Monterey, Big Sur,
and Southern California
26 Sep
- 4 Oct 2006
Tour Guide:
Henry Detwiler
A awesome week of desert, pelagic, and coastal birding with Julie and
Dennis in beautiful California.
215
species--bird list is at the bottom of the page
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
WEDNESDAY
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Julie & Dennis at the Salton Sea
We left Yuma before dawn in a new Chrysler 3000, our
bird mobile for the next week. Our first goal in the Imperial
Valley was Ruddy Ground-Dove, and after a short search of Inca &
Common Ground-Doves, we found two of them west of Calipatria.
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At Obsidian Butte were hundreds of gulls, terns, and
Black Skimmers. Among them was another target for Dennis and Julie,
that handsome post-breeding visitor to the Salton Sea, the
Yellow-footed Gull. Although the Sea was chock-full of birds,
we had to depart at noon to drive north.
Black Skimmer
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Prairie Falcon
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We made it to Silver Saddle Ranch, west of California City, just before
sun down. The road in to the resort provided a beautiful Prairie Falcon, and
on the grounds we saw Vermilion & Gray Flycatchers, plus
scads of rabbits.
Black-tailed Jackrabbit |
THURSDAY
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Chukar
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We spent the morning on the beautiful grounds,
searching for Chukars and eastern vagrants. Among numerous
sparrows were Sage and a Clay-colored. Several Red-naped
Sapsuckers were in the cottonwoods, and this engaging roadrunner posed
along the entry road.
Greater Roadrunner |
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Turkey Vultures
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Before rising on their thermals, we caught sight of this band of
vultures surveying their domain from the hillside. Dennis
spotted the Chukars wandering down from Galileo Hill around 11:00,
and we eventually got some killer looks. |
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| As California City we found the two northern
visitors that had taken up residence: this Ross' Goose and
its larger distant cousin the Tundra Swan. 
Tundra Swan |
Ross' Goose All too soon it was time
to drive on towards Monterey. When we stopped for a burger
in Mohave it was pushing 100 degrees; at our next stop for gas in
Salinas, it was 60degrees, cloudy, and breezy--what a shock! |
| As the sun set we added some coastal birds and ate
a less-than-fantastic seafood restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf.
We renamed it Crabby Dennis' -- in honor of Dennis' meager meal. |
FRIDAY
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Checkmate at dawn, Monterey
Humpback Whale - note barnacles on tail |
We reported to the Checkmate right on time, and at 0730 headed out to
sea with Debra Shearwater. Harbor waterfowl included a
Harlequin Duck and Common Murre. We were fortunate to have calm seas and warm weather, two
factors that greatly added to our enjoyment of the 8-hour trip. As we started to pick up
numerous pelagics, we also started to see the real stars of the day, the
hump-backed whales. One of the leviathans breached a couple
of hundred yards from the stern, and came crashing down with a
resounding splash. Shortly thereafter, we saw another giant
breach ahead of the boat--too much fun!
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In addition to the 30-odd whales, we found Pacific White-sided,
Risso's, and Northern Right Whale Dolphins, as well as Dall's
Porpoise. Also out at sea were Elephant Seals and Northern Sea
Lions. It was a fine day for marine mammals! The birds
were pretty darn good, too, with four species of shearwaters, two
jaegers, two auklets, a skua, a fulmar, and a storm-petrel.
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White-sided Dolphin |
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Pink-footed Shearwater
chased by South Polar Skua
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We were fortunate to see two South Polar Skuas,
one of which was in hot pursuit of a Pink-footed Shearwater.
Buller's Shearwaters cut fine swaths as they glided over the light
chop. Sooty Shearwaters were floating everywhere, floating
around like so many corks in a tub--so well fed that they could
barely move out of the way of our boat.
Sooty Shearwater
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