My biggest issue was trying to figure out what bird to target. There are still plenty of lifers that I could get in Cali, like Spotted Owl or Northern Pygmy Owl or many different alcids. However, after checking the rare bird alert I decided on Tropical Kingbird. I have seen plenty in Costa Rica, and even one in Arizona but I never got a picture for the ABA region. Plus the spot where the bird was hanging out is a place I have never been and was curious about. In fact there is at least two Tropical Kingbirds in the area. The town is Watsonville which is just north of Monterrey. So it was only a 25 min drive from Gilroy.
Well once I got there it did not take long to find one of the birds.
Tropical Kingbird - greenish back, notched tail, long bill.
I really liked this community where the bird has settled. It is actually called Shorebirds and is right on the beach. It has a nice pond, some chaparral, a slough and nearby ag fields. A birders paradise.
Only hitch, a small 1 bedroom condo is over half a million. Ouch!
I can't believe how bad my old camera is. I was pretty close to this bird. With my new set up he would have been properly crushed.
Next I headed to Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing. Love this area of California. Amazing birds, great surf, not too many people and no traffic.
Pelagic Cormorant
Tropical Kingbird - greenish back, notched tail, long bill.
I really liked this community where the bird has settled. It is actually called Shorebirds and is right on the beach. It has a nice pond, some chaparral, a slough and nearby ag fields. A birders paradise.
Only hitch, a small 1 bedroom condo is over half a million. Ouch!
I can't believe how bad my old camera is. I was pretty close to this bird. With my new set up he would have been properly crushed.
Next I headed to Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing. Love this area of California. Amazing birds, great surf, not too many people and no traffic.
Pelagic Cormorant
Long-billed Curlew
I could easily move there, but I am not about to be house poor for a little condo. So I will have to live with short visits every now and again.
Cheers.
Hello Jamie,
ReplyDeleteLove the photos of the Pelagic Cormorant. And congrats on scoring a Tropical Kingbird on your recent CA trip.
Your Long-billed Curlew got me thinking about another blog.
I need your advice. (1) Could you please check http://gailbirdtale.com/ and scroll to the July entry "Birds of San Diego". Tell me, is that a photo of a Long-billed Curlew or a Whimbrel, in her posting? (She calls it the Curlew, but I think it is the Whimbrel). (2) If she has mis-identified the bird, should I write to her and let her know? Or just let it go? (I don't know if she can fix labels in an old blog entry). (3) I think she also has a buteo labeled as a Cooper's Hawk (the photo of a hawk sitting on a black light post). I am not being fussy; I enjoy reading birding blogs and challenging myself to identify the species (which is why I like it best when the author/photographer puts the label UNDER the photo. That gives me a chance to identify the bird before I see the answer.) Erla again