We flew to San Jose then drove to Monterey on Thursday. We drove through Pacific Grove and the 17 Mile Drive to Carmel for dinner. We had a great dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant (Dametra Cafe) in Carmel. I saw 17 species of birds in the Monterey area. Interesting ones included Thayer's Gull and Audubon's Warbler (on the rocks next to Monterey Bay in Pacific Grove).
On Friday, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to San Luis Obispo and stayed in Morro Bay. Morro Bay is one of the major birding destinations on the Central Coast. We stayed at The Inn at Morro Bay - great place with an awesome view from our deck.
In Morro Bay, I identified 30 species. There were a LOT of Brown Pelicans flying around and diving headlong into the water for a meal. It was interesting to see a flock of about 25 Cattle Egrets hanging out with about 5-6 Western Great Egrets.
We had a fantastic time with Allie and some of her friends. We ate at Novo, Splash Cafe, and a Thai place in SLO, and we discovered The Custom House in Avila Beach.
All in all, I saw 48 species in California on this trip. On our day trip to Santa Barbara, I had the best look I've ever had at a group of Ruddy Ducks in the sunshine. I also was able to get much more familiar with a bunch of different species - especially the ones in the water.
No comments:
Post a Comment