Groveland, California 6th - 13th August 2022

The third week of our California trip was spent in Groveland. We stayed in an AirBnB on Pine Mountain Lake. Our accommodation was a lodge, set in the woodlands, and we managed to record a good variety of wildlife whilst sitting on the porch area!

Most numerous were the California Scrub Jays that woke us up every day, but we also spotted Steller’s Jays, Acorn Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture (very common, with up to 15 seen together, and 1 seen feeding on a dead Western Grey Squirrel, by the road), California Quail, White-breasted Nuthatch, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Swallow, Anna’s Hummingbird, Oak Titmouse, Brewer’s Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Canada Goose, Mallard, Cliff Swallow, Red-tailed Hawk, Pied-billed Grebe, American Robin, Wild Turkey, Raven, California Thrasher, Northern Flicker (red-shafted), Bushtit, House Finch, House Sparrow and Eurasian Starling.  

California Quail

Turkey Vulture (and Grey Squirrel)

Red-breasted Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Carmel and 17-Mile Drive

Just a few miles from Monterey lies the small seaside town of Carmel. We had a couple of visits here and the nearby 17 Mile Drive. Birdwise, we didn’t add much to the trip list, but I did have my one and only sighting of Berwick’s Wren here.  

Berwick's Wren (honestly!!)

Other birds seen in Carmel itself were: Mourning Dove, Heerman’s Gull and Pygmy Nuthatch. On the beach, we had great views of California Ground Squirrel.

California Ground Squirrel

During a drive around nearby 17 Mile Drive we visited Bird Rock where we saw our first Mule/Black-tailed Deer, along with Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Heerman’s Gulls, Brandt’s Cormorants, California Sealions (hundreds!) and Californian Ground Squirrels. 

Black Oystercatcher

Rufford CP - 25th September 2022

 Jayne and I had a couple of hours at Rufford today. There were c49 Black-headed Gulls present, and we saw a couple of ringed birds (258A and 293A) and a ringed Canada Goose (579019). 

Both the gulls were regulars at Rufford (click on the labels for details of previous sightings).

258A

293A

Canada Goose 579019was a bird I'd seen there previously (in October 2021) and had been ringed nearby on 12th May 2016.

5279019

Also present was a single Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Linacre - 24th September 2022

 A week after my last visit, I was back down at Linacre this morning for a walk around all three reservoirs.

Overall, waterbirds numbers were very similar to last week, except for Moorhen and Coot which had risen to 19 (15 adults and 4 juveniles) and 9 (5 adults and 4 juveniles) respectively. Other birds reported were: Kingfisher (1), Grey Heron (1), Grey Wagtail (2), Mallard (60), Mandarin Duck (70), Tufted Duck (25, up from 12 last week), Little Grebe (1) and Great-crested Grebe (5; 3 adults and 2 juveniles). 

The highlight of the morning, however, was another flock/skein of c.98 Pink-footed Geese flying over west at 9am.

Other birds seen around the reservoirs included: Chiffchaff (1 singing), Magpie (3), Woodpigeon, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Robin, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Wren.

Big Sur and Andrew Molera State Park - 31st July 2022

On July 31^st Jayne and I drove from Monterey down to the area called Big Sur and visited the Andrew Molera State Park. Our main reason to visit this area, was to see the fantastic scenery (including the famous Bixby Bridge) and to try and catch up with one of the world’s rarest birds, the California Condor. We did manage a very distant view of this species (very high up above the park), but also saw several other species, namely Acorn Woodpecker, California Thrasher, Turkey Vulture (15+), Band-tailed Pigeon (heard, but not seen), Dark-eyed Junco, California Scrub Jay, and Song Sparrow. 

Acorn Woodpecker

California Thrasher

We also saw our first California Ground Squirrels and Western Fence Lizards.

Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing Wildlife Refuge- 3rd and 4th August 2022

About 10 miles north of Seaside is a small marina called Moss Landing. Jayne and I visited this area and went on an electric boat tour up a river/lagoon called Elkhorn Slough (pronounced sloo, like who). The first birds seen were Western Gulls, followed closely by a juvenile and adult Pied-billed Grebe and a Western Grebe.  As we set off up the slough, we passed a large colony of breeding Brandt’s Cormorant. Over the course of the next two hours we recorded: Willet (6+), Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Semipalmated Plover, American White Pelican (4), Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, American Kestrel, Caspian Tern, Elegant Tern and a beautiful Northern Harrier. Southern Sea Otters, Harbour Seal and Californian Sealions were also present throughout the trip.

Brandt's Cormorant

Whilst on the trip, we heard about a nearby reserve, Moss Landing Wildlife Area, so we popped across there for an hour. I also had another visit early next morning. Birds ween there were:  Black-necked Stilt (adults and juveniles), Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, American Avocet (adults and juveniles), Willet, Long-billed Curlew, Black-bellied Plover, Elegant Tern (c500), Caspian Tern, Black Skimmer (2), Brown Pelican, Western Gull, California Gull, and Red-necked Phalarope (70+!!)

American Avocet

Black Skimmer

BH Gull EY19562

During a quick walk around Bakewell this afternoon, I spotted Black-headed Gull EY19562 back on the River Wye for its 4th winter. My first sighting was at this spot, on 4th November 2018, but it had been ringed (as a first-year bird) at Westport Lake, Staffordshire on 10th December 2014, so it is possible that it's been present since then. 

EY19562

Click on the label below to see the other sightings of this bird.

House Martins, Chiffchaffs and Pink-footed Geese

 When I set off to carry out this month's WeBS count at Linacre it felt like a "Pink-footed Goose morning". There had been several reports of skeins flying over during the last week, and the weather was perfect, with bright blue skies and no cloud cover. As it was, I heard one skein and saw another, totalling 28 birds, and heading west. This is my first record at Linacre this autumn.

Pink-footed Geese

Whilst stood by the dam wall by the lower reservoir, I also heard House Martins, and was very pleased to see 4 flying above the trees, my latest record for this site. a total of 4 Chiffchaffs were also singing around the site, along with several other birds "wheeting" in the willows by the top reservoir. Other birds counted whilst on site were: 78 Mallard, 87 Mandarin Ducks, 6 Moorhens (3 adults and 3 juveniles), 9 Coots (8 adults and 1 juvenile), 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 Grey Wagtails, 2 Little Grebes, 3 Great-crested Grebes (2 adults and 1 juvenile), 1 Grey Heron, 1 Kingfisher and 12 Tufted Duck.

Linacre Insects - 4th September 2022

 It was 21 degrees on Sunday, so I had a couple of hours around Linacre to see which insects were still flying.

It started well, with a Red Admiral, followed by 3 Speckled Woods, 1 Large White and 1 Small Copper, of the form caeruleo-punctata (blue spots of the wings).

Small Copper

Dragonflies were far and few between, but 3 Brown Hawkers were seen, including 1 that posed nicely by the bottom reservoir.

Brown Hawker

There were a few hoverflies, mainly Eristalis species, but I did manage to spot one Helophilus pendulus and  this one, which I believe is a Sericomyia silentis (my first record since 2017).

Sericomyia silentis

Birds seen on site included: Tawny Owl (1 in the ringing site), Buzzard (1), Grey Wagtail (4, including at least one juvenile), Great-crested Grebe (2 adults and one juvenile), 1 Chiffchaff (still singing in the sun) and this juvenile Tufted Duck.

Tufted Duck

Monterey Bay Whale Watching

One of the main reasons for our trip to Monterey Bay was to get out on the sea and see whales and dolphins.

We'd found a really good company, Monterey Bay Whale Watching, so Jayne and I booked on to a 3 ½ hour trip. The first species we saw were Western Gulls, hundreds of Brandt’s Cormorants that were nesting on the breakwater and the Californian Sealions and Southern Sea Otters that were resting in and around the harbour itself. 

Californian Sealion

Sea Otter (adult and baby)

Once out into the Bay we soon started seeing Common Murres and then the whales! During the trip we saw a total of 17 different Humpback Whales, 2 Blue Whales  and a nursery pod of approximately 75 Risso’s Dolphins!!

Humpback Whales

Risso's Dolphins

Other species seen during the trip were: Red-necked Phalarope (1 flew past), a single Black-footed Albatross (no photo unfortunately) and 100s of Sooty Shearwater. Fantastic!!!

Sooty Shearwater

Seaside and Monterey Bay Birds - 2022

 After our first week in America, we hired a car and drove down the coast to stay in an Airbandb in Seaside, just a 10 minute drive from Monterey. On the trip down, we saw our first Turkey Vultures of the trip.

The place we were staying had a garden, and, whilst there, we spotted 1 Hooded Oriole (male), Anna’s Hummingbird (seen daily), Northern Mockingbird (1 across the road), Acorn Woodpecker (1 in the garden), Bushtit (a flock of c15 birds visiting the garden’s water feature for a drink and a bath), Oak Titmouse (2 in the garden), American Crow (regular around the garden, and flocks of c100 flying over to roost somewhere every evening), California Scrub Jay (daily in the garden), Turkey Vulture (daily over the house and beach).

Bushtit (on water feature)

Great-tailed Grackles (male and female birds) were seen around Robert’s Lake, whilst Seaside State Beach had a fantastic flock of  Heerman’s Gull (200+), Western Gull, California Gull, Whimbrel ( a flock of 29 on the beach), Long-billed Curlew, Caspian Tern (1 adult and 1 juvenile, roosting with the gulls on the beach), Marbled Godwit (1 on the beach), Sanderling (c.10 on the beach) and Western Snowy Plover (adults and 2 chicks).

Heerman's Gull

Caspian Tern

Whilst looking around Monterey’s Cannery Row  we saw Pigeon Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Egret, Brown Pelican and Brandt’s Cormorant.

Brown Pelican

Black Turnstone and Grey Phalarope were added in MontereyHarbour, along with 20+ Californian Sealions, Southern Sea Otters, Brandt’s Cormorants, Great Egret, Surf Scoter (2), Barn Swallow, Western Gulls and Heerman’s Gulls. 

Black Turnstone