Blue Waves

Today we close out our 3rd and final trek to Ventura, California.  The whole purpose of our trek was to escape the Arizona heat, enjoy the ocean and learn about the Yellow-billed Magpie.  This was a bird I remembered back in the 90's when I lived in the south bay of the San Francisco area. Now as a birder, it was time to go back and have some wine with a friend and rediscover this magpie I first discovered in my backyard when I lived in San Jose. 

And while we had the magpie on our lists, we couldn't stay too far from the ocean.  For an Arizonan, the closest place to find a Yellow-billed Magpie is in the Ventura area.  This is the southern most range for this species.  About 60 miles east of Ventura in the wine country of Los Olivos at the famous Zaca Station Road, we had a lovely time birding along this beautiful road of oak scrub and vineyards. We stopped at one of the places to do some wine tasting.   

The weather was perfect and the wine was great.  And oh yeah, the magpies were a blast!  They reminded me of the Common Mynas that dominate the Hawaiian landscape.  

After we had a lovely time in wine country with great views of the magpie, we headed back to the ocean to enjoy the cooler temps and of course, the beach. 

What a thrill!  Our return trek took us to Santa Barbara.  And it was the last part of our fun California adventures in Ventura. 

Turnstone numbers were great and wonderful views of these 2 species were fantastic!

During our treks to various beach spots, we noticed more Black Turnstones than Ruddy Turnstones.  All the turnstones were mixed in together running around "rock piers" and the sandy beaches not caring that people, pets and kids were also sharing the beach. 

Our missions to the beaches, island and vineyards were a success. 

Any time I bird California, I break down the treks to certain areas.  San Diego and Imperial Beach are wonderful for lots of great birds while Orange County is great for the exotic parrots and a trek out to Catalina Island for the Spotted Doves.  LA is another trip with a trek to the LA Gardens and surrounding areas. Spotted Doves, in smaller numbers, can also be found there, but they are much more enjoyable to find on Catalina Island.  Plus you get a pelagic with that boat trek out of Dana Point, also a great spot to bird. Then there is the Ventura area that we just covered. And all along the coast, there are other great places with specialty birds during certain times of years like in Monterrey.  California is HUGE and it's always fun birding this state.  If you plan well, you won't find yourself on the road all the time and instead, you'll spend most of your time enjoying some quality birding.  

That's how I have dealt with California over the years.  Living in the Bay Area in the 90's, I discovered it was frustrating to try and do too much over a larger area because the traffic killed a lot of precious day outings.  So my attitude is to divide and conquer.  Take it all in over mini vacations over time.  That way you get to enjoy California for everything it offers. So like our trek out to the vineyard, one needs to let that wine breathe. California is wonderful when you slowly enjoy the moments.  Don't rush through it. 

We did try for an unexpected rarity in Santa Barbara, the Curlew Sandpiper.  We had a lot of great birds along the beach, but we often had a lot of distractions.  We didn't find the Sandpiper due to runners flushing the peeps but we did see so many wonderful ocean birds. Plus the beaches there were really really nice. 

The drive was fun as it usually is from Phoenix to Ventura.  It's like a racetrack and always seems to fly by quickly. We wanted to stay a little longer.  The cool ocean temps were so nice.  We're back in Tucson now but I see blue waves happening again very soon.  
 

The year 2020 has been an incredible year here in Arizona.  The devastations that have happened around us environmentally have driven birds into our state from other places.  That report will be coming.  I also hit another landmark for Arizona.  While it hasn't been the year of the lifer, it has been a solid year of birding in Arizona and specifically for Pima County.  Until next time.....

Bunche Beach

Piping Plover

Shorebirds once intimidated me.  On my last big birding expedition near Ft. Myers(and my last Florida post), I was determined to count every small bird on Bunche Beach.  It became a hotspot when I did research on the plovers found around this area. I had my pick of places to go but the word PLOVER played over and over in my head.  I love plovers.  They are cool birds and as it happened, there were two new ones I could add to my list....if I could find them. This was definitely a case of personal preference. Similar to my love of all things "owl", the plovers trumped the other bird species on this very early morning. 

Bunche Beach

This experience is not for everyone.  There were thousands of little shorebirds along the beach.  For a birder, it's a great big treasure chest.  For someone who is a casual birder or traveler, this might be considered rather boring. I battled hundreds of no-see-um bites all over my body.  As I write this post today, my body is still recovering from those terrible attacks.  I prepared as best I could, but it didn't matter.  It was the price to pay for finding the endangered Piping Plovers. 

Wilson's Plover

As a sign from the bird gods, it also began to rain and thus ended my birding adventures in Florida.  BUT NOT before finding my very first Wilson's Plover.  I was very proud of this moment in my life.  Again, I did it alone without any fanfare. There was a time I couldn't ID a single shorebird.  On this day, I knew all of my birds and learned many new calls.  The Wilson's Plover made a sharp trill that led me straight to the bird.  It was the only one I observed on the beach among all the Sanderlings, Dunlins, Sandpipers, etc.  And it was here I gained an imaginary birder medal.  I helped an out-of-towner and bird guide find the plover on the beach.  Then as a sign that enough was enough, it poured buckets of rain.  

Piping Plover stands alone on a sand bar

I ran back to the car all bitten up with my camera tucked inside my vest. And I watched it rain.  Rain.  To a desert rat, it's the most beautiful thing in the world.  I felt happy that I got up early and went to this epic beach to bird.  It's really a lovely place to visit because it's natural and untouched. It IS for wildlife aficionados. Not for the casual tourist. 

Black Skimmer

I hated the idea of returning because I knew I could do so much more in Florida.  So many people are very open with their time. I envy them because I am constantly battling it. Yes it's all enjoyable but there is a definite time table for out-of-state trips.  I don't have a moment to spare! There are so many birds and unique habitat areas to explore.  I could be more.  I could do more.  Even with my body covered in bites, I wanted to continue my work. 

So I tried to push it more and headed to another birding spot on my list but as I did so, it just rained harder and harder.  I parked in the middle of a forested parking lot alone still wet from the downpour on the beach. I love birds.  The idea of returning back to my "other" life was difficult.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  

I could do more.  So much more.  But financially I am still somewhat trapped paying for those student loans after all these years.  I am itching to be free of those chains so that I can really fly and see more of the world. I am a child again playing in my neighborhood discovering amazing things.  My mind is a sponge ready to absorb observation after observation of birds. Watching a Black Skimmer skim over the waters is truly amazing. 

Or viewing the Semipalmated Plover among all the other birds on the beach makes me very happy.  And I love sharing it with others who love nature.  I love sharing it with Pat.  I love the random road trips.  The crazy birders.  Visiting friends I haven't seen in years. And learning.  Really really learning about myself, others and of course, the magnificent birds!

Plover love-Wilson's and Piping Plovers on top; middle-Black-bellied, Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover; bottom-Mountain and Snowy Plovers

Another adventure is coming.  Where will it be next?  Stay tuned for more next week.   Check out other amazing birds at Wild Bird Wednesday.