bald eagle ~ 02/16/14 ~ Los Padres Dam

bald eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

What a nice surprise!  I almost didn't believe it.  This bird was massive with an all white head and all white tail.  I didn't even know we could find bald eagles in Monterey County, because I usually associate them being further north starting near Oregon. Now, I wonder how many I may have seen in the distance riding air currents and mistook for turkey vultures.  I'm almost ashamed to admit how little I know about the bald eagle story here on the Central Coast.  This blog post is as good of an excuse as any to read up on this delisted federally endangered and currently state endangered national symbol.  It's interesting how the bald eagle was extirpated from the county back in 1934 and reintroduced by the Ventana Wildlife Society starting in 1986. Monterey Birds 2d ed. by Don Roberson has an excellent accounting of bald eagles and their nesting history in the county.  Don confirmed to me that they are indeed rare at this location.

CA condor ~ 01/20/13 ~ Pinnacles

California condor

Gymnogyps californianus 

posted 04/13/13 - Yep, I'm back with my exceptionally crappy photos.  This was our first ever sighting of the state and federally endangered CA condor.  During past trips to Pinnacles, we've been taunted by fellow hikers and campers with their breathless tales of how big they were.  I have to say, from a distance with only massive rocks as references, these condors did not impress me with their size.  Initially, we were flummoxed over what appeared to be white shoulder feathers.  Are those condors or maybe golden eagles?  A little later in our hike we talked with some researchers who confirmed the white shoulders were numbered tags with radio devices attached.  Pinnacles National Park (this designation has recently been upgraded from a National Monument) has a great page filled with condor links.  Also, Don Roberson has a nice summary of condors in Monterey County.  Very cool!

ps 10/22/13 - For a local blog post about a new condor streaming web cam, check out BigSurKate.

seaside bird's-beak ~ 05/14/11 ~ Fort Ord

seaside bird's-beak
Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Orobanchaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)

One of our guides Chris tried to point this small plant out to me a couple times during our walk. She said to look for the "little red, 6 inch tall, Charlie Brown Christmas tree." I totally missed seeing it, until she tossed a little rock to the base of the plant. She felt this younger stage of its growth was its cutest. There are very few pictures online of this particular subspecies. It is listed in the state of California as endangered. I believe this was found in an area that was burned in 2003.

willet and killdeer ~ 07/06/09 ~ Elkhorn Slough

We saw this old interpretive sign (I still don't understand the need to graffiti) and tried to keep our eyes out for the California clapper rail, a state endangered and federally endangered subspecies.

possible California clapper rail
possible Rallus longirostris obsoletus

We spotted a bird that looked just like the sign, complete with grass and everything! So we got excited. Unfortunately, we saw a bird take flight from behind the grass and it had the distinctive flashy black and white wing pattern of the willet. We're not sure if it was the same bird or two different birds in the same area.

willet & killdeer
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus & Charadrius vociferus

On our return trip, we were positive about these IDs.