Birding Morro Bay Marina and Estero Bluffs

Moro Bay Marina - The tide was high - The morning beautiful.  A Clark's Grebe, was feeding at the flooded edge of the marina - a most unusual sight as Grebes are diving birds.  She was keenly focused on the vegetation and paid no attention to my presence.  

There were three Grebes.  I believe in the below photo, the top image is of a Clark's and the lower image  a Western.   Figuring out who's who can be tricky, as they are almost identical.  Western's eye is in the black and Clark's eye is in the white; Clark's bill is more yellow than Western.  At the least I figured out they were Grebes.  Water birds were few, a small flotilla of Coots, four adorable Pied-billled Grebe, a Common Loon, and a magnificent Osprey perched on a distant mast.  

Estero Bluffs State Park - This dense cluster of Eucalyptus is a bird magnet.

Although the Eucalyptus tree is non-native and often thought of as an invasive species; on Estero Bluffs it is the only place where an assortment of roosting birds can roost.  The Eucalyptus is located above San Geronimo Creek and due to dense vegetation is, fortunately, isolated from the public.

In the month of October I have been to Estero Bluffs five times.  There are three primary reasons for the multiple visits, very few people, great birding, and fascinating rocks.  On a recent visit there was an Osprey, five Double-crested Cormorant, Brewer's Blackbird, and a Great Egret roosting in the Eucalyptus at the same time.  On another visit, Mike and I were below the tree at the mouth of San Geronimo Creek watching Coots harassing four Canada Goose when suddenly a dozen plus Black-crowned Night Heron sped out of the Eucalyptus to disappear up the creek.  A few minutes later there was another exodus of Herons.  To say the least it was a rather unique sighting. 

Estero Bluffs - Saturday morning birded Villa Creek beach with Mike and Jerry.  The sea was rugged, tide coming in and the birds cooperative.  The Honeycomb Sandstone is one of my current favorite rocks.  The holes are the result of the interaction of physical and chemical weathering over a loooong period of time.  Watching the feeding shore birds was a delight.

 Godwits were organized and very busy - They only had a few seconds to feed before the next wave.  It never ceases to amaze me how fast their delicate legs can move.  Nearby was a Black-bellied Plover and a couple of Killdeer.  Higher up the beach, where kelp is located, were quadrillions of kelp flies that Western Sandpiper and the adorable Snowy Plover (below) were feeding upon.  The little Plovers were nearly close enough to touch.

Little did we know a surprise awaited us in the rocks.

Four Pacific Golden-Plover - A most unusual sighting.  I was only able to photograph one as I was distracted by the incoming tide and the kelp flies around my face.  The Plovers breed from northern 

Siberia to the coast of Alaska.  They winter from southern Asia to the Pacific Islands and occasionally the Central Coast.  Birding was cut short by fierce wind and blowing sand, but I can guarantee I will be returning to the Estero Bluffs.   

ESTERO BLUFFS

The morning was perfect, sunny with a slight breeze. I parked at the fig tree (will get back to the fig tree later in the blog), and walked north along the bluff looking for shorebirds. Many Black and Ruddy Turnstone feeding among the rocks and on the colorful kelp that washes ashore this time of year. (photo-Black Turnstone) Feeding on the kelp were Turnstone, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Brewer's Blackbird, Savannah Sparrow, and many ground squirrels. On nearby rocks a Spotted Sandpiper bobbed.

An extra fine treat was seeing the Ruddy in its breeding plumage. (photo by R0ger Zachery) It was a perfect day for photography and I did not have my camera (bad decision).

Eventually I looked out to sea. Thousands and thousands of Shearwater were streaming south and about a mile out was a giant area of them - looked like an oil slick.

Now, back to the Fig Tree. It is a landmark of sorts, as one can see it from Hwy. 1., and it is often where birders park. Due to all the rain the tree has been reborn. The Fig is huge and lush. As I climbed up the path to the parking area, a cacophony of sound was eminating from the tree. A large flock of busy Bushtit had arrived causing Bewich's Wren and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher to become highly agitated. California Towhee began chipping and sitting atop the shrub, oblivious to the melee, were a couple of House Finch merrily singing. A most delightful conclusion to a great morning of birding Estero Bluffs.

BIRDING ALONG THE CENTRAL COAST WITH THE CATCHPOLES

We made four stops on our morning birding adventure. The first stop was along Estero Bluffs (photo). The fog was lifting and the sea was beautiful. Harry and Norma Catchpole knew where to find a young Black Oystercatcher. They have been following its development since it was one of three eggs. The nest was a slight depression in the rocks.

We followed the trail along the cliff a short distance. We saw both adult Oystercatcher, but it took Harry a bit of time to locate the youngster which was tucked into a slight depression, not moving a feather. Both Norma and I looked but could not see it. Juveniles are gray with brown eyes and a dark bill, and as we can testify, they can be difficult to locate.

Old Creek Lagoon - Cayucos State Beach - Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Western Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, and after much pondering and comparing, 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Morro Strand Lagooon - Morro Strand State Beach. The lagoon is extensive, but due to the Snowy Plover (an endangered species) fencing, a portion of the lagoon is inaccessible. Norma spotted the first treat - a mother mallard with 4 ducklings. Four American Avocet in breeding plumage were feeding. They thrust their bill under water and swing it from side to side along the bottom to stir up aquatic insects. Fascinating to observe.

Morro Creek Lagoon - Morro Strand State Beach. Three Red-necked Phalarope feeding. They spin quickly to create a vortex that churns up tiny invertebrates. Most entertaining to watch.

Successful morning of birding. We ended the day with a yummie lunch at the Blue Sky Cafe on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay.

ESTERO BLUFFS STATE PARK

The Estero Bluffs State Park (photo) is along Hwy One north of Cayucos. (Weather: Coolish, cloudy, no wind) The shoreline is dotted with rugged rock formations and quite coves. Today we were the only people walking the trail (this park has yet to be discovered). Almost every rock had a harbor seal resting upon it. The sea was so quiet that the seals could rest on partly submerged rocks without floating off. They were all on their backs with their flippers pointing up, which was quite a humorous position. In the water around the rocks were, at least, 14 Red-breasted Merganser and several male Surf Scoter in their black and white finery. We saw one Spotted Sandpiper and a Black Oystercatcher.

Checked out Cloisters Park on the way home. At first it seemed very quiet, and as I hung around for awhile, the birds began to appear. Great view of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Spotted Towhee, Golden-crowned Sp. Around the inside of the pond were numerous Black-crowned Night Herons. Conspicuous by their absence were Red-winged Black Bird, Grackle, Sora, Virginia Rail and Meadowlark. I am hoping that the missing birds will show up for the "Easy Birding Walks" on Jan. 15 and 16. (birding hint - bird calls found on iBird Explorer can be very useful)