Pescadero State Beach

 

Ice Plant on the Bluffs, Pescadero State Beach

I've been wanting to head south along the San Mateo coast for a while, and with rain in the forecast for next week I figured now was a good time to go. 

Arriving good and early, I realized I was too early. The gates don't open until 8 a.m., which is too bad. Pescadero Marsh looked good in the light before sunrise, but I saw no way to take advantage. Nowhere to park, that is.

The biting predawn cold melted away as the sun rose into a hazy morning sky. I'd hoped for lots of shorebirds, and maybe even some harbor seals, but had to settle for a small flock of whimbrels that soon got the jitters and flew north. Once they were gone, the beach was desolate except for a narrow wrack line composed of tiny crab shells, a scattering of by-the-wind sailors, and a couple of bird carcasses.

I drove a little farther south to see what I might find, pulling off the Cabrillo Highway at a random pull-out that looked worth exploring. The sandstone tafoni formations drew me in, and I kept my eyes and ears peeled for black oystercatchers as I looked for compositions. I finally spotted one flying toward me from the south, and it whistled its single-note call as it passed by. I whistled back, and the oystercatcher landed not too far away.

View of Pescadero Beach from the Bridge

Driftwood in the Dunes

Mouse Tracks in the Sand

Foraging Whimbrels

Synchronized Foraging

I guess the pickin's were nothing special -- nothing worth being spied on by a nosy photographer anyway -- so the birds kept moving north.

Small Sea Tunnel

The Mouth of Pescadero Creek

Bridge Over Pescadero Creek

Killdeer On Trail to Pescadero Marsh
(Out on the marsh I spotted a bufflehead, a great blue heron, a great egret, and a pair of Canada geese, almost all of which made haste to ditch me. The geese didn't fly away, but they were definitely "up periscope" on me until I soon left.)

Coastal Sandstone Along Cabrillo Highway

Tafoni Weirdness

Some of the sandstone was in the tidal zone where it gets sculpted by the motion of the sea.

The oystercatcher wasn't hunting; it just wanted to tuck a foot and a beak, and get some shut-eye. Much as I'd liked to have it otherwise, I had to respect its wishes and head back to the car for the trip home.

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Bird Medley

 

Walking Surf Scoter, Ocean Beach

I'm pretty sure I'd never seen a surf scoter on foot before today. This one was working the rough, splashing shallows in front of Sutro Baths and would occasionally get swept among the rocks by the currents of flowing shorebreak. This time the scoter decided to take an overland route to get back where he wanted to be. He was feeding in an interesting way, burying his beak part way into the sand and rapidly "munching" as the shorebreak retreated after washing up the beach.

I was less than a block out the front door this morning when a red-shouldered hawk swooped down onto the power pole, being chased by a few crows. 

The crows weren't content to let it hang around here, either, and the hawk flew away to escape the harassment.

Northern Flicker Near Bison Paddock
(Quite a few cedar waxwings were hawking insects from the flicker's pine tree and adjacent eucalyptus, but the waxies were too high up to photograph.)

Several yellow-rumped warblers were hawking insects from the cover of a redwood at North Lake.

Unattended Eagle Eggs

Less Than Five Minutes Later

It's Hot Up There

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Birdsong Weather

 

Singing Townsend's Warbler, North Lake

I watched the Townsend's warbler intermittently preen and sing for quite a while before it resumed its hunt for insects. The weather this morning was "California crisp" -- clear and bright, but cool enough for a light jacket. Birdsong trilling high in the trees in many places. A perfect day to be out on foot or bike. My only wish for improvement would be for people the world over to be able to share our good fortune to safely enjoy a beautiful day outside.

Spotted another sundog this morning, photographing it through the window. It was gone by the time I got outside.

I'm still hearing the lovely song of golden-crowned sparrows in the neighborhood. They are probably getting ready to head north to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska.

A female hairy woodpecker was working the other side of this large pine next to a house in Forest Hill while the male pecked into the bark on my side.

The main birdsong in many parts of the city is often the white-crowned sparrow. This one was broadcasting its song from atop an ornate and very tall old light post, owning the soundscape in Golden Gate Heights.

Ohio Buckeye, North Lake

I was surprised there were no hummingbirds working this huge patch of pride-of-madeira in Golden Gate Park.

That's okay. More for the bumblebees.

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