Along the coast
Fog hugs the shore in a wet blanket
Everything grows in the rich soil
Moistened by the air, cool but not too cool
And pelicans fly over the artichoke fields©2008, Liza Lee Miller
(Extreme close-up)
For more skies, foggy or otherwise, visit Sky Watch.
After visiting some skies, make sure you stop by I and the Bird #87.
Birds and skies go hand-in-hand, don’t you think?
My Morro Bay trip was more about family fun and frivolity than birding. Still, I did manage a little birding while I was there. Some (the Turkeys) seemed to come and find me. Others were there at just the right moment. Still others flew by but were not id’d. There was a few tiny birds in the trees around our campsites but I never saw them well enough to id them. They were totally flitters — never settled anywhere long enough to be id’d. Probably Vireos or Kinglets but no way to tell for sure.
Wild Turkey – Meleagris gallopavo 3
California Quail – Callipepla californica X
Western Grebe – Aechmophorus occidentalis 1
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias 1
Great Egret – Ardea alba 2
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula 2
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura X
Anna’s Hummingbird – Calypte anna X
Costa’s Hummingbird – Calypte costae 1 LIFER!
Chestnut-backed Chickadee – Poecile rufescens X
Bewick’s Wren – Thryomanes bewickii 1 LIFER! Oops – not a lifer. Already on my list. Sigh.
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) – Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group] X
House Finch – Carpodacus mexicanus 4
“Go away! You’re giving away my hiding place! Stop taking pictures! GO AWAY! NOW!”
I think my favorite bird of the trip was this irritated female House Sparrow. Don’t you love the way she’s giving me the hairy eyeball? My crime, you ask? Well, I found her nest! She was nesting under the eaves of a little cafe by the water. She was not happy to see me, I’ll tell you.
So, yes, I went away!
I will get to the most important stuff first . . . the birds! What a trip — to be honest, I did not see as many birds as I have on other trips. I should have — the campground we stayed in was right on the water and there was a wildlife preserve near by. I think a large part of the problem was the busy schedule we kept on this trip. (See my FMC blog report for a quick and dirty version!)
I have to break my bird report into two parts — domestic and exotic. Because we went to the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and SeaWorld, I saw a fair number of exotic birds. They were wonderful and I loved seeing them but they aren’t “countable!”
So, domestic birds. Here are some pictures . . .
Great Heron at the Rookery at San Diego Wild Animal Park.
The Rookery at San Diego Wild Animal Park
Little Blue Heron, San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
Raven, San Diego Wild Animal Park
Peahen, San Diego Zoo (Hey, it’s in my Sibley book! 🙂 )
Flamingo, also exotic but also in my Sibley book!
Vieing with the sealions and seagulls for fish!
House Finch fluffed up on a chilly morning
House Sparrow who joined us in the open air restaurant
Crows at the campground — adaptive critters, aren’t they?
Flock of Black Skimmers.
The List:
mother. wife. friend. teacher. writer. reader. photographer. birder. quilter. blogger.
Liza Lee Miller 