Have Camera, Will Travel.: Channel Islands to San Diego

January 9/10 - Channel Islands National Park

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

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.