Birdwatching Archives ~ Page 3 of 3 ~ Rambling ranger

March 4, 2019November 29, 2020

Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing – Watchable Wildlife Treasure

Shorebirds at Elkhorn Slough, California

I spent a month this winter in Monterey, California. There were a lot of reasons I wanted to explore this part of the central California coast. I wanted to watch wild waves in winter storms. I wanted to search for sea stars in slippery tidal pools. I wanted to hike skinny trails overlooking precipitous cliffs and crashing surf. I wanted to spend quality time getting to know a different environment, one I’d had little opportunity to experience. I wanted to commune with the coast.

I did all those things. I also found another special place, an unexpected treasure.

Elkhorn Slough

Did you ever know someone who was quiet and unassuming, easy to overlook, but pure gold when you got to know them? Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing are like that. They’re easily overshadowed by the flashier natural attractions nearby. This region to the north of Monterey doesn’t have the dramatic scenery of Big Sur or Point Lobos. It’s not a place where you can stop at a viewpoint, take an Instagram selfie, and say you’ve been there. You need to take your time here. Its power is more subtle.

Elkhorn Slough is a mosaic of private and public land united in the effort to protect the estuary and restore it to a pristine environment. The Nature Conservancy recognized that this could be one of the last great places and got the ball rolling. The lands are now managed by the non-profit Elkhorn Slough Foundation. The waters within the slough are managed by the state. It is a State Marine Reserve and Conservation Area and a National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Elkhorn Slough is the second largest freshwater estuary in the state of California. surpassed in size only by San Francisco Bay. You might be beginning to understand why I consider this place a national treasure.

Moss Landing State Beach, California — Sea Otter napping

This is where the sea otters hang out. Elkhorn Slough hosts California’s largest concentration of sea otters. That’s right, those adorable, ultra-cute, playful little critters that melt everybody’s heart. Sea otters.

Theirs is another great comeback story. Sea otters used to range from Baja California to Alaska. They were hunted to the brink of extinction for their fur, the thickest, most luxurious fur in the world. The southern population came especially close to extinction. By 1938, only about 50 survived, living in remote waters off Big Sur.

There are nearly 3,000 sea otters in California now. They play a vital role in maintaining a healthy coastal ecosystem. They keep the kelp forests alive by eating sea urchins. The urchins’ population has exploded because their main predator, starfish, has declined catastrophically due to sea star wasting disease. Sea urchins are decimating the kelp forests along most of the Pacific Coast, but Monterey Bay’s kelp forests are surviving due to the otters.

Sea otters alone are a good reason to visit Elkhorn Slough. But there’s more. Elkhorn Slough is also a birder’s delight. It provides habitat for nearly 350 different species of birds. Wading birds rule here. There are ducks galore and dozens of different kinds of shorebirds. Raptors to hunt them all. Songbirds, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, the list goes on and on.

You would think a place like this would be overrun with visitors, but it’s not. If it had National Park or State Park after its name it would be, but there’s protection in anonymity. I visited on a Saturday and was the only participant on the ranger-led nature walk.

The best way to visit Elkhorn Slough is by kayak. Although, of course, you need to give the animals their space, you can really immerse yourself in their environment when you’re on the water.

Moss landing State Wildlife Area — Willet and Least Sandpipers

If you are visiting by land, be aware of the tides when you come. If it’s high tide, that’s the time to see the otters. Elkhorn Slough at high tide is an especially good place to see momma sea otters with their babies. If there is a king tide, though, you may not be able to reach the best blind for the sea otters. Pay attention to the tide table and the weather!

Low tide is best for bird watchers. It was low tide when I visited. The birds were fantastic, but I was a little disappointed that I’d missed the sea otters. The ranger empathized and let me in on another little known wildlife watching hot spot.

Moss Landing

Moss Landing State Beach and State Wildlife area is home to a bachelor gang of sea otters. Yup, hanging out with the boys is something sea otter males do. You can find them there practically any time. They are very entertaining to watch. They have a few different games they like to play. One is wrestling, and then there are a couple they play solo; endless somersaults and continuous barrelrolling. Their favorite activity, though, seems to be napping.

Moss Landing State Beach is another great birdwatching location, especially at low tide.

Walk over the dunes to the actual beach, and that’s where the surfers go. You can watch another kind of wild life there!

Moss Landing State Beach is easy to overlook. If you wait for the sign, you’ll miss it, and it’s a busy two-lane highway. It’s hard to turn around, as the traffic is often nearly bumper to bumper. If you’re coming from Monterey, look for the sign that says “Jetty Road” after you pass by the tiny village of Moss Landing.

Moss Landing, CA — You can see seals, here, too!

In the town of Moss Landing, there is yet another great wildlife watching opportunity. Salinas River State Beach and Wildlife Area is at the end of the road.

If you’re in the Monterey area, take a day off from the flashier destinations and head north to Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing. You’ll be glad you did!

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019

Boulder on the Beach – Urban Wildlife in Goleta, CA

My first impression of Goleta, California was from a train journey up the California Coast about 10 years ago. I didn’t see the town, but just after we passed it, I watched a dolphin playing in the surf. It was a vision of wild freedom that stayed with me long after my train journey ended.

When a house sitting opportunity in Goleta came up this winter, I jumped on it. Watching that dolphin play gave me the impression that Goleta was a small central California type of town. I was wrong.

A bee finds eucalyptus blosoms tasty! — Eucalyptus Blossoms

Goleta seems more like southern Cali than central to me. I quickly discovered that it is not a small town. The dark, dense wall of smog I hit when I crossed over to the western side of the Sierras should have been my first clue. Loaded with big box stores and shopping malls, Goleta is a suburb of Santa Barbara and a college town. It reminded me of Boulder, Colorado, with a beach.

The good news is that even though it is an urban area, there are incredible opportunities to observe wildlife. Just north of the home I was housesitting in was the butterfly preserve.

Goleta Butterfly Preserve — Overwintering Monarch Butterflies

Ellwood Mesa is one of the most important Monarch Butterfly habitats in California. But Monarch Butterflies are in trouble. Populations throughout California have declined 97% in 20 years. Tens of thousands of butterflies used to overwinter in the Goleta Grove. Peak season estimates for the grove now number only about a thousand.

There is no single cause for this dramatic decline. One contributing factor, though, is California’s ongoing drought. The 2011-2016 drought cycle killed many of the eucalyptus trees that the butterflies depend on for their winter roosts. Nearly 1,000 eucalyptus trees on Ellwood Mesa died due to the drought conditions. The gaps left by the dying trees allow too much wind to reach the butterfly roosts. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to see these butterflies before they all disappear.

If I walked south instead, I could walk in the North Campus Open Space Restoration Project. This is part of the Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve, an Audubon Important Bird Area. Thousands of birds migrate through the Reserve. Western Snowy Plovers, an endangered species, nest here. Sora rails have been seen at the ponds, and Burrowing Owls live on the uplands. These are just a few of the many species of birds to be found here. The Reserve is mostly undisturbed land, quite a rarity this far south in California. It includes many different types of coastal habitat. I found the birdwatching fabulous.

Goleta Open Space Great Egret — Great Egret hunting

It was great even if I didn’t make it to the reserve. The California Coastal Trail runs along the beaches and bluffs. I observed a pair of Harris Hawks, unusual for this location. They seemed to have a nest on the cliffs below the bluffs. Many times I stopped to watch a Great Egret hunting in the meadows near the Butterfly Preserve. Clouds of finches sang to me from the trees. I was even photobombed by a hummingbird while photographing the bees in the eucalyptus blossoms!

Goleta landscape — California Coastal Trail

Most people would think Goleta was a pretty nice little town. But this Alaska girl needs a bit more space than most folks. I got claustrophobia. Big time.

Part of it was the place I was staying in. Housing costs are rather outrageous in the area, so my housesit was in a studio apartment, shared with 2 bunnies, a cat, a lizard and some fish.

That wasn’t the main reason for my claustrophobia, though. Give me a decent bed and a table to work off of and I’m pretty much OK. The location was ideal for a home in Goleta. It was the last apartment building before the green space. It was just a short walk to the beach, the stroll along the bluffs, the bird refuge, or the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. So many choices!

Graffiti on eucalyptus tree — Graffiti on the trees is too urban for me!

What stressed me out was too many other people living in close proximity, so many apartments so close together. It was walking on trails where I was never out of sight of others, not even for a moment. I walked everywhere, because if I drove I was immediately inundated with heavy traffic and shopping malls.

On my first walk to the trail on the bluff, I noticed graffiti scribbled on one of the trees. Then there was the beach. There’s a reason they call it Coal Oil Point. It’s probably the best place on the California coast to drill for offshore oil, so the sunset view was marred by drilling rigs. Naturally occurring tar balls wash up on the beach. Even though I knew it was natural, as I picked my way across the sand. the black deposits screamed “oil spill” to me when I looked out at those rigs.

Goleta Sunset — Offshore oil rig mars the sunset at Coal Oil Point

Both the City of Goleta and UC Santa Barbara are working hard at restoration and providing quality wildlife habitat. They’re doing a great job. I even heard that the closest oil rig was being decommissioned and should come down within a year. I really appreciate the work they’re doing, and I am thankful that I had this opportunity to experience this special place before all the butterflies are gone.

I’m glad to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here. I need a place that’s a bit more wild. How about you? Do some of you share my claustrophobia in urban areas? Or maybe you have the opposite temperament. Are any of you more comfortable in the city and uncomfortable in a land that is too isolated? Let me know in the comments!

December 2, 2018

San Simeon Beaches

The first time I slept on the beach was at San Simeon.

I was 17 and had hitchhiked from Colorado to California with a friend. Traveling up the California coast one evening, we asked the young guy who gave us a ride if he knew of a good place where we could camp.

Moonstone Beach, Cambria — Even the rocks look like seals here!

He stopped the truck in the middle of nowhere. He said, “Walk through these trees to the beach. Camp there.”

The towering waves were quite impressive to a couple of mountain girls who had never walked a beach. The ocean was so LOUD! I turned to Judy and said “We’ll never get to sleep with all this noise.”

It was one of the best nights of sleep I ever had.I never forgot that night, but it was a very long time before I returned.

Bull elephant seal — What a weird looking animal!

The first time I ever saw elephant seals was on TV. It was a National Geographic show about South Georgia Island near Antarctica. They were fascinating. Elephant seals can dive down as deep as a mile underwater and stay down for up to two hours. I thought they were some of the strangest, most exotic animals I had ever seen.

Immature elephant seals jousting at Piedras Blancas — Practice at asserting dominance starts at a very young age

Imagine my surprise when I found out that I didn’t have to go all the way to the southern hemisphere to see these strange animals. That I could see them in California, just a few scant miles from where I’d first experienced the ocean!

I’ve been back to the Cambria/San Simeon area a few times in the last few years. It’s my favorite place on the central California Coast. Elephant seals are just the beginning.

Moonstone Beach in Cambria, CA — Moonstone Beach

You can find treasures on the beach. Moonstone Beach is famous for its moonstones, but what I really like are the wave-polished, colorful agates. I could sift through the pebbles here for hours.

Cambria is a lovely little town. My favorite place to stay here is the Bridge Street Inn, a sweet hostel/B&B just a block and a half off Main St. The rooms are lovely, there is a good kitchen available for guests, and the hosts are kind. I highly recommend it.

If the weather’s nice, though, I’ll be camping. San Simeon Campground is just an underpass away from the most incredible birdwatching beach. There’s a (barely) offshore island there that is part of the Piedras Blancas section of the California Coastal National Monument.

Pelicans on the Central California Coast — Pelicans on the wing

Pelicans, cormorants, whimbrels, sandpipers, egrets, herons, and vultures are only a few of the birds you can see here with just a short walk.

My main draw, though, remains the elephant seals. You can see them pretty much any time of year, but the best time of year to see them is in the winter, November through February. That’s when all the action – fighting, breeding and birthing – takes place. Viewing platforms are only a few feet from the seals – and the best part is – it’s free!

California Coastal National Monument sunset — Sunset at Piedras Blancas

July 25, 2018November 4, 2020

Driving the McCarthy Road in the Sweet Light

I love the McCarthy Road. The road drifts east 60 miles from Chitina to McCarthy, a tangled dance of Park, private, Native and State lands. It’s a bit on the raw side. If you make it in 2 hours, you had a very good day. Most days it takes about three.

I don’t think I’ve ever made it in 2 hours. I like to take my time. It helps me make the transition from laid-back McCarthy to the modern world.

It used to be called “the worst road in Alaska”. The first year I was here, every time my friend Jill drove the road, another part fell off her car. After 2 summers of losing pieces, she was done. Back then, travelers understood that the journey was just as important as the destination. A trip down the McCarthy Road was an adventure in itself.

Leaving Chitina, you pass through a one-way cut, remnants of an old railway tunnel. It’s a kind of gateway, your first clue that the McCarthy Road is a different kind of drive. Around the corner, you get your first glimpse of BIG water, the confluence of the Chitina and Copper Rivers. It’s the 10th largest river in the U. S. in volume and the only river in Alaska that’s longer is the Yukon.

Copper River, Alaska — Copper and Chitina River confluence in early spring

The Copper is famous for its fishery. Copper River Red salmon is regarded as one of the finest salmons in the world. At the bridge is a State subsistence fishery, so people come from everywhere on Alaska’s road system to try their hand at dipnetting for some prime fillets and a few fish to can or smoke for the winter. Upstream you can look past a jumble of local fish wheels to the glowing snows of Mt. Drum.

Cross the Copper and there’s the sign. It’s a warning sign – Are you SURE you’re ready for the McCarthy Road? The sign is a lot more severe in the winter “Travel on this road is NOT recommended. Expect avalanches, road glaciers, extreme cold…” Be prepared for any eventuality. You’re a long way from nowhere.

Right after the sign, the road climbs the Kotsina Bluffs, a microcosm of future challenges. The washboard on the way up the hill will rattle your parts off. Skinny road, steep cliff, no guardrails, and mudslides sloughing off the hill to the right.

Kotsina River, Wrangell St. Elias National Park — Kotsina Bluffs

The Kotsina River has recently changed course, crossing its broad floodplain to erode the bottom of the bluff directly below you. Look for the half-buried RV near the Copper, stranded and then inundated when the Kotsina made its sudden detour. But maybe you’d better keep your eyes on the road, watching for potholes, falling rocks, or oncoming traffic around the next curve.

At the top of the bluff, you hit the chipseal. A few years ago, the DOT chipsealed most of the first 17 miles of the road, from the top of the bluffs to the Kuskulana. We warned them this wasn’t the best idea. Within a year it was a minefield of horrendous potholes and frost heaves so bad that entire sections of road had just fallen away. The “improvements” haven’t changed the character; you still have to pay attention.

Chitina River Overlook, McCarthy Road — Chitina River

After a few miles, pull over for a scenic view of the Chitina River. I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I look at that vast wilderness upstream and realize I’m going into the heart of it.

Travel past permafrost ponds filled with ducks, beaver and water lilies, catching glimpses of Mt. Blackburn through the trees. Wild roses form hedges along the side of the road. At the end of the chipseal is the Kuskulana Bridge.

This was the 11^th highest bridge in the United States when I was built in 1910. It’s a long way down. How long? Grab a couple of rocks, the bigger the better. Walk to the middle of the bridge. Drop them. I like to drop one on each side. Listen for the sound of the impact. You’ll listen for a little longer than you thought it would take. Yeah, it’s a long way down.

Back in the 1980’s, the crossing was 2 planks. No guard rails. You needed a spotter to make sure your tires stayed on the boards. Not many people made it to McCarthy back then.

In the ‘90’s, you could occasionally bandit bungee jump off the Kuskulana Bridge. Word would go out through the grapevine – tomorrow – bungee jumping on the Kuskulana… It was free if you went naked, and a party even if you didn’t jump.

Back in those days, we all traveled slow on the McCarthy Road. It was a one-lane road then, gravel all the way, and the road crew didn’t make it out our way very often. Only one or 2 RVs a year made it all the way down back then, and we all thought they were crazy. Traffic was so light that when you saw another car you stopped to pass the time of day. I kind of miss those days.

There are rewards for going slower. Less dust, more wildlife. One of my favorite spots for viewing wildlife are the ponds and marshes just west of Chokosna. This is the best spot on the road for Trumpeter Swans.

Trumpeter Swans on the McCarthy Road, Wrangell St. Elias National Park — Trumpeter Swans

Sometimes you get lucky and the parents bring their little cygnets close to the road for you to see and photograph. The reflections of the surrounding mountains on the water are sublime. And if you hit this patch, as I often do, at the sweet light time of the evening… You, too will fall in love with the McCarthy Road.

One spring I saw an eagle eating a duck here. Last week an eagle practically landed on my windshield on the Kotsina Bluffs. Raptors, waterfowl, songbirds, the McCarthy Road is a birdwatcher’s delight.

It’s no Denali, but wildlife sightings are frequent. Moose sightings are common. Twice I’ve seen a wolf, once a lynx. Some lucky souls have seen bison recently near Chitina, stragglers from a small herd of Plains Bison introduced to the Copper River in the 1930’s. There are bears, too.

One of my all-time favorite wildlife sightings on the road was a massive grizzly bear in the Crystalline Hills. I followed gargantuan piles of scat and footprints for about a mile before I saw him. He continued to nonchalantly plod down the road in front of me for another half mile before eventually turning into the brush. That dude OWNED the road!

McCarthy Road, Wrangell St. Elias National Park — Gilahina Trestle

The Gilahina Trestle marks the halfway point. This is the prettiest part of the road in the fall when the aspen turn.

Music is an important part of a McCarthy Road trip for me. Good tunes add to the already abundant joy. Some tunes are especially suited to the drive. I like to have Leftover Salmon’s “Dance on Your Head” in my I-Pod feed as I approach McCarthy after a long absence – “There’s no stopping this party, cuz this is a festival town”.

Crystal Lake, Long Lake, and you’re on the home stretch. Although it’s been a long drive, you still have to pay attention. The last 10 miles are the roughest.

The marsh near the DNR rest stop is my favorite place to see moose. Earlier this summer I saw a moose family reunion there, 8 moose in one place, from the oldest, grayest, Grandma moose I’ve ever seen to a newborn calf. You never know what’s around the next bend on the McCarthy Road.

When Porphyry and Sourdough Mountains dominate the view, I know I’m almost home.

McCarthy Road, Alaska — Mudslide on McCarthy Road

Just a mudslide or two and a few hellacious potholes and I’ll be there – there being the Kennicott River. It’s still 3 miles on the ATV to my house, but that’s another story.

Thoreau said “The rougher the road, the finer the filter.” I like the McCarthy Road being rough. Keeps out the riff-raff. Makes people slow down and pay attention. I love the McCarthy Road, potholes and all. It’s always an epic journey to me.

Porphyry and Sourdough Mountains, Wrangell St. Elias National Park — The Homestretch

Beautiful Jacob's Ladder — The flowers are nice, too!

March 31, 2017March 31, 2017

Point Reyes

Looking for a retreat from the stresses of the big city? The gentle, rounded landscape of peaceful, pastoral Point Reyes might just be the ticket.

Historic Lifeboat launching station, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes is also a great place to check out spring wildflowers. Masses of wild radish flowers border the narrow roads. California Poppies are scattered through the fields. Look closer and discover Irises peeking out of the grass. Closer to the beach, ice plants carpet the shore dunes.

Looking for an inexpensive place to stay? Check out the Point Reyes Hostel. Kind friendly folks, a great library, and a big kitchen – and this place is cheaper than camping! California State Parks charge $35.00 a night to camp, and my stay at the hostel was only $33 a night! If you don’t want to share your room, private rooms start at $105.00. The hostel is located deep within the park, just minutes from Limantour Beach.

Point Reyes is a great place to go birdwatching – it has greater avian diversity than any other park in the country! Over half the species found in the entire U.S. have been seen here. The Audubon Society protects egret and heron rookeries in Bolinas Lagoon.

Surprisingly, my favorite bird to watch on this trip was the vulture. I’ve watched them flying before, but this was the first time I had a chance to see them just hanging out perched. I was struck by how concerned about hygiene this “dirty bird” was, continually grooming its feathers!

There are other great wildlife viewing opportunities at Point Reyes. Go up to the lighthouse and watch for whales migrating offshore. Tule elk are found in the meadows. There is an elephant seal colony here, too.
My favorite beach was Drake’s Beach. Big cliffs, wide expanse of sand, incredible views – and I found a friend there. It seems not all seals stay in the colony. Occasionally an enterprising individual explores another beach. I sat on a sandstone outcropping to watch the water, and found out one of the driftwood logs was not a log! I moved away to give the animal space and used the telephoto, but not everyone is so considerate.
Note how not only are these people too close, they are cutting this seal off from the sea and cornering it against the cliffs. Please give the seals at least 100 feet of space if you see them, and if you are in between them and the water, keep moving! Just common courtesy for your fellow creature.

This is a park that could use a little TLC. Looks a bit like the proverbial red-headed stepchild. The narrow roads are in pretty bad shape. I know California has had a tough winter, but it looks like a lot of the damage is ongoing. One restroom was closed until further notice because it needed repair. There were no ranger programs except for weekends, and no park newspaper. On hearing I was a ranger,one of the hostel hosts mentioned in conversation that the only rangers seem to be law enforcement. Signs that a park has cut interpretation, maintenance, all but essential services. Please support your national parks so they can preserve our treasures,for all of us – places to rest and rejuvenate, places for inspiration and exploration, places like Point Reyes National Park.

[ctct form=”41″]

Tag: Birdwatching

Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing – Watchable Wildlife Treasure

Like this:

Boulder on the Beach – Urban Wildlife in Goleta, CA

Like this:

San Simeon Beaches

Like this:

Driving the McCarthy Road in the Sweet Light

Like this:

Point Reyes

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: