Carmel Valley

It has only been five days since we left Tucson and we are on a Friday night flight to San Jose, California. We drove down to Salinas and checked into the Laurel Inn, a very comfortable hotel that is centrally located for our weekend birding plans. Our destination Saturday morning was the Pinnacles National Park which is a combination of hilly chaparral and stunning rock faces. Although the birding was a little slow, we didn’t mind because it was still cool and the easy hike through the canyon offered beautiful views. We came here looking to add the California Condor to our life list, not today. We saw several California Scrub-Jays, Oak Titmouse, Dark-Eyed Junco and a California Towhee. Driving out of the park, just before reaching the main highway, something caught our eye in a corral and  we pulled over to find at least 20 Yellow-billed Magpie.

Next up was a very scenic drive along the Carmel Valley Road (G16) that began with large farming operations and transitioned into rolling ranches and beautiful hillsides. Along the way we stopped to check out a family of 24 California Quail and further up the road a couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees. It was about noon when we arrived in the town of Carmel Valley which has a very cool collection of wineries and cafes. We wasted no time checking out the wineries, our favorite being Holman Ranch Vineyards. Deciding on lunch was difficult, with so many choices, but we finally agreed on The Corkscrew Café. The setting is a shaded garden patio, the food quite delicious, and you must have the Mussels and Fries.

Driving to the coast we passed through the famous seaside town of Carmel which is just as scenic as advertised, but a little too crowded for our liking. We parked at the Carmel River State Beach for a short hike along the beach and in the lagoon we saw Heermann’s,Western and California gulls. Also there were 30 Elegant Terns (a life bird), Brandt’s Cormorant and several Brewer’s Blackbird. Point Pinos with it’s beautiful lighthouse was our next stop and along the rocky coastline we found Black Oystercatcher and Surfbird. We had a wonderful meal of fresh jumbo prawns and barbecued oysters at the Sea Harvest Fish Market on Cannery Row before heading back to the hotel in Salinas.

Sunday was going to be a big day and we arrived early at Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey Bay for a Pelagic trip with Shearwater Journeys. Onboard the boat, after stowing our gear, everyone gathered on the aft deck where Debi Shearwater was holding court and explaining, as only Debi can, the rules of the ship and the rules for the journey. She is every bit the character portrayed in the movie ‘The Big Year’ and there is no doubt who is running this show if not the vessel itself. Underneath her tough persona though is a real sweetheart of a lady who is extremely passionate about her sea birding and she obviously wants to get her customers on as many birds as possible.

 

Leaving the wharf we round the rock jetty where dozens of sea lions are lounging the morning away, seemingly without a care in the world. Better to be here than out on the bay where killer whales have been known to patrol looking for a good meal. We are also fortunate to get good looks at a Sea Otter floating on its back in a bed of kelp. Making our way out of Monterey Harbor there were Common Murre, a Red-necked Phalarope and an Eared Grebe with Elegant Terns and a variety of gulls in the air.  The most unusual sight in the harbor was a huge flat fish lying sideways on the surface that appears to be dying. On closer inspection we saw that it was very much alive and swimming along as it normally would and this odd species is known as the Ocean Sunfish.

Cruising out into Monterey Bay we immediately began to see some of the Pelagic birds we came for including Black-footed Albatross with Sooty, Pink-footed and Black-vented Shearwater. Further out we come across Ashy Storm-Petrel, Black Storm-Petrel, Rhinoceros Auklet, Sabine’s Gull and an Artic Tern that landed on the boat.  A variety of Shearwater came on all sides as the action picked up and one of those was a Buller’s. Best of all was a Tufted Puffin that came in close for excellent views. Continuing on we came across Pomarine, Long-tailed and Parasitic Jaeger along with quite a few Northern Fulmar. Just as we are thinking that things could not possibly get better a South Polar Skua is sighted and four Scripps Murrelet come within range of our binoculars. This was a great day for life birds and by far the best pelagic we have been on.

With a few hours to burn before our flight, we took a drive down coastal Highway 1 to Big Sur. This is one of those drives where the scenery is so incredible that you have a hard time keeping your eyes on the road. On one of several stops we looked over the cliff and saw several Black Oystercatcher and a Wandering Tattler on the rocks below. Next stop was the Bixby Creek Bridge which is a graceful piece of architecture in an awesome setting. The beach below is where Jack Kerouac (On the Road) would sit at night listening to the sounds of the crashing ocean waves while gathering inspiration for his novel Big Sur. After a toast to Jack we headed down the coast to Andrew Molera State Park where we hiked the trails along the Big Sur River to the beach. On the way we saw California Quail, Warbling Vireo, Steller’s Jay and a life bird Pacific Wren. At the beach were hundreds of Brandt’s Cormorant, Heermann’s and Western Gulls and brown Pelican. This been a whirlwind weekend, just 48 hours and we have seen so many great birds. Time to head for the San Jose airport and get a little sleep on our red-eye flight before re-entering the real world at our jobs tomorrow morning.

Next up: Florida Fall Migration

Trip : Total Species:  77  Year Birds:  34  Life Birds: 14

2015 : Year Birds: 457   Life Birds: 71

Here’s the list: 2015 Bird List