutes. On their final breath they lift up their tails to dive deep.




Common Murre

Common Murre (66) - were flying out of the road of our boat

Rhinoceros Auklets (67)- a few were diving well away from the boat

We were surprisingly hungry and  tired after the boat ride and enjoyed some clam chowder before driving to Carmel to watch the sunset. Notice the Dali-like shape of the soup bowls.

 
Carmel beach is beautiful but the vibe and layout of the town was a real turn off. Combine Shaunessy and West Vancouver, and stir in some American attitude and you have Carmel. Beautiful setting, though, and a great way to toast in the New Year.

January 1
How to start the New Year!?


A full day of birding at world famous Elkhorn Slough was just the ticket.
We had a blast and saw 51 species this day.
68) Say's Phoebe;   69) white-tailed Kite - two soaring and perched
70) Anna's Hummingbird;   71) Common Goldeneye;   72)Western Sandpiper
73) Lesser Yellowlegs;    74) Long Billed Curlew;   75) Dunlin;   76) Long-billed Dowitcher
77) California Thrasher;   78) Kestril;   79) Red-shouldered Hawk;

Snowy Egret - love the big yellow feet

Long-billed Curlew

Willet

Anna's Hummingbird

Great Egret


Down at Moss Landing we saw:
80) Wilson's Snipe;   81) Avocet;

Avocet

January 2)
More birding by Moss Landing was our start to the day.
A Black-bellied Plover (82) was in the marsh while sea lions were stacked up three deep on a pier.


Sea Lions - note the ears


In the afternoon, we took a long bike ride through Monterey and around the point toward Carmel.
We saw Surf Birds (83)  as they foraged along a beach full of Harbour Seals.

Harbour Seals do not have ears



January 3 Big Sir
As we left the Monterey we spotted a Black-necked Stilt (84) in a nearby pond.



We drove south along the coast highway stopping frequently at viewpoints to experience the spectacular scenery around the wild Big Sur Coastline. The terrain is wild and the road serpentine. Emma wished she had a tranquilizer. (or one of her sister Alyce's gold pills).

With all our stops and 30 mph speed it took all afternoon to travel the 30 miles to the Big Sur State Park.



January 4 - Big Sur
We went for a great hike in Big Sur State Park. A sign warned of Mountain Lions in the area. Emma was concerned about being ambushed so I carried our bear spray. As we climbed the mountainside we saw many turkey vultures starting to rise out of the valley on the early morning air thermals. Unfortunately, we did not see any California Condors. The hiking trail was steep, extremely narrow (about a foot wide), with no shoulder, and with drop-offs of several hundred feet.  Rather like the California highways!







Many Stellar Jays were feeding on the acorns from the California Oak Trees.


Some of the jays were spreading their wings and lying flat on a warm hillside to soak up the sun.




We continued along the wild Big Sur Coastline toward the Hearst Castle at San Simeon. It was only 60 miles but it took 4 hours. Right hand turns had to be taken at 20 MPH and they were abundant. We were literally inches away from the edge at some points. I guess Californians don't need shoulders on there mountain highways.



Finally, we emerged from the wilds of Big Sur and the coastline shifted to rolling low hills and small sandy beaches separated by rocky points.  We happened upon a beach full of Sea Elephants [8]. They were spread out on a sandy beach. The cows had new born calves and the boss beach master (dominant male) was lumbering about intimidating peripheral males from trying to slip in and have a go. The adult females have a tough life, as they are always fighting off aggressive male suitors, or nursing babies that will suck up one third of their body weight while they are stuck on the beach unable to feed for months at a time.





We stopped for the night at San Simeon Campground.

January 5 - Hearst Castle
Great place to visit. Heart did a grand tour of Europe when he was 10 and decided to purchase Greek, Roman and Renaissance antiquities for his castle which he started to build when he was 61. He bought several wood ceilings then build rooms in his castle to house them.




I was intrigued that he spent a fortune on antique art rather than snapping up contemporary art from Picasso and the Impressionists.



There are so many lavish venues around the castle that you need to go there yourself to appreciate them.  The castle was donated to the state of California with the provision that it would maintain the integrity of all the art and buildings. All the admission fees are used to fulfill this commitment.

White-throated Swallows (85) were flying around the top of his castle.


When Hearst was hit with the effects of the depression, he made a very humanitarian decision: rather than lay off any staff, he sold off almost all his exotic animals to zoos. He kept the Zebras as they could fit in with the cattle and didn't require any special food or shelter. Today, they can be seen mingling with cattle by the side of the highway. Very surreal!
 
 
We stopped to photograph Long-billed  Curlews and Black Bellied plovers on a deserted beach.

Long-billed Curlew

Black-bellied Plover in winter plumage


I was using my 600 mm lens and after climbing down the cliff face I had to back-up to get the curlew fully in the picture frame. As I shuffled backward something told me to look behind me. I was 10 feet away from bumping into a massive sea elephant bull sleeping beside a rock. I had almost backed into his jaws. One lunge and the one ton monster would have been on me.


Fortunately, he was oblivious to me as I tip-toed away. I took a picture from 50 metres and made good time scrambling back up the cliff. It is eerie how they blend right  into the landscape. You would think you were looking at a large rock, until it moves!

At the RV Park at Morro Bay we met a wonderful woman named Teddy, who is equally passionate about birding. We made plans to go birding together on the 7th.


January 6 and 7-  Morro Bay
Emma and I unpacked our bikes and did a cycling tour of Morro Bay. We stopped for lunch on the Morro waterfront then cycled out to Morro Bay rock.



Morro Rock


The harbour was full of Buffleheads, Horned Grebes, Eared Grebes (86), Western Grebes, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Brants ( and Common Loons. On the way back to the RV we saw a few American Wigeons (86), Amercian Coots and Mallards.

 Eared Grebe - winter plumage

 Western Grebe

American Wigeon


January 7
Teddy and I had a glorious day birding as the weather was perfect and Teddy knew all the spots to see. We started at the marina and saw Red-throated Loons (87), Pied-billed Grebes and a female Belted Kingfisher. Emma stayed in the RV and wrote grants and reports and went bike riding.

Red-throated Loon - winter plumage

Pied-billed Grebe


Belted Kingfisher

In town, we saw all the harbour birds from yesterday and had coffee at the Top Dog Cafe. Teddy knows where to go and the muffins were great.

We drove out to Morro Rock and saw Peregrine Falcons (88) harassing a Red-tailed Hawk. I met Bob who regularly observes the falcons and knew their history going back many years. He could identify the individual birds and filled us in on the current situation. The Red-tail Hawk was interloping on the falcon territory and they were shrieking their displeasure as they dive bombed.  Quite the show but they were all high-up at the top of Morro Rock and I didn't get a picture.

We continued back around Morro Bay to Audubon Outlook. It was perfect. The sun was behind us, the tide was just right and the birds started flying into the shoreline directly in front of us.

Birds everywhere: Marbled Godwits, Avocets, Long-billed Curlew, Black-Bellied Plovers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers, Northern Pintail (89), Green-winged Teal (90), Cinnamon Teal (91), Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers. A bird nerd's paradise.

  Avocet

 Cinnamon Teal

Green-winged Teal

Marbled Godwit


We got some great photos of Black-crowned Night Herons at our next stop.



Green Heron, Hooded Merganser, group of Double-crested Cormorants sunning on a log, Snowy egret, and a Pacific Loon.

Hooded Merganser - female

Pacific Loon

The Pacific Loon looked to be an immature due to the extensive white dashed on its back.


Black-tailed Deer


We finished at Pismo Creek as the light was fading. I saw a Eurasian-collared Dove perched above a raft of roosting Ruddy Ducks.

 Eurasian-collared Dove


In all, we saw 52 bird species by my count.It was an awesome birding day. Thanks,Teddy.


January 8
Before leaving Morro Bay we went on a final birding tour with Teddy. After a coffee stop at Top Dog we went to Morro Rock to show Emma the falcons. They were not present but I did see a Bewick's Wren and a Blue-gray Natcatcher (92).


Bewick's Wren

Brant's Cormorant


We drove to Avila so Emma could do the cool bike route. Teddy and I saw Belted Kingfishers and Red-throated Loons. The Red- throated Loon had a nasty gash by its throat but seemed to be okay and was diving for fish.
Red-throated Loon

 We ended the day at the Walmart in Oxnard and arranged a boat cruise for tomorrow. We are going to Santa Cruz Island, one of the five islands in Channel Islands National Park.