As some of you may know I spent the last two weeks on holidays in California. It was a family holiday but I (of course) managed to squeeze in some birding as well. You can expect a full trip report as soon as I get over my jet lag.
Here are the first five days.
Day 1: We arrived in San Francisco and a cab took us to the hotel. The first bird of the trip was a Brewer's Blackbird which turned out to be one of the commonest birds in SF. En route I also observed some California Gulls, the inevitable Feral Pigeons and a few American Crows. Through the hotel window I saw Mourning Doves, House Finches, American Robins and also a Western Gull (probably the commonest gull in the Bay Area).
Day 2: Our plan was to walk along the coast from Fishermen's Wharf to the Golden Gate and back. It started with a flock of Canada Geese flying in V-formation very close to us. I was attracted by very loud noises coming from the trees above me. When I looked up I saw a very noisy flock of Mitred Parakeets. I walked down the pier towards the waterfront and was rewarded by the sight of numerous Brown Pelicans, ssp. californicus. As a fact of interest, the infamous Alcatraz Island was named after the pelicans, called Alcatraz in Spanish. Alongside there were Double-crested and Brandt's Cormorants drying their feathers in the sun. I erased Cattle Egret from the list, see the list to find out why. Soon we reached Crissy Field, an area where a salt marsh restoration programme is under way. Sadly, since it was Memorial Day several people were on the beach and some of them were wading in the reserve itself (!!). Therefore it wasn't particularly full, but I managed to see a trio of Ciconiiformes: Snowy Egret, Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron (in flight). Just a few metres off shore I saw a very sickly looking Loon, whose ID is still being decided. *It has been decided it was a Red-throated. We made a turn towards Presidio park where several Pygmy Nuthatches were heard calling and seen climbing trees. I also spotted a female Hooded Oriole. Since it was Memorial Day and Presidio hosts a very large military cemetery we received a few strange looks by passers-by. Thus we decided to stop and slowly return to our hotel. On the way we saw a magnificent soaring Red-tailed Hawk.
Day 3: No birding in the morning, but went to the Golden Gate Park in the afternoon. There I saw my first ever hummingbird, it was Anna's, and I was delighted. I also saw a calling flock of Cedar Waxwings near the Japanese Tea Gardens. We also visited one of the numerous lakes in the park. I saw a few usual species there, for example Red-winged Blackbird, Bushtit, Song Sparrow and a Brown Creeper. Angry Brewer's Blackbirds managed to scare a Green Heron from its hide-out. Dark-eyed Juncos of the »Oregon« type were also quite common.
Day 4: This turned out to be one of the best days of the whole trip! We decided to rent bikes, cycle over the Golden Gate Bridge and finish off birding in the Marin Headlands, north of the bridge. This is a hilly area of chaparral which is still quite wild. Our trip mostly followed the route we took on Day 2. The first birds were a few Surf Scoters swimming close to the coast. It was still a bit early so no people were wading at Crissy Field, and the birds weren't disturbed. I saw a splendid Common Loon in breeding plumage, a truly stunning bird!! We finally got on the bridge. The air wasn't the best but the views were breathtaking. I could see Caspian Terns flying all around us. At the very end of the bridge I saw a large rock (could call it a very small island, I guess) where gulls and cormorants were sitting. I checked it out and soon saw what I thought were Black Guillemots, but weren't, they were Pigeon Guillemots (the stripe on the wing panels is surprisingly hard to see when birds are swimming.) We managed to cross the bridge but then hell broke out. It wasn't noon yet but the heat was unbearable. As if the heat wasn't enough we had to cycle uphill. When I saw Turkey Vultures I wasn't sure who were they after: us or some other carrion? Luckily, we soon began to descend and I could again pay some more attention to birds. I first heard and then also saw a Wrentit, a very typical bird of chaparral. We stopped at Rodeo Lagoon, which had Snowy Egrets, Pied-billed Grebes, Caspian Terns, Brown Pelicans and Red-winged Blackbirds. We had lunch there, and I was trying my best to practice the »Sanderling feeding technique«, the cold Pacific was quite motivating for running. On the way back I saw quite a few Western Bluebirds. We returned to SF on a ferry from Sausalito, the wind totally destroyed my eyes while looking at Guillemots. By the time I got off the ferry my eyes were blood red (maybe that's way nobody asked us for a ticket, who knows??).
Day 5: It was time to leave SF and head for Yosemite National Park. While my mother was beginning to adapt to automatic transmission I was busy looking at birds. At our first stop I saw an American Kestrel being chased by Starlings. It all continued with a Yellow-billed Magpie, an attractive bird and my first ever endemic. A field was quite rich with Swainson's Hawks of various morphs and ages. In Mariposa a Western Kingbird was perched on the very same spot for more than 20 minutes, very persistent. The first birds in Yosemite were Acorn Woodpeckers flying overhead, closely followed by a Steller's Jay (the most distinctive bird of the park) and White-throated Swifts. After listening to the anti-bear precautions we settled down in our cabin.
Pictures will follow after the whole report.