Post by tmanson on Sept 29, 2007 15:01:11 GMT -8
Hi Everyone: Just back from 3 weeks of a non-birding holiday in California; ( I went with my wife, who is a confirmed non-birder ).
Our geographical intinerary was as follows: Picked up the California Coast at Cresecent City, and stayed with the coast all the way down to Moro Bay between San Francisco, and L.A. Cut across the state to the well known Kern River Preserve in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Crossed the Sierras at Sherman Pass at 10,000 ft plus, and emerged in sage brush country, not too far from the Nevada border. Headed north on highway 395 to Lee Vining/Bridgeport, and then crossed the Sierras again to Yosemite National Park. From there headed north back to B.C.
I saw 120 plus species. I had a target of 5 lifers, and saw 6, one of which is non-countable.
All birds are beautiful in the California sunshine, but some, of course, were highlights. By highlights, I mean birds either never seen in B.C., or rarely.
They include the following: WHITE PELICAN, BROWN PELICAN, SNOWY EGRET, GREAT EGRET, WHITE FACED IBIS, CALIFORNIA CONDOR, WHITE TAILED KITE, RED SHOULDERED HAWK, FERRUGINOUS HAWK, PRAIRIE FALCON, GREATER SAGE GROUSE, SNOWY PLOVER, AMERICAN AVOCET, WANDERING TATTLER, HEERMAN'S GULL, ELEGANT TERN, LEAST TERN, ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD, ACORN WOODPECKER, NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER, BLACK PHOEBE, WESTERN SCRUB JAY, YELLOW BILLED MAGPIE, OAK TITMOUSE, WRENTIT, CALIFORNIA THRASHER, SAGE THRASHER, CALIFORNIA TOWHEE, SAGE SPARROW, BLACK CHINNED SPARROW, LESSER GOLDFINCH.
It was a thrill seeing a California Condor; ( released bird #194, over Big Sur ).
My dip bird was Lawrence's Goldfinch. My one full birding day was at the Kern River Preserve, where Lawrence's Goldfinch is reported fairly regularly. Unfortunately, according the reserve's manger, this was a quiet year for them, and a good year for Lesser, of which I saw hundreds.
It took me three tries to find California Thrasher. I had a heard bird at Kern's, but as fellow thrahser chasers know, you can run around for hours, looking for these skulky birds; ( I did ). Finally found a " seen California Thrasher ", outside Mariposa, after contacting a generous birder who let me come on her property to find them.
My unexpected bird was Least Tern. My sources tell me, in California, they breed in the San Francisco Bay area, and then disperse along the coast prior to migration south. Didn't see them anywhere along the coast, so was surprised to find two at Mono Lake in sagebrush county, east of the Sierras. Since I doubt any of the coastal population bothers to cross the high Sierras, my hypothesis is, that I saw interior birds migrating. I did try for them last year in Montana, unsuccessfully, so, perhaps this was part of this population moving south. There was lots of fresh water shrimp for them to feed on in Mono Lake.
Favourite birding areas were Bodega Bay/Harbour/Head north of San Francisco, which was just loaded with birds, and Mono Lake, east of the Sierras, a surreal area of volcanic rock jutting out of the lake which holds the largest breeding population of California Gulls in N.A.,as well as many migrating shorebirds.
The Kern River Preserve should be really good. I just happened to hit it on the only not so good weather day in three weeks of traveling; ( showers, and wind ).
I was not able to book a pelagic at Monterrey Bay, and, I was a little too far north to try for LeConte's Thrasher, and California Gnatcatcher-next time!
Pauline took charge of camera, so I don't have too many bird pictures. I did ask her to take shots of birds, whenever she could, and I will upload them to the photo section, once I get them sorted out; ( including a shot of a California Condor ).
Cheers, Thor
Hope, B.C.
Our geographical intinerary was as follows: Picked up the California Coast at Cresecent City, and stayed with the coast all the way down to Moro Bay between San Francisco, and L.A. Cut across the state to the well known Kern River Preserve in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Crossed the Sierras at Sherman Pass at 10,000 ft plus, and emerged in sage brush country, not too far from the Nevada border. Headed north on highway 395 to Lee Vining/Bridgeport, and then crossed the Sierras again to Yosemite National Park. From there headed north back to B.C.
I saw 120 plus species. I had a target of 5 lifers, and saw 6, one of which is non-countable.
All birds are beautiful in the California sunshine, but some, of course, were highlights. By highlights, I mean birds either never seen in B.C., or rarely.
They include the following: WHITE PELICAN, BROWN PELICAN, SNOWY EGRET, GREAT EGRET, WHITE FACED IBIS, CALIFORNIA CONDOR, WHITE TAILED KITE, RED SHOULDERED HAWK, FERRUGINOUS HAWK, PRAIRIE FALCON, GREATER SAGE GROUSE, SNOWY PLOVER, AMERICAN AVOCET, WANDERING TATTLER, HEERMAN'S GULL, ELEGANT TERN, LEAST TERN, ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD, ACORN WOODPECKER, NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER, BLACK PHOEBE, WESTERN SCRUB JAY, YELLOW BILLED MAGPIE, OAK TITMOUSE, WRENTIT, CALIFORNIA THRASHER, SAGE THRASHER, CALIFORNIA TOWHEE, SAGE SPARROW, BLACK CHINNED SPARROW, LESSER GOLDFINCH.
It was a thrill seeing a California Condor; ( released bird #194, over Big Sur ).
My dip bird was Lawrence's Goldfinch. My one full birding day was at the Kern River Preserve, where Lawrence's Goldfinch is reported fairly regularly. Unfortunately, according the reserve's manger, this was a quiet year for them, and a good year for Lesser, of which I saw hundreds.
It took me three tries to find California Thrasher. I had a heard bird at Kern's, but as fellow thrahser chasers know, you can run around for hours, looking for these skulky birds; ( I did ). Finally found a " seen California Thrasher ", outside Mariposa, after contacting a generous birder who let me come on her property to find them.
My unexpected bird was Least Tern. My sources tell me, in California, they breed in the San Francisco Bay area, and then disperse along the coast prior to migration south. Didn't see them anywhere along the coast, so was surprised to find two at Mono Lake in sagebrush county, east of the Sierras. Since I doubt any of the coastal population bothers to cross the high Sierras, my hypothesis is, that I saw interior birds migrating. I did try for them last year in Montana, unsuccessfully, so, perhaps this was part of this population moving south. There was lots of fresh water shrimp for them to feed on in Mono Lake.
Favourite birding areas were Bodega Bay/Harbour/Head north of San Francisco, which was just loaded with birds, and Mono Lake, east of the Sierras, a surreal area of volcanic rock jutting out of the lake which holds the largest breeding population of California Gulls in N.A.,as well as many migrating shorebirds.
The Kern River Preserve should be really good. I just happened to hit it on the only not so good weather day in three weeks of traveling; ( showers, and wind ).
I was not able to book a pelagic at Monterrey Bay, and, I was a little too far north to try for LeConte's Thrasher, and California Gnatcatcher-next time!
Pauline took charge of camera, so I don't have too many bird pictures. I did ask her to take shots of birds, whenever she could, and I will upload them to the photo section, once I get them sorted out; ( including a shot of a California Condor ).
Cheers, Thor
Hope, B.C.