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.
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+!!)
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