We headed over to a little park a few miles away where before we got out of the car we could tell there were a lot of birds around. It seemed like there were birds everywhere. Juncos, sparrows and thrushes were everywhere. Nuttall's woodpeckers and red-breasted sapsuckers were abundant. Spotted towhees and California towhees were in every tangle and a mixed flock of chickadees, warblers and oak titmouse were fun to pick through. We spent about an hour wandering around the park checking off 5 new year birds in the process. Not a bad stop.
Next we headed down to Nimbus Fish Hatchery to look for reported Barrow's goldeneyes. An hour and half later we were standing looking at 5 in the water below us. Peregrine falcon, red-tails, turkey vultures, kestrel and an osprey kept all of the ducks on high alert.
I scanned the far hillside and noticed a hole that looked like there may have been something inside. After realigning to get a better look: Barn owl
It's amazing to me how many barn owls are just sitting around in California.
From the hatchery I decided that since it was our last night to be spent in California I wanted to watch the sunset over the ocean once in this trip. We headed down to Half Moon Bay and had a really nice dinner at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company watching the sun sink into the water as gulls and Pelicans plunged into the water. It was great ending to a nice day.
The next morning we had a few hours to kill before boarding the plane home. We went to Pillar Point and walked the beach and the trails. Hundreds of sanderlings scurried along while marbled godwits, Willets and black oystercatchers moved up with the rising tide. Heading to the airport is always a little depressing but the California was a success in my book putting my year total at 308.
Back to the cold of Ohio for a little while. Maybe a few owls will help pass the time before I run off again.
Next up: Arizona
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