Bird Treks - A Quality Birdwatching Tour Company

TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS
15-28 September 2007

1. CALIFORNIA CONDOR - Several were seen flying out of Pinnacles National Monument but the best sighting was on the road to Mt. Pinos where a lone bird was found feeding on road kill.
2. Le Conte's Thrasher - A very cooperative bird posed for pictures and sang in the scrub near Maricopa.
3. Greater Sage-Grouse - Several were seen outside of Bodie State Park.
4. Great Gray Owl - A lone bird was seen in the Wawona area of Yosemite National Park.
5. Island Scrub-Jay - Easily found on Santa Cruz Island.
6. Mountain Quail - A large covey was found just off Tioga Pass Road near Lee Vining.
7. Black-footed Albatross - Several were seen on both Monterey Bay pelagic trips.
8. Flesh-footed Shearwater - Several were seen on both Monterey Bay pelagic trips.
9. Barn Owl - A lone bird at Bodega bay sat in a tree and gave excellent daytime views.
10. Yellow-billed Magpie - Many birds were seen in the Pinnacles area.

First morning of the tour, Mary Ann and Peter Marchetti and I headed to Palo Alto and Mountain View Baylands for a few hours of birding before Les Eastman arrived. At Palo Verde we started birding at the duck pond with close-up views of coots, grebes, several species of ducks, California Gull, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and two immature Little Blue Herons, a fairly uncommon bird for the area. As we explored farther we had good views of Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, and many other shorebirds, an experience that would be repeated throughout the tour. One of the highlights of the morning was a very cooperative California Clapper Rail (an endangered subspecies) that came into the open and posed for our enjoyment. Other highlights included close views of Vaux's Swift, Cinnamon Teal, and American White Pelicans. This morning we encountered thousands of birds and had a nice introduction to what California birding has to offer. After picking Les up at the airport we headed north to Bodega Bay. En route we had nice views of San Francisco Bay as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. At Bodega Bay we had good numbers of water and shorebirds that included some of our first West Coast specialties such as Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, and Brandt's and Pelagic Cormorants. Some other specialties included Tricolored Blackbirds coming into roost at a small wetland. But one of the highlights of the day was a beautiful Barn Owl that was perched in the open. We watched the owl for quite a while as it was being mobbed by Chestnut-backed Chickadees. An excellent way to end the first day!

Day two we birded the Point Reyes Peninsula. Starting at Tomales Bay State Park, we quickly had excellent looks at a Wrentit, another West coast specialty. In the park we birded the forest and found Band-tailed Pigeon, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Hutton's Vireo, and Wilson's and Townsend's Warblers, to name a few. We then found our way to the Tule Elk Reserve where we saw many Elk. After enjoying the Elk herd we headed to Abbott's Lagoon for more views of waterfowl and shorebirds. The best shorebirds we found were a Dunlin and two Baird's Sandpipers. After leaving the peninsula we headed to a nearby marsh where we had close but brief views of a Virginia Rail. We finished the day around the park headquarters where we had two more specialties. A family of California Towhees and a covey of California Quail put on quite a show right in the parking lot.

Day three we got to experience the joy of California rush hour traffic as we made our way to Bolinas Lagoon. At the lagoon we had large numbers waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds that were occasionally displaced by the passing of a Bald Eagle. Here we encountered our first Elegant Terns and a large Harbor Seal nursery, to everyone's delight. We made a few stops on the way to Yosemite, one of which yielded Virginia Rail and Sora. Once at Yosemite we were delighted to find a very cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk and a pair of American Dippers that put on an excellent show as they fed along a small mountain stream. After tearing ourselves away we headed to a nearby location to look for Great Gray Owl. At this area we were unable to locate a Great Gray but we did find a Cooper's Hawk and a Long-eared Owl. The Long-eared was a surprise because they are not that common at this altitude.

Day four we were up early for another attempt for the Great Gray Owl. Just as we were about to give up, Peter spotted one as it came out of the tall grass carrying a vole! The bird landed on the same perch that the Long-eared Owl was on the night before. The owl then moved to the top of a small bush where it sat for a while before it disappeared into the forest. This was an experience that will not be soon forgotten. We headed toward Glacier Point where we found Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, White-throated Swift, and a few other mountain birds. The majestic view of the Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point Overlook was breath taking--Wow! After leaving the point we worked our way into the valley. We birded the area below Bridal Vail Fall where we found a beautiful Great Horned Owl being mobbed by a group of Steller's Jays. We made our way through the park to the Mono Lake area where we concluded our day at Mono County Park. Here we saw a large number of California Gulls, Eared Grebes, and Red-necked Phalaropes on the lake. We were delighted by several Red-breasted Sapsuckers, a Black-billed Magpie, and a few other nice birds.

Day five was a cold and very, very windy day, but we made the best of it and set out to bird the sheltered areas. We checked the area around the Bodie Ghost Town. On the way to Bodie we found a nice group of birds that included Say's Phoebe, Sage Sparrow, Pine Siskin, and Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees. In the Bodie area, I spotted a very distant Greater Sage-Grouse. After everyone saw the speck in the scope, we set out across the sagebrush for a closer look. We slowly worked our way toward the location and found ourselves extremely close to what turned out to be a flock of about 15 grouse! These birds put on a nice show as they worked their way through the sagebrush. After this fantastic experience we returned to the road and quickly found a large flock of Mountain Bluebirds. We headed back to Mono County Park and had a MacGillivray's Warbler and a male American Redstart. Nearby a Bobcat crossed the road right in front of the van. In town we found Rufous Hummingbird, Steller's Jay, Cassin's Finch, and Pine Siskin coming to feeders. All in all we had a fairly good day considering the less than optimal weather conditions.

Day six we got an early start to a large burn area to look for Black-backed Woodpecker before breakfast. This morning the winds had subsided and the burn area was alive with the sounds of woodpeckers. We spent two hours searching this area during which I heard only one Black- backed Woodpecker call. I was unable to locate the bird, but I tracked down several Northern Flickers and 60+ Hairy Woodpeckers. It was an incredible experience to see so many woodpeckers in such a small area! On our way back to breakfast we learned that the Tioga Pass through Yosemite was closed due to an early snowstorm. We revisited the feeders in town and saw several Rufous Hummingbirds. We also birded some areas below the pass that produced a Western Tanager and a covey of Mountain Quail. We watched them as they crossed the road and worked their way up the hillside. After having our fill of the quail we headed up the road where I saw a Black Swift barreling down the hill trying to escape the wintry weather. I quickly turned around and tried to chase it down, but it was just too quick, hence the name Swift? The return trip through the park was quite different than our previous passage. The summer setting was transformed to a winter wonderland with snow-laden trees and several inches covering the ground. We saw several close Clark's Nutcrackers before we departed. We stopped in Fresno and had several Spotted Doves, a bird that is becoming increasingly difficult to find in California. In the Central Valley we stopped at Mendota Waterfowl Management Area where we had close views of breeding Western and Clark's Grebes, plus White-faced Ibis and Caspian Tern.

Day seven we headed to Monterey to go on our first of two pelagic trips with Debra Shearwater Journeys. During the debriefing of ship rules we had a first-year Sabine's Gull in the harbor. What a nice way to start the trip! We had a beautiful calm day with close and excellent views of most species. Species seen on the trip included: Black-footed Albatross, Sooty Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater (first one for the season), Buller's Shearwater, Pink-footed Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater (very brief), Wilson's Storm-Petrel, Ashy Storm-Petrel, Black Storm-Petrel, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, South Polar Skua, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, and Rhinoceros Auklet. Also seen were Humpback Whale, Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Dall's Porpoise, California Sea Lion, Harbor Seal, and Sea Otter. After the pelagic we made a short visit to Point Pinos to see Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, and Wandering Tattler.

Day eight we went to Pinnacles National Monument. We stopped at Paicines Reservoir where we had Bald Eagle, Wilson's Snipe, Baird's Sandpiper, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Kingbird, and many others. Also along the road we found a Prairie Falcon and several endemic Yellow-billed Magpies. Upon arriving at Pinnacles we found three more target birds: Oak Titmouse, Nuttall's Woodpecker, and FIVE California Condors! Other highlights included Golden Eagle and Pacific-slope Flycatcher. After leaving Pinnacles we went in search of California Thrasher and Lawrence's Goldfinch. Both birds showed nicely, especially the flock of goldfinches that was coming in to drink at a small spring.

Day nine began in Santa Cruz with close views of Elegant Tern and distant views of Marbled Murrelet. We then proceeded to Ana Nuevo State Park were we had better views of Marbled Murrelet and added Elephant Seal to the trip. In the afternoon we birded the Moss Landing area where we had large numbers of shorebirds, among which we found Ruddy Turnstone and Red Knot. In the inlet we had a group of about 80 Sea Otters all swimming and feeding together.

Day ten was our second pelagic trip. This time during the debriefing we found a female Harlequin Duck in the harbor. We had another calm day at sea with many of the same species. Highlights included 20 South Polar Skuas, excellent and prolonged views of Flesh-footed Shearwater as it followed the boat, and a breaching Humpback Whale. As we returned to the harbor we were greeted by a Pigeon Guillemot and the same Sabine's Gull that we saw at the start of the first pelagic.

Day eleven, a stop at Moss Landing yielded close views of five Snowy Plovers and a first-year Parasitic Jaeger sitting on the beach. We worked are way down the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. Today was mostly a travel day with some birding along the way.

Day twelve we traveled with Island Packers Tour to Prisoner's Cove on Santa Cruz Island. On the way out we found several Black-vented Shearwaters. After arriving at Prisoner's Cove we quickly located the main target bird, the endemic Island Scrub-Jay. We also saw many of the endemic subspecies including Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and Allen's Hummingbird. On the island we found Hooded Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting. On the return trip we saw hundreds of Common Dolphins, Risso's Dolphin, Minke Whale, and two Blue Whales.

Day thirteen we went to Maricopa to look for Le Conte's Thrasher. We quickly found a cooperative pair of thrashers, along with Greater Roadrunner and Sage Sparrow. After the nice thrasher show we headed toward Mount Pinos. We found a Grasshopper Sparrow, many Lark Sparrows, and two California Condors that were just finishing their breakfast that consisted of a road-killed Black-tailed Jackrabbit. The one condor was in the company of several Common Ravens that were dwarfed by its presence. This bird allowed for a close approach until a passing car caused it to take off and circle by our van. It was a real treat to see such a critically endangered species at such close range. At Mount Pinos we found Lewis's Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, and Townsend's Warbler, just to name a few.

The final morning we went to the Palo Verde Peninsula where we saw Cactus Wren and several California Gnatcatchers. This was our final specialty of the tour before we departed for the airport and our plane ride home.

COMPLETE CALIFORNIA: Mountains, Ocean & Desert
6-19 September 2002

1. Black-footed Albatross
2. South Polar Skua
3. Tufted Puffin
4. White-headed Woodpecker
5. Solitary Sandpiper
6. Le Conte's Thrasher
7. Island Scrub-Jay
8. Greater Roadrunner
9. Greater Sage-Grouse
10. Black Oystercatcher