SAN SIMEON CREEK

So happy to be out and about. Weather overcast, no wind - a perfect Central Coast morning. San Simeon Creek flows by the campground, under Hwy One and ends in a small rocky lagoon on San Simeon State Beach. A berm of sand prevents the creek from flowing into the sea. I was looking for a Semipalmated Sandpiper - nearly identical to a Western Sandpiper. It had been seen among a small flock of Western Sandpipers. I am not very adept at finding a needle in a haystack. The area the peeps were feeding in had moist ground, small round rocks, and bits and pieces of kelp (see photo). Yikes!!
First I saw the obvious - Handsome Semipalmated Plovers in breeding plumage, Killdeer, 2 Short-billed Dowitcher, Caspian and Elegant Tern, 4 Snowy Plovers (always a treat), Grackle, Western Sandpiper. Finally spotted the Seimpalmated Sandpiper. Its bill is a little shorter, straighter and thicker than the Western. Anyway I think I saw it. Below is a link to a photo by Roger Zachery that shows the difference between the two sandpipers. The Semipalmated is upper right.
Western Sandpipers and Semipalmated Sandpiper | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Stopped at a few spots to check for Turnstones and Tattlers. Did see a couple of Oystercatchers and numerous Long Billed Curlew and one Whimbrel and many Heermann's Gull on Cayucos State Beach. Unaccustomed to the fresh air, I was overcome with a yearning for a Starbucks. Thus my first real day of birding, in nearly a month, came to a most pleasant end.

BOB JONES TRAIL REVISITED

Saturday, revisited the Bob Jones Trail. The weather was perfect, warmish, clear, no wind. Many walkers and bikers using the trail. I was the only birder that I could see. Saw the usual shrub and ground birds. The Acorn Woodpeckers were busy hiding acorns. They store nuts in individually drilled holes in trees, fence posts, and sign posts. The acorns are jammed in so tight that squirrels cannot pry them out. Some granary trees can have thousands of holes.

Had an excellent view of two handsome male, Hooded Merganser, chased them along the creek, catching glimpses of them between dives. Fortune shined again with a great sighting of a Hermit Thrush (photo). In an apple orchid, that obviously had not been picked, spoiling apples were an attraction to Yellow-rumped Warblers. They were everywhere - too many to count.

BIRDING THE BOB JONES TRAIL

The morning was sunny, slightly cool and gorgeous. We entered the Bob Jones Bike/Walking Trail at San Luis Bay Drive. We walked to the bridge that crosses over the San Luis Creek, about a 2 mile round trip. At the beginning of our walk there was much bird activity. Juncos, Chickadees, and very talkative Oak Titmouse were abundant. Acorn Woodpeckers were squawking and hiding acorns (photo - 2 Acorn Woodpeckers in gnarled Sycamore tree). It was birding heaven.

The section of the trail we were on follows the San Luis Creek as it meanders to the sea. At this time of year the Willows and Sycamores have lost most of their leaves which makes viewing the birds a pleasure. The most fun we had was trying to figure out the species of a large plump bird, scrunched down, sleeping with its back to us, and its head tucked in. At first I was mostly convinced it was an owl. Then we saw two more of them. We were still unsure. Several people stopped by to help us ponder the situation. We had moved on a few yards but decided to have one last look. My friend Sylvia said, "It's head is up." It took only a few moments for us to realize that our owl was an immature Black-crowned Night Heron. I really wanted it to be an owl.

At the bridge we saw one of our winter migrants,a female Common Goldeneye, and I believe I had a glimpse of the male further up the creek. Our total count for the morning was 25 species. I highly recommend the Bob Jones Trail.