Thursday, September 12, 2013

BIRDING THERE AND HERE

Passed through Pacific Grove on the way home from a visit with relatives. (The photo is much to blue. I was experimenting with a new photo App. ) Birds were few and far between.  Although, along the road, feeding in the muck of a golf course pond sprouting numerous golf balls, was a small cluster of shorebirds - one Whimbrel, 4 least Sandpiper, and a bird I had not seen for several years, a Dunlin; it has a slightly thicker, down turned bill, and is a little larger than a Least Sandpiper.

Meandered down fog shrouded Hwy 1 -  Pulled off at Piedras Blancas.  No view of lighthouse due to dense fog.  On the beach, Godwit, Willet and a large flock of Heermann's Gull - nothing to write home about.
This morning checked out the low tide at Morro Strand North Point.  Low tide is the perfect time to see the Oyster Catchers, Turnstones and Surf Birds feeding on the rocks, but to my amazement, there were no rocks, as they had been completely covered by sand, which goes to prove the adage, "nothing stays the same."  I was enjoying the scampering of Semipalmated Plovers when a woman with a unleashed dog appeared. Obviously she missed the "No Dogs Allowed on the Beach" sign.

Oh well, I'll check out my home turf.  Along the Baywood boardwalk grows a couple stands of blooming Fennel.  Feeding in them were four Yellow Warblers.  Now that was a major treat.

Not far out from the pier, a feeding frenzy was in full progress.  Elegant, Royal, and Forster's Tern, along with Brown Pelican were diving for the little fish.  There were scads of Double-crested Cormorant, Harbor Seals, and gulls, looking for leftovers.  Sound of Feeding Frenzy http://youtu.be/j2alkP3MCLo

 If I had to rate the last few days of birding, foggy Baywood would be numero uno.  

1 comment:

  1. How nice to see a bird after many years ! And watching the Walblers feeding must be beautiful !

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