SPOONER'S COVE LAGOON

Spooner's Cove Lagoon, Montana de Oro State Park (photo) - Beautiful, mild morning. Due to recent high tides, a wide lagoon has formed. I enjoy watching the seasonal changes on the beach. I also enjoy watching birds, but the only bird that was in view was a Black Phoebe.

Behind the Ranch House in the Willows and Cypress along the creek a couple of House Wren were busy scolding. Darting thru the vegetation were two Townsend's Warble, several Orange-crowned Warbler and a Hermit Warbler (first Hermit of the season) and Chickadees.

Yesterday stopped by the Audobon Overlook. All was quiet. Decided to stir things up a bit with a few iPod bird calls. Marsh Wren came out, Song Sparrow and White-crowned sang, Common Yellowthroat showed his pretty face, and the Red-winged Blackbirds were dashing back and forth, (Some of them still had their brilliant red shoulder patches.) and somewhere in the brush a Spotted Towhee called. Now, that is my idea of fun. Just as I was leaving, seven Blue-winged Teal paddled slowly by - my first sighting of these little darlings this season.

BETWEEM STORMS

At times last night the rain was fierce. 4.75 inches in my rain gauge this morning. After a few morning sprinkles, the rain stopped. Made hast to Montana de Oro. The sea was roiling. It was the color of chocolate mocha coffee. There was a battle going on between the out going flow of the creek and the incoming surge of the ocean.

In spite of the tough conditions there was a Great Egret, a Greater Yellowleg, a Kingfisher, and a Song Sparrow singing his delightful song. A few Pigeon Guillemots have arrived, but none were in sight.

WEEKEND BIRDING

Saturday birded with a couple of friends. Best birds at Islay Creek in Spooner's Cove (photo): Brewer's Sparrow and Willow Flycatcher. Up by the Visitor Center there were 6 plus Western Bluebirds dashing back and forth across the road. We really enjoyed their antics. We also observed 3 Wrentits chasing each other.

Only one Greater Yellowleg at the Turri Road Ponds. Most of the ponds have dried out. It takes a very high tide to fill them up. About a mile down the road we watched 4 or more Kingfishers chasing each other. A behavior none of us had seen before.

From the Marina Sandspit we observed a wild feeding frenzy out in the bay, saw and heard a flock of 20 White-fronted Geese fly in from the north and land out in the estuary; also sighted, flying over the west side of the bay, a med. size flock of Brant Geese. Bob, the sea otter, that comes into the marina on the incoming tide, was snoozing peacefully in his bed of kelp.

This afternoon, near the largest pond at Sea Pines Golf Course were 6 White-fronted Geese and at the smaller back pond, 20 Canada Geese. I was hoping to see a warbler or two in the willows by the putting green but no such luck.