Birds
And of course we saw birds too. At San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, gulls -- mostly Heermann's Gulls and Western Gulls are very common (in fact, almost a nuisance). They are very tame too. This Heermann's Gull allowed to get within a couple of feet and used a flash to take a picture on an overcast day (and yes, that is the Alcatraz in the background). (Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
The Western Gulls are even more abundant. Sure, they are used to handouts and throw-away food from tourists, but they are still wild and beautiful (the first picture is an immature bird, the last two were taken in Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf).
One somewhat unexpected encounter was a Snowy Egret walking along the beach in the Aquatic Cove. Although a common bird, I usually associate it with marshes and brackish waters, and it was a bit surprising (but not too much so) to see it walking on the beach.
On our two trips to Monterey, we stopped at Pescadero Beach and here I saw some distinctly western birds, one of them being the Black Oystercatcher, the western counterpart to the American Oystercatcher that's common on the east coast.
Another one is the Black Turnstone, the western counterpart to the Ruddy Turnstone that's common in the east (in fact, this is one of the four new birds I "scored" on this trip). It is fun to see these birds that are similar to, but different from, the birds that I am more familiar with.
At Pescadero Beach, the most unexpected find was a White-tailed Kite (a new bird for me). I saw it hovering over the dunes for just a few seconds. I only got a lousy picture but was quite happy to see it at all.
A common bird up and down the coast is the Brewer's Blackbird, which I suppose you can call it the counterpart of the Common Grackle in the east.
There were thousands of Elegant Terns nesting around Monterey Bay. It was a pleasure to see these magnificent -- and certainly elegant -- birds flying, hovering and diving for fish in the bay.
Another western bird is the Pelagic Cormorant, a dark, slender cormorant that's found along the west coast and in the Arctic Ocean only.
Heermann's Gull
Heermann's Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
Black Oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
White-tailed Kite
Brewer's Blackbird
Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern
Pelagic Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
