It is one of the most productive marine environments in the world, and wildlife abounds in many forms. Rufous-Crowned Sparrow. In addition to the resident Black Oystercatchers, these areas are favored by wintering shorebirds such as Black Turnstones and Surfbirds. They hold the record for the world’s longest bird migration, leaving their nesting colonies off New Zealand and traversing the entire Pacific Ocean in a figure-eight pattern. Zoom info at bottom. Watch for these additional common California birds in winter (December to February): Red-tailed Hawk (31% frequency) American Coot (29%) Mallard (28%) Common Raven (26%) Turkey Vulture (23%) Double-crested Cormorant (21%) Great Egret (20%) Here is a list of California summer birds (June to July) not on the lists at the top of the page: Photographed today. Wild birds migrate to the Central Coast and Morro Bay, California, in winter. Zoom info at bottom. In the afternoon, stiff west winds strike perpendicular to the sea cliffs, creating fantastic updrafts, lifting condors lazily overhead. Yellow-Headed Blackbird. In Monterey people say you should “dress in layers,” and it’s not unusual to need a hat and gloves in August—or shorts and a T-shirt in December. Monterey Bay is one of the world’s best places for pelagic birding and whale watching: among the many operators are. See more ideas about birds, bird life list, ornithology. Birdwatchers will find some of California’s best birding on the farmlands and wetlands of the central valleys of California. May and June are the only months in which the weather can be oppressive, usually due to coastal fog. California Scrub Jay. The coastal mountain range known as the Santa Lucia Highlands pushes in on Big Sur from the east. After relocating to the west coast, much of my free-time is spent in the field attempting to catch a glimpse of the native reptile and amphibian species of central California. The best time to find a good cross-section of birds and other marine life at Monterey Bay is from mid-August through mid-October, when bird diversity is high. They have one of the longest and narrowest ranges of any bird in the world, breeding from the Alaska Peninsula south through northern Baja California, but they typically aren’t found more than a few hundred meters from the shoreline. Traveling birders often overlook this expansive habitat, but as with the desert, a closer look will reveal a host of avian treasures. Many people visit this area simply to make the famous drive along Highway 1 in Big Sur, but there is much more to this area than scenic beauty. Central coast locations and the birds that may be found. The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds, birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation. These close cousins of the more widespread Black-billed Magpie are quickly becoming a conservation concern throughout the state. When I first drove the coast route from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, I couldn’t believe my eyes: mile after mile of undeveloped coastline giving way to redwood groves and towering hillsides, lush river mouths, and rocky gorges. You can find a large concentration of sea otters at Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing most afternoons—as many as 75 of them congregate inside the breakwater, out of the rough ocean swell, to sleep and relax. On the lee side of the crest grow spectacular pines and redwoods, including some large sugar pines that are home to the region’s only known Mountain Chickadees. Cone Peak, one of the highest places in the range in southern Monterey County, is a superb hike. Short, dense vegetation characterizes chaparral habitat, which covers the lower coastal hills. Hello- This small raptor, perched in a Eucalyptus tree, is a new sighting on my property two miles inland on the central California coast. Full Title: “Climate Smart Solutions for Grassland Birds: Conservation Ranching California” February 15, 2021, 7:00-8:30. The central coast of California is dotted with several important coastal estuaries. Biodiversity of the Central Coast. Locations include Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Monterey and Pacific Grove. The Landscape calendar is similar to the annual calendar you've grown to enjoy over the years, featuring a brand new mix of sunset and night sky landscape photographs. Snowy Owl: Large, white owl with variable black bars and spots. Welcome to 2021, our next meeting will be held on February 26th at 8pm at Club Wyong RSL. Most of the central California shoreline is rocky. In recent decades, the species has expanded its geographic range over the past five decades by colonizing forest habitats in the central Sierra Nevada and suburban areas in eastern San Francisco Bay. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. But California Towhees are at heart birds of the tangled chaparral and other hot scrublands of California and Oregon. Thanks! On its calmest days, Monterey Bay is idyllic. It is amazing considering all the predators in the park, such as snake, raccoon, weasel, bobcat, and coyote that any Quail chick survives. Head inland across the coast range, and you’ll find a unique habitat—California oak savannah, a remarkably beautiful country marked by scattered oak trees and tall grasses. Halfway between bustling Los Angeles and San Francisco, California’s stunning central coast is tranquil and filled with birds. Designated west coast portion of Marine Important Bird Areas from Alaska through Baja. Barn swallows and brant geese are among the species that travel to SLO County. Baird's Sandpiper: This medium-sized bird has scaled gray-brown upperparts, white underparts and a dark-spotted gray-brown breast. This 300-mile stretch of central California is perhaps the most scenic coast in the United States. This trail, sketched by Audubon California, highlights 83 top sites in four coastal counties (Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura), including eight Globally Important Bird Areas. There are resident birds that breed here in remote eyries, mostly along the Big Sur coast. Since 1943, the Monterey Audubon Society has been devoted to celebrating and conserving the birds and wildlife of California's Central Coast. A kayak is an excellent way to view wildlife at either location. A typical afternoon at either location often reveals tens of thousands of birds, ranging from Marbled Godwits and Western Sandpipers to Brant and Western Grebes. Birding in California is spectacular year-round, and the central coast is no exception. Any visit to the area should include at least a half-day’s hike in the Santa Lucia Highlands. A short walk through the chaparral reveals a variety of birds such as Wrentits, California Towhees, California Thrashers, and migrant sparrows including Lincoln’s, White-crowned, and Golden-crowned. Black Oystercatchers, which pry small mollusks off the rocks and adeptly open them with their chisel-like bills, are a representative bird of this habitat. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Hello Select your address All Hello, Sign in. The eyes on that Brandt's Cormorant are really striking. Please help. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Skip to main content.sg. There are wintering individuals that arrive here from breeding sites far to the north (like those that regularly use the Embassy Suites sign in Seaside, above), and there are passage migrants in fall and spring. The central coast of California is dotted with several important coastal estuaries. The area is especially important for pelagic birds, and a day trip on Monterey Bay at any season is sure to be unforgettable. I will try and keep the details about each location current and provide links to useful information. I will try and keep the details about each location current and provide links to useful information. Eyes are red. One of California’s avian endemics is resident here, the Yellow-billed Magpie. Orcas prowl the area year-round, and numerous dolphins and porpoises are easy to find offshore. Gray, humpback, blue, and fin whales all converge on Monterey Bay during different times of the year. Snowy Owl. Non-breeding California brown pelicans range northward along the Pacific Coast from the Gulf of California to Washington and southern British Columbia. Although the nest failed, this attempt was followed by another in 2007. JavaScript is disabled. Wild birds migrate to the Central Coast and Morro Bay, California, in winter. This stretch of coast is famous not only for its beauty, but also as home to an avian Lazarus of sorts, the California Condor. The marine mammal show in the bay is no less spectacular. White-Throated Sparrow. The Morro Coast Audubon Society sponsors the Winter Bird Festival in partnership with the City of Morro Bay and California State Parks. Birders have recorded as many as seven species of owls in a single night in the canyons there. If pelagic birds are among your target species—and they should be—a visit to Monterey between August and October is best. Feeds on insects and spiders. Rufous … On the rocks South of Quarry Cove, Black Turnstone and Surf … Guest speaker is Con Tsintarakis talking about backyard/garden aviaries and the Red Rump parrot project on the Parramatta river Birds of Prey (Raptors) Hawks. They reach the Central Coast around mid-March of each year from locations throughout South America, like Argentina, where they spend their winters — an epic 6,000-mile-long journey. Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. It’s not uncommon to come virtually eye-to-eye with these living dinosaurs, which have roamed the skies over California since the Pleistocene. The dramatic story of this species’ near-extinction and subsequent return is heartening. Nestled between the bustling celebrity of Los Angeles and the windswept streets of San Francisco lies an idyllic expanse of coast that time has seemingly forgotten, in all the right ways. The word "raptor" is the term used for a group of birds consisting of hawks, falcons, kites, eagles, vultures and owls. Central Coast Avicultural Society was formed decades ago still retaining the values of its founders. Several primitive roads access the region, but it is best approached on foot through a variety of hiking trails. But on wild days, gray clouds wall up and march in from the northwest, signaling the arrival of autumn’s first powerful cold fronts, torrential rains, hurricane-force winds, and raging seas—the ocean’s raw power on display. As with most locations, spring and fall migration are the most interesting from a birding standpoint. Birding in Morro Bay and Baywood. What SHAPE was the bird you saw in California? It has a white rump with a dark central stripe and black legs and feet. Full Title: “Climate Smart Solutions for Grassland Birds: Conservation Ranching California” February 15, 2021, 7:00-8:30. Many of these areas have received special management attention. Most of … Great photos Tony. The head is round and lacks tufts, eyes are... Mississippi Kite. At low tide, broad expanses of mud flats become available for feeding, and these areas are packed with migrant and wintering shorebirds and waterfowl. "The winter bird scene near Santa Cruz" "Birds of Central & Northern California is a quick and easy to use, light-weight, durable, all-weather field guide to the inspiring and incredibly varied birdlife of California, north of the San Luis Obispo/ Monterey, Kern/ Kings & Tulare, and San Bernardino/ Inyo County lines. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Some of those include the peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, snowy plover, bird of paradise, barn owl, cooper’s hawk, cormorant and bald eagle. The nest is a shallow scrape on the ground beneath a shrub. I have an idea what it is, but I'm not sure. The mix of coastal scrub, oak and pine woodlands makes a perfect place to see birds, including brown pelicans, western gulls, pelagic and Brandt’s cormorants, black oystercatchers, pigeon guillemots, island scrub-jays, and San Miguel Island song sparrows. Birders often see juncos feeding on the ground, making ticking calls and flashing their white outer tail feathers as they fly into shrub cover. It lies northwest of Los Angeles County and south of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and includes the rugged, undeveloped stretch of coastline known as Big Sur. I recently visited the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and there were plenty of Black-crowned Night Herons, Heermann's Gulls and few Great Blue Herons gracing this area. Cart All. Its biodiversity is no less complex. I wanted to share some of my favorite bird photos that were taken along the Central Coast of California. Checklist of the Birds of the Central Valley of California September 2010; Central Valley Bird Club; www.cvbirds.org ; edited by John Sterling LEGEND ** = Species on the California Bird Records Committee review list * = Rare Species within checklist boundary, generally not found annually during the … Birding the Central Atlantic Coast of Florida in November, 2020 (Thanksgiving Weekend). A rare vagrant Ivory Gull on a Central Coast beach The Central Coast is an area of California, United States, roughly spanning the coastal region between Point Mugu and Monterey Bay. The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds in the world! You are using an out of date browser. The first reintroduction efforts began in 1992, and now more than 150 condors occupy parts of California, Arizona, and Baja California. Much work remains to be done, but constant study is focused on the species in Monterey County and elsewhere, and researchers have high hopes that one day California Condors will again be able to maintain a viable wild population. Posted by joyce cory at 9:11 PM No comments: Labels: birding the central coast , Black Oystercatcher , Black Turnstone , Caspian Tern , Elegant Tern , Estero Bluffs St. Park , joyce cory , kelp flies. As many as nine shearwater species have been recorded in a single day. Despite the changeable weather, Monterey Bay is without doubt the crown jewel of the central coast. I saw California Condors soar lazily overhead along Big Sur’s magnificent cliffs, elevated by gentle west winds. Birds of the California Coast: Central and Northern: Stallcup, R.: Amazon.sg: Books. On midsummer days when the west wind blows, the beach can be littered with the feathers of Sooty Shearwaters, as swarms of the birds feed offshore. Hosting a remarkable variety of birds, Monterey is one of the most bird-rich counties in the United States, with 489 species recorded so far, and it provides some of the finest pelagic birding in North America. The word "raptor" is the term used for a group of birds consisting of hawks, falcons, kites, eagles, vultures and owls. California Quail lay 12 - 16 eggs. There were shorebirds, wading birds, and water birds. I'll be heading out to California for the first time next year so looking forward to seeing these! Residents take the changes in stride, prepared for anything life-by-the-sea throws their way. But there are many more obscure and rare species to add to your field journal as well. With Mendocino Coast Audubon, leader in establishment of marine reserves and special protections for seabird breeding colonies in California’s north coast. The crown, face and neck are buff with fine brown streaks. Feb. 9—Birds across the Central Coast are dying from an outbreak of salmonellosis, a disease caused by salmonella bacteria, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Locations include Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Monterey and Pacific Grove. The occurrence of Peregrine Falcon in central California, including Monterey County, is complex. Dec 30, 2015 - Explore Karen VS's board "Birds Seen in Northern California" on Pinterest. In most of southern and central California, Dark-eyed Juncos are only present in the winter, but elsewhere in the state, they can be found year-round in coniferous coastal and mountain habitats. This stretch of peaks has a unique set of birds not easily found elsewhere on the central coast, including Mountain Quail and Mountain Chickadee. For the first time in spring 2006, the reintroduced condors attempted to nest in the wild at Big Sur. California’s coastal chaparral habitat is unique, home to many of the state’s avian specialties. Red-Tailed Hawk. Across this chasm flows the cold water of the California Current. Locals and visitors alike are well aware of how special these coastal estuaries are. Central coast locations and the birds that may be found. This intersection of underwater topography and flowing water creates a phenomenon called upwelling, which brings nutrient-rich sediment and cold water close to the surface, creating a remarkable food source for marine life. Shore birds just across the dune from sea otter watching. Among the finest are Morro Bay and Elkhorn Slough. I recently visited the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor and there were plenty of Black-crowned Night Herons, Heermann's Gulls and few Great Blue Herons gracing this area. Whatbird.com logo design courtesy of The Haller Company Web01 02/17/2021 15:14 The area surrounding Morro Bay and Baywood is a designated State and National Estuary, and a Globally Important Bird Area. In summer, hundreds of thousands of Sooty Shearwaters use the bay as a staging ground. You must log in or register to reply here. A vast underwater chasm, as deep as the Grand Canyon, bisects the bay from east to west. Among the finest... Rocky Shore. California oak savannah is rapidly disappearing, and without thoughtful conservation programs we could quickly lose much of the area on which the magpie relies. funded by donors like you. One of the great conservation success stories of our time, the recovery of the California Condor is an ongoing effort. Morro Bay - Sweet Spring East Overlook - The tide was slowly ebbing, perfect conditions for viewing the new arrivals. This unique habitat is home to a variety of nesting and wintering shorebirds, and provides roosting and nesting locations for thousands of cormorants and scattered colonies of Pigeon Guillemots. Locations include Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, Monterey and Pacific Grove. Warm, dry breezes ripple cobalt waters, giving the impression that you are closer to the tropics than you actually are. Whales, seabirds, marine mammals, and a host of fish share this resource, creating a unique and spectacular ecosystem. I wanted to share some of my favorite bird photos that were taken along the Central Coast of California. Checklist of the Birds of the Central Valley of California September 2010; Central Valley Bird Club; www.cvbirds.org ; edited by John Sterling LEGEND ** = Species on the California Bird Records Committee review list * = Rare Species within checklist boundary, generally not found annually during the … Warm, dry breezes ripple cobalt waters, giving the... Coastal Estuaries. After arriving in the bay, they feast on the abundant resources while they molt their feathers and prepare for the nearly 20,000-mile journey home. On its calmest days, Monterey Bay is idyllic. They reach the Central Coast around mid-March of each year from locations throughout South America, like Argentina, where they spend their winters — an epic 6,000-mile-long journey. It is rapidly disappearing in many parts of California due to development, but here on the central coast it is abundant. Mississippi Kite: Small kite, dark gray upperparts, pale gray underparts and head. Birding California’s Central Coast Monterey Bay. Scenic Highway 1 winds along its edge, treating travelers to mile after mile of breathtaking vistas, in addition to some heart-pounding curves. In 1987 the last wild California Condors were brought into captivity, on the brink of extinction due to poisoning, shooting, and habitat loss. Big Sur has one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world. In spring, the voices of Mountain Quail carry you up the trail to a crest where visitors regularly see California Condors. Locals refer to it as “May gray and June gloom.” But even during this time of year, the fog typically burns off by noon. More recently, I have become interested in identifying and untangling the seemingly unfathomable number of bird species found here on the Central Coast. This calendar will be the first of its kind, and I have selected my 12 best images to represent the beautiful and diverse bird species found around the Central Coast of California. Roosting and loafing sites provide important resting habitat for breeding and non-breeding birds. Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Osprey The otters, which are spectacular enough, are joined by large numbers of harbor seals and California sea lions. Chestnut-backed Chickadees are a common and endearing non-migratory resident of coastal California's humid coniferous forests. The region’s storied past is rich, spanning our imaginations from Zorro to Steinbeck, from Spanish missionaries to Russian fur-traders, from Cannery Row to fine wineries. Growing up at the beach on the East Coast, I found this simply unthinkable—a place where nature has trumped the almighty dollar, where land is preserved instead of being developed, and where sunsets help earn California its nickname, the Golden State. Your first encounter with a California Towhee may be prompted by a tireless knocking at your window or car mirror: these common backyard birds habitually challenge their reflections. A captive-breeding program followed, and the birds did remarkably well. Hello, I wanted to share some of my favorite bird photos that were taken along the Central Coast of California. Available for everyone, Like all the state parks on the Central Coast, Estero Bluffs is free and well worth a visit. California Central Coast Birding Blog.