Birding - California's Central Coast - June 30 - 2009 -  The Last Day of June - Yesterday birded the El Chorro Park which is located about 5 miles south of Morro Bay off of Hwy. 1.  It is also sunny and warmer than my area of Los Osos.  Was hoping to see Cassin's Kingbird.  Fortune shined.  Cassin's Kingbird was easy to see as several were dashing about scooping up insects.  Noticed one juvenile in a tree.  The fluffy darling never move from its branch.  The adults appeared to be ignoring it.  Along the north side of the picnic area is a creek, still containing small pools of water.  There is a walking bridge over the creek that goes to the campground.  On the North side of the campground is Dairy Creek Golf Course, and at the end of the campground is a sweet memorial area with paths and shaded arbors.  As I approached the arbor a beautiful black and white Kingsnake silently slithered across the path.  I was amazed the photo (see below) came out, as I was shooting into shade.

Birds of the day at El Chorro: Cassin's Kingbird, Spotted Towhee, Oak Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Black Phoebe, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Vividly colored Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Wood Pewee, Chickadee, scads of Great-tailed Grackle, Hooded Oriole, Calif. Quail, Calif. Towhee, Lesser Goldfinch, Anna's Hummers (numerous due to the Botanic Garden located across from the picnic area), and Red-shouldered Hawk.  A note about the Grackles.  As I crossed the footbridge there was a gathering of Grackles in the trees along the creek.  Most of them were females and sub adults, only a few males, and to my delight, they were very talkative. 

On the way home drove up San Bernardo creek to get my Western Bluebird fix.  There were numerous along with several Kestrels, and a mature and sub adult Red-shouldered Hawk.  This was one of my better birding days.
                                   

    Birding - California's Eastern side of the Sierras - May 12 - 2009 -  Spent a couple of day on the Eastern side of the Sierras.  From Los Osos took 41 to 101 to 46 to 58 to 14 north to 395 north.  A few miles before Lone Pine is Diaz Lake.  Cottonwood, Willows, Cattails, and moist fields are in abundance around the lake.  Saw numerous Bullock's Oriole, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-headed Black Birds, Meadowlark, and noisy Great-tailed Grackle.  Further north, in the Mono Basin, the birding was great.  On the lake are thousands of Eared Grebe and thousands of Calif. gulls nesting on islands and Tufa.  Also nesting on the Tufa, thousands of Violet-green Swallows.  In the brush I was fortunate to see the Green-tailed Towhee and Savannah Sparrow.  At the Northern end of the lake is a county park that has a delightful lush area with cottonwoods and a small creek, and there is a great board walk that goes through a willow wetland to an overlook on the lake.  From the overlook I saw Spotted Sandpiper with its breeding spots, Eared Grebes, Canada Geese with goslings, Cliff Swallow, Wilson's Phalarope, and Ruddy Duck.  In the willows and trees were numerous Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Song Sparrow, Wilson's Warbler.  Everyone was singing - too say the least an extreme delight.   The water of the lake is rising slowly due to negotiations with L.A.'s Dept of W. & P.
                                                                           
                                                    Diaz Lake                     Western side Mono Lake          Tufa formation southern end Mono Lake
 
                         

 

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