CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MBWEEK SUMMARY
August 9 - 18, 2014
Our first day may have included a delayed flight, a three-hour vigil at Hertz, and some consequently long waits by others at various places, but things progressed pretty smoothly after this slow start. True, California has had severe drought conditions that seemed to leave some areas relatively birdless, but at least there were no fires where we went. Despite one afternoon with 100+ temperatures, the weather was generally pleasant. And, except for the snail's pace on Highway 1 to and from Big Sur, we even managed to avoid California's legendary traffic jams.
But more importantly, after a seven-year hiatus since our last MBW here, our updated itinerary (which I wasn't entirely sure would work) included plenty of productive birding sites, and we came up with nearly 200 species. I consider our official total to be 197 (and, yes, this does include the condor!), and there were 6 additional birds that I listed below parenthetically. True, some were only seen by one or two of us, and others that provided less-than-ideal views (e.g., Ashy Storm-Petrel, Craveri's Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet, Pacific Wren, California Thrasher, Phainopepla, MacGillivray's Warbler, Bullock's Oriole, Red Crossbill), but I'd say these pale in comparison with all that we did see well. Note that 200 species, give or take a few, equals this MBW's best previous total in 2006; our first MBWeek here in 2005 had a more modest 172 species, and in 2007 our total was 185.
Everyone will remember their own personal MBWeek highlights, but I'd assume that the top of all our lists of most-memorable birds would include Mountain Quail (no fewer than 5 sightings of a notoriously elusive species!), California Condor (non-countable, perhaps, but we had 4 sightings of this spectacular bird), Black Rail (heard-only, but so what?), White-headed Woodpecker (at 3 places), and Lawrence's Goldfinch (unexpectedly easy at Pinnacles).
Some of my other favorites would include the rocky shorebirds (oystercatchers, a tattler, turnstones, and Surfbirds), the mass of Elegant Terns at Moss Landing, the Barn Owls still at the Tremont Cemetery, the nice mix of Vaux's Swifts and Violet-green Swallows over Downieville, Lewis's Woodpeckers and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, colorful Yellow-billed Magpies, some good waves of warblers and other migrants at Yuba Gap, and Bell's Sparrows along with the goldfinches at a La Gloria Rd waterhole.
Of course, the two pelagic trips also provided some pretty special highlights, including impressive albatrosses along side both boats, lots of shearwaters (almost too many to count on the Monterey trip), nice looks at Wilson's and Black storm-petrels and a cooperative skua out of Half Moon Bay, numerous father-and-chick murre families, a spectacularly breaching Humpback Whale in Monterey Bay along with Risso's Dolphins and other marine animals – and even a wayward baby cowbird hitching a ride with us in Half Moon Bay.
Finally, thanks to all of you for your help with finding all those birds and for making this MBWeek something that I'll want to do again soon (I won't wait another seven years). And, of course, special thanks to Dick is due from all of us for all his driving services, and I thank Pat Bacchetti and Bill McGouirk as well for their help with rides on the first and last days.
Itinerary
August 9 - After hours of delays on Delta and at Hertz, we finally found everyone with enough time for the Palo Alto Baylands in late afternoon; dinner at Kabul's and night at Hotel San Carlos.
August 10 - Sycamore Valley Park in Danville, Martinez Regional Shoreline, Benicia S.P., Davis (Perdick Rd and Tremont Cemetery), and Yolo Bypass wetlands; dinner at Lorenzo's and first of 3 nights at Rocklin Days Inn.
August 11 - Yuba Gap area, Rucker & Fuller lakes, and abbreviated drive up Mosquito Ridge Rd (in 103º); dinner at Lucille's.
August 12 - Return to Yuba Gap, Donner Memorial S.P., Donner Camp, Loyalton & Smithneck Rd, Yuba Pass, Bassett's feeders, Sierra Vista dipper, and return drive on Hwy 49 via Downieville's swifts & swallows.
August 13 - Rocklin church woodlands, Burrowing Owl-less area on W Elkhorn Blvd, Cosumnes River, and Mines Rd/Mt Hamilton road en route to first of 3 nights at Gilroy Days Inn; dinner at Chili's.
August 14 - Elkhorn Slough/Kirby Park, Big Sur (mostly J.P. Burns and Andrew Molera state parks), and Point Lobos.
August 15 - Monterey Bay pelagic trip and Moss Landing; dinner at Black Bear Diner.
August 16 - Highway 25, Pinnacles Nat'l Monument, La Gloria Rd, Moss Landing, and Sunset Beach; first of 2 nights at Hotel San Carlos and dinner at Kabul's.
August 17 - Half Moon Bay pelagic trip; dinner at Ketch Joanne's.
August 18 - Return to Palo Alto Baylands before return flights home.
Bird List
(boldfaced species = "non-Minnesota" birds: i.e., Casual/Accidental/absent in MN)
Canada Goose
Mallard
(Blue-winged Teal / possibly at Yolo Bypass Wetlands?)
Cinnamon Teal (best at Palo Alto Baylands)
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter (3 on Shoreline Lake on Monday)
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Mountain Quail (no fewer than 5 sightings; best at Yuba Pass)
California Quail
(Ring-necked Pheasant / bird of dubious origin at Palo Alto)
Wild Turkey
Red-throated Loon (both loons seen by some on Half Moon Bay - hereafter, HMB - pelagic)
Pacific Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Western Grebe (HMBay)
Black-footed Albatross (several close views on both pelagics)
Northern Fulmar (HMB pelagic)
Pink-footed Shearwater (several on both pelagics)
(Buller's Shearwater / only seen distantly by others on HMB pelagic?)
Sooty Shearwater (both pelagics, mostly Monterey; also visible from Big Sur)
Black-vented Shearwater (ditto!)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel (good views on HMB pelagic)
Ashy Storm-Petrel (only seen briefly by a few MBWers on HMB pelagic)
Black Storm-Petrel (also good views on HMB pelagic)
Brandt's Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant (best at Point Lobos)
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture
California Condor (4 locations, 5 total individuals!)
Osprey
White-tailed Kite
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle (incl 3 soaring with condors)
Black Rail (at least 3 heard well at Martinez Regional Shoreline!)
Clapper/Ridgeway's Rail (heard-only at Palo Alto Baylands)
Sora (heard-only)
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black Oystercatcher (Point Lobos and Half Moon Bay jetty)
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Wandering Tattler (Point Lobos)
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone (jetties on both pelagics)
Surfbird (Half Moon Bay jetty)
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
South Polar Skua (both pelagic trips; much better on HMB)
Parasitic Jaeger (HMB pelagic)
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Craveri's Murrelet (seen briefly by some on Monterey pelagic)
Cassin's Auklet (seen briefly by some on HMB pelagic)
Rhinoceros Auklet (both pelagic trips)
(Tufted Puffin / possibly on HMB pelagic?)
Sabine's Gull (Monterey pelagic)
Heermann's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull (Half Moon Bay jetty)
Caspian Tern
Common/Arctic Tern (HMB pelagic)
Forster's Tern
Elegant Tern (1000s at Moss Landing!)
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon (best at Point Lobos)
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Greater Roadrunner (only 1; near Pinnacles)
Barn Owl (still at Tremont Cemetery)
Common Nighthawk
Vaux's Swift (Downieville)
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird (most of the rusty ones were Rufous)
Allen's Hummingbird (2 adult males were identifiable)
Calliope Hummingbird (female at Bassett's feeders)
Belted Kingfisher
Lewis's Woodpecker (2 on Smithneck Rd near Loyalton)
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker (best at Donner Memorial S.P.)
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
White-headed Woodpecker (Yuba Gap, Rucker Lake, and Yuba Pass)
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (IDed finally at Andrew Molera S.P.)
Black Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
(Cassin's Kingbird / 2 possible sightings near Davis)
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Cassin's Vireo (best at Yuba Gap)
Hutton's Vireo (also at Andrew Molera S.P. – finally)
Warbling Vireo
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
Black-billed Magpie
Yellow-billed Magpie (best photo-ops on W Elkhorn Blvd and La Gloria Rd)
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow (best at Downieville)
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Mountain Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (best at Kirby Park)
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Pacific Wren (uncooperative; only seen briefly by some)
Marsh Wren
Bewick's Wren
American Dipper (Sierra City)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wrentit (best at Cosumnes River and Andrew Molera S.P.)
Western Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird (en route to the Lewis's)
(Townsend's Solitaire / possibly at Yuba Gap?)
American Robin
California Thrasher (only a few; mostly uncooperative)
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Phainopepla (only 2 sightings?)
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler (Yuba Gap)
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler (only at Yuba Gap?)
Hermit Warbler (several sightings)
Wilson's Warbler
Green-tailed Towhee (Yuba Gap)
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Brewer's Sparrow (best at Yuba Gap)
Lark Sparrow
Bell's Sparrow (La Gloria Rd; former name Sage Sparrow)
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (seen by a few at Yuba Gap)
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak (seen by Linda at Pinnacles)
Lazuli Bunting (briefly at Fuller Lake and Yuba Pass)
Red-winged Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird (Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area)
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird (incl 1 hitchhiking on Half Moon Bay pelagic)
Bullock's Oriole (brief fly-by on La Gloria Rd)
House Finch
Red Crossbill (fly-over bird calling at Donner Camp)
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch (large flock at Pinnacles!; also on La Gloria Rd)
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak (Donner Memorial S.P.)
House Sparrow
Significant Others (a partial list)
Desert Cottontail
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Western Gray Squirrel
Fox Squirrel
Douglas's Squirrel (Chickaree)
Mirriam's Chipmunk
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
California Ground Squirrel
Beaver
Sea Otter
Coyote
Mule (Black-tailed) Deer
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Bottlenose Dolphin
Harbor Porpoise
Risso's Dolphin
Humpback Whale
Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
PHOTO GALLERY
Mountain Quail, Yuba Pass, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
California Condor, near Pinnacles National Park, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
Black-footed Albatross, Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Northern Fulmar, Half Moon Bay pelagic trip, 2014
(KRE photo)
South Polar Skua, Half Moon Bay pelagic trip, 2014
(KRE photo)
Elegant Terns, Moss Landing, 2014
(KRE photo)
Band-tailed Pigeon, Point Lobos, 2014
(KRE photo)
Red-breasted Sapsucker, Donner Visitors Center, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
White-headed Woodpecker, Rucker Lake, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
Yellow-billed Magpie, La Gloria Road, 2014
(KRE photo)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Kirby Park, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
American Dipper, Woods Lake, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Sea Otter, Point Lobos, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
California Sea Lion, Half Moon Bay, 2014
(KRE photo)
breaching Risso's Dolphin, Monterey Bay, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
breaching Humpback Whale, Monterey Bay, 2014
(Jerry Pruett photo)
Also see the PHOTO GALLERY
following the summaries of the 2019 and 2014 MBWeeks.
__________
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MBWEEK SUMMARY
– July 28 - August 5, 2019 –
As curious as this sounds, news of a staked-out rarity during a tour may not always be something you want to hear – it’s actually more of a good news/bad news situation. Even if you’re able to track the bird down, it can still be a problem when it takes time away from looking for other things. Though the Red-footed Booby in Seacliff didn’t take long to find on its favored dock, to get there to see it meant leaving Pinnacles Nat’l Park earlier than we wanted and skipping the birding potential of La Gloria Road which had been good on previous MBWeeks.
And that Parakeet Auklet involved efforts that were more time-consuming. Along with listening for Black Rails at Martinez and dealing with traffic, our search for the auklet and its favored Hermit Rock took us a full half day on Day 1. But at least our timing and navigation skills proved more successful when we found the bird a week later, but it still took another half day away from birding opportunities elsewhere.
The good news, of course, is that we saw the booby and auklet, and they even represented new additions to the all-time MBW list (#715 & 716!), as well as “near-lifers” on my list – I had seen both species before (in FL and AK), but my looks then were pretty marginal.
Besides the time spent devoted to these two species, our birding efforts were also seriously and repeatedly delayed by heavy traffic. It was noticeably worse than the previous MBWeek here five years ago, and I’d estimate we lost a total of at least a day or so during our week while stuck in traffic. Adding to our difficulties was the slower-than-normal birding in the Sierras, which local birders attributed to a late snow melt there in spring.
So, given all these handicaps, it’s not too surprising that our trip list included only 164 species, although there were 10 other qualified additions (see below) which would bring our total to 174. In the previous four MBWeeks here, our lowest list had been 172, we saw 185 in another year, and twice we found about 200 species.
Still, in addition to the Red-footed Booby, Parakeet Auklet, and heard-only Black Rail, there were several highlights of note among the 75 or so “non-Minnesota” species that we saw. Before leaving the San Francisco area for the mountains on Day 2, we found the likes of Ridgway’s Rail (heard-only), our first Black Oystercatchers, Long-billed Curlews and Pigeon Guillemots, a Burrowing Owls pair, a write-in Vermilion Flycatcher, and Violet-green Swallows.
Despite the slower-than-normal birding in the Sierras, we still found Band-tailed Pigeons, both Red-breasted Sapsucker and White-headed Woodpeckers, Dusky Flycatchers, both Cassin’s and Hutton’s vireos, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Oak Titmouse and Pygmy Nuthatch, a pair of American Dippers, Cassin’s Finches, and mutiple Hermit Warblers plus a Townsend’s or two among them.
After we returned to the coast, we found no fewer than 7 (!) roosting California Condors at Pinnacles Nat’l Park, some with numbered wing tags (#18, 40, and 89), and this was probably the first time I have ever seen this species perched. Our only Lawrence’s Goldfinches also turned up at Pinnacles, and en route there on Hwy 25 were Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Yellow-billed Magpies, Wrentit, and California Thrashers (heard-only).
Closer to Monterey we also added Allen’s Hummingbirds, Surfbirds and Black Turnstones and more oystercatchers, Elegant Terns, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Tricolored Blackbirds. Our last land bird of note was a singing and surprisingly visible Pacific Wren during lunch on Day 7 back in San Francisco.
And last but certainly not least in this summary were the two Shearwater Journeys pelagic trips. In Monterey Bay there were almost-close-enough-to-touch Black-footed Albatross, an estimated 80,000 Sooty Shearwaters (!), among them were Common Murre chicks (attended by their fathers), Northern Fulmars, Pink-footed Shearwaters, and some saw Ashy Storm-Petrels. But the real highlight of this trip were the whales: dozens of Humpbacks (with some of them breaching clear of the water), and even a Blue Whale near the boat – the first one I’ve ever seen!
The other pelagic trip two days later to the Farallon Islands was quite different in nature and included fewer species. But during this special experience we lingered in a sheltered cove to watch Tufted Puffins at their nesting burrows on the cliffs above, along with a nearby and quite lost Northern Gannet again roosting here for the summer. Thousands of nesting Common Murres occupied another slope nearby, as dozens of guillemots and a close Rhinoceros Auklet swam around the boat.
Itinerary
July 28 - Mid-morning arrival at SFO, late-morning at Martinez Regional Shoreline (for an intermittently calling Black Rail), our first attempt to find Hermit Rock and that auklet, and lots of traffic en route; dinner at Off the Rails Brewing, and night in Sunnyvale.
July 29 - Palo Alto Baylands & Byxbee Park, Disk Drive (Burrowing Owls) & Environmental Education Center in Alviso, Joseph Grant Co Park, and drive to Pioneer via heavy traffic on The 680 and The 580; dinner at Mel’s Diner in Jackson, and first of 2 nights in Pioneer.
July 30 - Hwy 88 corridor in the Sierras: Ellis Rd, Kit Carson Rd, Woods Lake, Carson Pass, Red Hill Rd, and Hope Valley campground; dinner at Mountain Grille.
July 31 - Return to Woods Lake and Hope Valley campground, Carson River Rd, Curtz Lake, Indian Creek Reservoir, and drive to Seaside via Hwy 4, The 5, and Hwys 152 & 156; dinner at Gusto’s and first of 3 nights in Seaside.
August 1 - Hwy 25 and Pinnacles National Park (especially for condors), Seacliff (for the booby), Moss Landing, and Moonglow Dairy (for Tricoloreds); dinner at Fishwife Seafood.
August 2 - Monterey Bay pelagic trip, and Pacific Grove (Ocean View Blvd, El Carmelo Cemetery, Washington Park); dinner at José’s.
August 3 - Salinas NWR, successful return to Hermit Rock and the auklet, Golden Gate Park, Palo Alto Baylands/Byxbee Park, and Casey Forebay; dinner at Rok Bistro, and first of 2 nights in Sunnyvale.
August 4 - Farallon Islands pelagic trip (and more traffic back to Sunnyvale); dinner at Metro City / Thai Basil.
August 5 - Morning return from SFO to MSP.
Bird List
- boldface = non-Minnesota species (i.e., Casual, Accidental, or absent in MN)
- h = heard-only
- p = only/primarily seen on pelagic trip(s)
- species in parentheses = qualified/tentative additions to list
Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Surf Scoter
Long-tailed Duck - summering write-in at Moss Landing
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
California Quail
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
(Eared Grebe - briefly; leader-only at Moss Landing)
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
swift, sp. - seen by Dennis over Silver L; either Vaux’s or White-throated
Anna's Hummingbird
Allen's Hummingbird
(Calliope Hummingbird - probable female/juv at Hope Valley campground)
Black Rail - h
Ridgway’s Rail - h
Virginia Rail - h
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
(Short-billed Dowitcher - probably heard at Palo Alto Baylands)
Long-billed Dowitcher
(Wandering Tattler - seen by Deb on Monday near Half Moon Bay)
Willet
Greater Yellowlegs
Red-necked Phalarope - p
Pomarine Jaeger - p
Common Murre - p
Pigeon Guillemot
(Marbled Murrelet - seen by Deb on Monday near Half Moon Bay)
(Cassin’s Auklet - called out on Farallons trip; not seen by MBWers?)
Parakeet Auklet - write-in at Hermit Rock, on only our 2nd try
Rhinoceros Auklet - p
Tufted Puffin - p
Heermann's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Elegant Tern
Black Skimmer
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Black-footed Albatross - p
Ashy Storm-Petrel - p
Northern Fulmar - p
Sooty Shearwater - p; also seen distantly from shore
Pink-footed Shearwater - p
Red-footed Booby - summering write-in at Seacliff dock
Northern Gannet - another write-in; summering again on the Farallons
Brandt's Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
California Condor
Osprey
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Burrowing Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
White-headed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Western Kingbird
Olive-sided Flycatcher - h
Western Wood-Pewee
Dusky Flycatcher
(Pacific-slope Flycatcher - probably seen along Ellis Rd & elsewhere)
Black Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher - write-in at Joseph Grant Co Park
Hutton's Vireo
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo - the Western form; a possible split
Steller's Jay
California Scrub-Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Yellow-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Mountain Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch - the Western form; a possible split
Pygmy Nuthatch
(Rock Wren - heard once; leader-only at Pinnacles)
House Wren
Pacific Wren
Marsh Wren - the Western form; another possible split
Bewick's Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet - h
Wrentit
Western Bluebird
(Townsend's Solitaire - distant possibility at Woods L)
Hermit Thrush - h
American Robin
California Thrasher - h
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
House Sparrow
House Finch
Cassin's Finch
Pine Siskin - h
Lesser Goldfinch
Lawrence's Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Green-tailed Towhee - h
Spotted Towhee
California Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Western Meadowlark
Hooded Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler - h
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler - the Audubon’s type; a possible split
(Black-throated Gray Warbler - probably seen by Deb at Seacliff)
Townsend's Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak - h
Significant Others (a partial list):
Desert Cottontail
Western Gray Squirrel
Mirriam’s Chipmunk
California Ground Squirrel
Rock Squirrel
Coyote
Mule Deer
Steller Sea Lion
California Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Sea Otter
Blue Whale - p
Humpback Whale - p
Ocean Sunfish (a.k.a. Mola Mola) - p
* * *
Tufted Puffin, Farallon Islands, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Common Murres (part of breeding colony of 10,000+), Farallon Islands, 2019
(KRE photo)
Red-footed Booby, Seacliff, 2019
(KRE photo)
Blue Whale, Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish), Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Western Tanager, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Pacific Wren, Golden Gate Park, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Clark's Nutcracker, Carson Pass, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
California Scrub-Jay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Steller's Jay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Vermilion Flycatcher, Joseph Grant Co Park, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Nuttall's Woodpecker, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Acorn Woodpecker, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Sooty Shearwater, Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Pink-footed Shearwater, Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Northern Gannett and Tufted Puffin, Farallon Islands, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Rhinoceros Auklet, Farallon Islands, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Black Oystercatcher, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Black Turnstone, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Pigeon Guillemot, Farallon Islands, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Common Murres (juvenile left, adult male right), Monterey Bay, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
Parakeet Auklet, near Hermit Rock, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
California Quail, Indian Creek Reservoir, 2019
(Dennis Randall photo)
