CENTRAL COAST of CALIFORNIA: August 31-September 3, 2007
Early Friday morning, August 31 I drove down to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, CA for a sea watch. It was pretty foggy all morning but I could still see a lot. There were a few people tidepooling below me but no one else paying the least bit of attention to the sea birds flying past. A few Harbor Seals rested on the rocks off shore. The only gulls I saw were Western Gull, Heerman’s Gull, and California Gull. A steady parade of Elegant Terns flew past heading south with a few fishing just to the north of the preserve where I saw several Parasitic Jaegers harassing them trying to get a free meal by stealing the fish they caught. A couple of Pigeon Guillemots flew south in front of me and from time to time I could just make out a Sooty Shearwater or two flying north low over the water. On the rocks I saw some Black Turnstones, Black Bellied Plover, and Black Oystercatcher. There were quite a few Red-necked Phalaropes flying and sitting on the water and the usual Common Murres and Brandt’s Cormorants. Pelagic Cormorants, and a few Double-crested Cormorants. Around 9:00 AM things started to slow down so I moved on down the coast and inland where the sun had poked through the fog. I took Higgins-Purissima Road in Half Moon Bay to Burleigh-Murray Regional Park where I took a short walk. A Red-shouldered Hawk called loudly from a tree and a Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk soared overhead. As I arrived at the riparian section I saw Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Nuttall’s Woodpecker in the trees. Wrentits sang from the hillsides and one Band-tailed Pigeon flew up the trail ahead of me. The only other birds here were Steller’s Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Hutton’s Vireo. There were several species of butterfly including Anise Swallowtail, Margined White, Cabbage White, Field Crescent, Woodland Skipper, and a Satyr Comma. After my little walk I drove further south to Pescadero Marsh where the tide was coming in fast so that there were few shorebirds to look at. I only saw Surf Scoter, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope in abundance, and Red-breasted Merganser. On the dunes I was surprised to see one Acmon Blue butterfly. I left there and returned home to pick up Susan for our Labor Day camping trip. We drove down to Big Sur and then inland to the Los Padres National Forest where we camped for three nights at Bottchers Gap. Susan spotted a White-tailed Kite along the way. The last time we camped there we heard a Spotted Owl at night; we did not hear a Spotted Owl but the first night as we lay in the tent we heard Northern Saw-whet Owl, Western Screech-owl, and Great Horned Owl. The sky was clear and lots of stars twinkled in the sky along with bright Jupiter.
Saturday morning we got up early and after breakfast headed over to Andrew Molera State Park. We walked all over the park to the Big Sur Ornithology Lab, the Big Sur River, the trail to the campground, and all the way to Molera Point but we saw very few birds. On the trail were a few Wilson’s Warblers and Yellow Warblers and one Hutton’s Vireo. Violet-green Swallows flitted overhead along with a couple of Barn Swallows. There was nothing at all in the campground except a Monarch butterfly and more Woodland Skippers. Past the campground we found a Pacific-slope Flycatcher in the willows, one Spotted Towhee, and a California Towhee. A Northern Harrier was scanning the meadow. Out at the point we saw a Peregrine Falcon perched on a rock at the water’s edge where it stayed for the entire time we were there. California Quail were in the trees but there was practically nothing to look at in the ocean except Brandt’s Cormorant and Surf Scoter. There was one Fiery Skipper at the point. Around the campground Susan found a Common Buckeye and there were a few Common Ringlets and Mylitta and Field Crescents. Back at the parking area we had our lunch at the picnic area where we saw a Lorquin’s Admiral going repeatedly to a willow tree by the river and a few California Sisters and some Whites chasing both of them. After lunch we returned to Bottchers Gap where we took a trail leaving from the campground to Mt. Carmel. It was very hot and dry and many gnats formed a cloud around us as we headed up the trail. I was also bitten repeatedly by a horse fly. The only birds were at the trailhead, Townsend’s Warbler, Hutton’s Vireo, Chickadees, and Brown Creeper. Nothing was blooming; even the Pearly Everlasting was practically dead and the only birds we saw after the first quarter mile were Steller’s Jays and Dark-eyed Juncos. There were many more Woodland Skippers and from time to time we would flush up big clusters of Golden Hairstreaks. I’m not sure if we made it to Mt. Carmel or not but wherever we were we had a good view of the surrounding mountains and the Pacific Ocean far below and we had some shade to rest under and so we turned back there. That night after dinner we went looking for owls but couldn’t find any.
Sunday morning we got up at 5:00 AM and a Great Horned Owl was calling. Just as we were about to get into the car a Northern Saw-whet Owl started making strange vocalizations at the edge of the woods but we never saw it. We drove down to Andrew Molera and had breakfast since it was too early to do so at our campground (quiet hours are from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM). After breakfast we again scoured Andrew Molera but found very little except a flock of about eight Vaux’s Swifts, and one Warbling Vireo on the trail and one Western Bluebird at the campground. So we left there and drove to Pfieffer Big Sur State Park. We parked at the Big Sur Station and took the Pine Ridge Trail which soon leaves the state park and enters the Ventana Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest. Not long into the hike we saw a Western Gray Squirrel licking a fungus on a fallen redwood. The trail was well trod with other people and it too was very dry with little blooming but was very beautiful nevertheless. At the first stream crossing we saw a gorgeous Pacific Spiketail dragonfly patrolling the stream and an American Lady butterfly. Further up the trail we saw False Solomon seal with bright red berries and a few blooming California Fuchsia. As we proceeded we came to a big gulch with redwoods in it and a dry waterfall. We were too hungry to make it to our destination and had to stop for lunch. It was unusually hot that day. The trail is very narrow the whole way with few places to step aside for a break. So we scrambled up the dry waterfall and had our lunch. No sooner had we pulled our sandwiches out than these knuckleheads walked right up to where we were perched with their off-leash dog which they pulled up ther for a drink from a barely trickling seep. The dog lapped and lapped (they obviously had not bothered to bring it any water despite the extreme heat and commented “oh look how much water he’s drinking). They showed no regard for our privacy or for the dog for that matter. They were typical inconsiderate dog owners (redundant). We heard Acorn Woodpeckers in the woods though I never saw an oak tree on the trail. It was mostly California Bay Laurel, Pacific Madrone, Douglas Fir, Coast Redwood, and Red Alder. About half way to our destination I found a Mormon Metalmark getting nectar from one of the few blooming plants on the trail, a Nude Buckwheat. I also saw one fritillary very briefly before it flew off; I believe it was a Coronis Fritillary. At four miles we came to a turn off for the wilderness camp at Ventana Creek. The trail down to the creek was about a mile long and very steep. We went down it and it got hotter as we descended. At the creek we cooled our heads and feet before hiking back up the steep climb out. Back on the main trail we saw more Golden Hairstreaks. With about a mile left to go Susan ran out of water so we had to ration until we made it back to the stream crossing where the Pacific Spiketail was still patrolling. We had a break and our snack and the last of my water. The rest of the trail was in the shade so we didn’t have too hard a time getting back to the car. We filled our water bottles at the water fountain and then drove south to Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. It was overrun with people so we didn’t even get out but drove back up the coast to a pull out where we looked out at the mighty Pacific Ocean while eating our dinner. Then it was back to Bottchers Gap.
Monday morning we got up, packed our things, and left Bottchers Gap. We headed north back toward home stopping at Garrapatta State Park along the way. The sun was out so we got out and walked to the coast. Sticky Monkeyflower, Pacific cinquefoil, and lots of Coast Buckwheat was blooming. At the edge we saw a female Sea Otter with a star fish on her belly. Her nose was bright red from the biting they receive from males during mating season. I bet they can’t wait until mating season is over or better yet menopause sets in. I ran back to the car to get my telephoto lens but she had hidden behind a rock to avoid marauding Western Gulls trying to steal her meal so I was not able to photograph her but we did see two males also a bit further out. As we were looking out into the kelp bed a Peregrine Falcon zoomed past and flew to the rocks on the far shore. We left there and drove all the way to Moss Landing where we turned off at Dolan Road planning to visit Elkhorn Slough. Unfortunately we did not realize it was closed on Mondays so we turned around and stopped in at Moon Glow Dairy which is an active dairy that allows birders to visit the ponds bordering the slough. There were hundreds of Red-necked Phalaropes in the first pond. On the other side were Willets, Lesser Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwits, Western Sandpipers, and Least Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Plovers, and two Baird’s Sandpipers which we got a good look at before they flew away. There were several Long-billed Curlews in the mud flats. Out in the slough were Clark’s Grebe, Western Grebe, and Pied-billed Grebe.
Next we drove to Salinas River NWR where it was incredibly foggy. There were six well marked signs in the parking lot “NO DOGS.” Out at the beach guess what we saw—yes, a dog. Dog owners have a universal vigilantism it seems that makes them think they are above the law. It didn’t matter because there were very few birds, just a few Killdeer, Sanderlings, and Heerman’s Gulls. On the way back to the car we saw another Anise Swallowtail. We left there and drove to Moss Landing where we saw an incredible fourteen Sea Otters floating in the channel. The only birds were more Godwits, Willets, and a Great Blue Heron. A few Black-necked Stilts flew past and we saw another Peregrine Falcon and that was about it. So we left there and drove all the way to Waddell Beach in San Mateo County. We crossed the highway and took the Skyline to the Sea Trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We only had time to hike a mile or two before it was time to turn around and head home. There were not many birds around, just a few chickadees, Steller’s Jay, Downy Woodpecker, and Dark-eyed Juncos. We saw one Western Tiger Swallowtail, many Woodland Skippers, California Sister, and another Satyr Comma. Almost back to the trailhead we came across a beautiful Twelve-spotted Skimmer. As we left San Mateo County and headed home we entered the fog belt of San Francisco and watched the thermometer plummet. The birding had been abysmal but it had sure been nice to spend a hot weekend in Big Sur and on California's spectacular Central Coast.
Michelle Brodie
September 5, 2007
