Birding at Sea #2 – Santa Cruz Island

Left, Santa Cruz island; right, Island Scrub-Jay

As I said, the trip to Santa Cruz Island was important to Sue because it is the ONLY place where you can see an Island Scrub Jay, one of her “must have” birds. She has been birding longer than me, so her target bird list is small. With only 551 birds on my Life List when we started out, I am pretty easy to please. Ironically, two birds Sue had wanted to see in California – the Ridgway’s Rail and the Spotted Dove – were not in the areas we visited, but are both birds I HAVE seen. Who would have figured?

Left, Ridgway's Rail, California; right, Spotted Dove, Hawai'i

Anyway, before we took got on the boat to Santa Cruz, we did a little exploring near the Harbor, where we saw some Cormorants, Pacific Brown Pelicans, Heerman’s Gulls, lots of Western Gulls.

A wide variety of birds can be found on the jetty

The beach was littered with these really cool jellies called By-the-Wind Sailors because they are designed like tiny sailboats and travel wherever the wind takes them (the ones on the beach were, unfortunately, taken to the beach). We did see some on the open water, but I got no photos.

By-the-Wind Sailors, Ventura Harbor

Our passage to Santa Cruz was with Island Packers, the same outfit Caty and I used when doing whale watches in Ventura in 2013. That was when we saw the Blue Whales. The boat we took this time was a taxi service rather than a sightseeing trip and we were moving so quickly that the boat was pounding the waves. On the way out, I took both my cameras on deck – long lens and wide angle – but was unable to get many picture because I had to hold on for dear life. It was even too rough to go back inside to put a camera away. 

Santa Cruz Island from Ventura (before it got bouncy!)

I just had to hold on and watch cool wildlife that I had no chance of photographing. A few times we slowed down and then the trip back was a bit gentler, so I got some shots, including California Sea Lions lounging (as they always do) on a buoy …

California Sea Lions, Ventura Harbor

Common Dolphins, putting on a show that was a bit too close to the boat for my long lens …

Common Dolphin, Santa Barbara Channel

Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins that did not put on much of a show …

Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, Santa Barbara Channel

Black Oystercatchers playing in the spray on the jetty …

Black Oystercatchers

Pacific Brown Pelicans …

Pacific Brown Pelican, Santa Barbara Channel

Common Murres …

Common Murre, Santa Barbara Channel

Brandt’s Cormorants …

Brandt's Cormorant, Santa Barbara Channel

Grebes, Western and Clark's …

Western Grebe, Ventura Harbor

Pigeon Guillemots …

I love the Pigeon Guillemot's red feet, Santa Barbara Channel

I also picked up some Lifers crossing to and from Santa Cruz, including Surf Scoters (not a very satisfying photo; luckily I saw more at the end of the trip) …

Distant Surf Scoter, Prisoners Harbor

Sooty Shearwaters (the first – but best photos – of the most prolific bird on this trip) …

Sooty Shearwater, Santa Barbara Channel

And, my favorite, the adorable little Scripps’s Murrelets that always fly in pairs …

Scripps's Murrelets, Santa Barbara Channel

These guys are so cute – and so fast …

Is he watching me?

Although I saw some Cassin’s Auklets, another Lifer, I was not as successful with photos. In fact, during the trip, I saw dozens of them and got only a few very bad photos. They are skittish and can usually be seen flying rapidly in the other direction, looking a bit like small brown footballs with wings.

I missed the Least Terns (which would have been a Lifer) and the Forster’s Terns, which I have seen before. Did I mention that our guides have Eagle eyes?

But, about the island ...

Santa Cruz Island

Santa Cruz Island is the largest of California's Channel Islands with an area of 96 square miles. The island is a nature reserve; the eastern 24 percent is administered by the National Park Service as the part of the Channel Islands National Park and the rest is managed by the Nature Conservancy. Caty and I also visited Channel Islands National Park (Anacapa specifically) in 2013.

Anacapa island, 2013

Island Packers stopped first a Scorpion Anchorage, where it disgorged a number of hikers and campers. 

Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island

We, and just a few other people, got off at Prisoners Harbor.

Prisoners Harbor, Santa Cruz Island

Aren’t those names appealing? It’s a surprise anyone visits.

The name of Prisoners Harbor commemorates a series of events in the early 1800s that almost transformed the island into a penal colony. The native Chumash had already been removed to the mainland (as if they were cattle, not people who had lived there for generation upon generation) and several attempts were made to unload a large number of prisoners on the island. 

One of the few structures on the Island

Although this never happened, a few did get released there to perform odd jobs. Then, 30 more convicts were taken to Prisoners Harbor with provisions supplied by the padres from a nearby Spanish Mission. 

About six months later, a fire destroyed the prisoners’ camp. The convicts built rafts from whatever material was at hand and headed, without sails or paddles, to the mainland. 

After a storm washed them ashore, local authorities rounded them up and put them back in prison, but eventually they were released and absorbed into society.

In the 1880s, the U.S. Army suggested exiling especially “troublesome” members of the Apache tribe to the island, but nothing ever came of that idea.

Despite its name, the area we visited was lovely. It had big oak trees ...

... a stream ... 

... lovely flowers ...

... and some great cliff views ...

Santa Cruz Island

Map: Wikipedia

Santa Cruz island is one of five islands that comprise Channel Islands National Park, which was officially designated in 1980. The other islands are Anacapa, which I mentioned, Santa Barbara, San Miguel and Santa Rosa. Although the islands are close to densely populated Southern California, their isolation has left them relatively undeveloped. 

The park covers 249,561 acres of which 79,019 acres are owned by the federal government. 

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary encompasses the waters six nautical miles around Channel Islands National Park.

Chumash Village

Radiocarbon dating shows human habitation from at least 37,000 years ago on Santa Rosa Island. 

A burned mammoth bone was dated at more than 30,000 years old and a burned pygmy mammoth was dated to 12,500 years ago.

When Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo observed the islands in 1542, they were inhabited by an estimated 2,000-3,000 Chumash, with eleven villages on Santa Cruz, eight on Santa Rosa and two on San Miguel.

In 1969 an oil rig belonging to Union Oil experienced a blow-out six miles off the coast of California, resulting in the largest oil spill to occur in United States territorial waters up to that date (it still ranks #3 after the Deepwater Horizon and the Exxon Valdez oil spills). Crews took approximately 11 days to seal the rupture, during which approximately 200,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the Pacific, creating an oil slick with an area of about 800 square miles. Following the spill, tides carried the oil onto the beaches of the Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz. The spill killed almost 4,00 seabirds and hundreds of seals, dolphins and other sea life.

The water is very clear now

The oil spill resulted in a 34,000 acres expansion of the Department of the Interior buffer zone in the channel and contributed to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (which, as we know, is now being degraded on a routine basis).

The islands are not strangers to oil; there are 29 natural oil seeps in the area including one off the west coast of San Miguel Island. Plus, the distinctive odor of the petroliferous Monterey Shale is evident on the eastern end of Santa Cruz Island. The Chumash used the tar and oil from these seeps for caulking and adhesives.

Aligned with the Santa Monica mountains, the Northern Channel Islands form a mountain system 130 miles long with major faults on Santa Cruz Island and Santa Rosa. The islands were originally formed by volcanoes. 

The Islands are characterized by steep sea cliffs

During the Late Pleistocene, all of the islands were connected to the mainland, and between 11,000 and 20,000 years ago, the islands remained connected to each other. 

Pygmy Mammoth excavation; Photo: NPS

This allowed the Pleistocene mammoths to reach as far west as San Miguel. However, the pygmy mammoth underwent dwarfing as the Channel Islands became isolated. 

Another now extinct species was the "giant" mouse.

Santa Cruz is quite different from Anacapa, which is covered with scrub and has little other vegetation. 

Anacapa has less vegetation; Photo: 2013

Of course, when Caty and I visited Anacapa, we climbed up to the top and looked down the cliffs to the ocean. At Santa Cruz, we were relatively low. We hiked a little way up the hill, but didn’t really have to travel far to see lots of birds and a few other critters.

Here's our group embarking upon our Santa Cruz adventure ...

Left to right: Bryan, Michelle, Rich, Cathy, Rick, me and Mike (Sue took the picture)

As I said, our objective here was the Island Scrub-Jay, a relative of a variety of Scrub-Jays found on the mainland.

We were not disappointed, we saw one almost immediately after stepping off the dock.

Our first Island Scrub-Jay

While related to other Scrub-Jays, the Island Scrub-Jay, also called the Santa Cruz Jay, is found ONLY on Santa Cruz Island. Of the more than 500 breeding bird species in the continental U.S. and Canada, it is also the ONLY insular endemic land bird species. 

See the large bill?

While most closely related to the California Scrub -ay found on the California mainland, the Island Scrub-Jay is larger, more brightly colored and has a much, much heavier bill. The large bill size is most likely related to the Jay's diet, which includes the thick-shelled acorns of the island oak. The Jays bury (cache) the acorns in the fall and eat them for the next few months. 

They also eat insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice and other birds' eggs and nestlings. 

Scrub-Jays were formerly considered as a single species, but full species status is now given to the Florida Scrub Jay, the California Scrub-Jay, the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, the Mexican Jay and, of course, the Island-Scrub Jay.

Island Scrub-Jay, Santa Cruz Island

Why is this bird endemic to Santa Cruz Island? Well, Scrub-Jays seem to be incapable of crossing significant bodies of water. Reliable historical records include only a single 1892 account of an Island Scrub-Jay traveling anywhere and that was to nearby Santa Rosa Island six miles away. There are no definite occurrences of a Scrub-Jay on any other of the Channel Islands, or on the Coronado Islands, only eight miles from the mainland.

Juvenile Island Scrub-Jay

DNA studies show that, although other island endemics such as the Island Fox (more on that later) and the Santa Cruz Mouse may have diverged from their mainland relatives around 10,000 years ago, the Island Scrub-Jay separated in a period of glaciation around 151,000 years ago. Up to about 11,000 years ago, the four northern Channel Islands were one large island, so the ancestral Island Scrub-Jay must have been present on all four islands initially, but became extinct on Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Anacapa after they were separated by rising sea levels. 

Island Scrub-Jay

The Island Scrub-Jay is classed as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UUCN) because its small range makes it potentially vulnerable to a catastrophic incident such as an epidemic, fire or severe storm.

The apparently stable population of at least 9,000 makes the Island Scrub-Jay fairly common on Santa Cruz (indeed, we saw quite a few). 

However, the establishment of West Nile Virus in southern California in 2003 may pose a threat if it crosses to Santa Cruz Island from the mainland.

In addition, a fire on Santa Cruz would be catastrophic because shrub cover has increased since the removal of Santa Cruz sheep in the late 1980s and feral pigs in the early 2000s.

The original inhabitants of the northern Channel Islands, the Chumash, may have eaten the Island Scrub-Jay or used its feathers for decoration. Human activities may have contributed to the presumed extinction of the Island Scrub-Jay from the smaller islands.

Island Scrub-Jay

But, the Island Scrub-Jay was not the only interesting thing on the island. More than 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found within the park, including three endemic mammals:  Deer Mouse, Spotted Skunks and a Gray Fox species called the Santa Cruz Islands Fox (also known as the Channel Islands Fox). We did not see the mouse or the skunk, but some of us got a brief glimpse of a Fox as it crossed through the picnic area. 

Santa Cruz Island Fox

We had been told that they show up in droves while you eat your lunch (brought with you because the island has no services and no water available), but that wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, not everyone got to see the one I photographed.

Just a quick walk-by

When we first arrived, we were treated to quite a show by the ubiquitous Western Gulls perched on the pier’s railings. 

Western Gulls, Santa Cruz Island

Nesting Western Gulls

When you combine the trip over, the time on the island and the trip back, we probably saw 500, including a pair tending their nest right by the dock at Scorpion. Although there are a variety of gulls in California, including the California Gull, by far the most common is the Western Gull. 

Identifying Western Gulls is tricky because they have so many colorations, including: First Winter, First Summer, Second Winter, Second Summer, Third Winter and Third Summer. That's why they look so different in different photos.

Don't ask me which summer this is

Just after we disembarked (which involved climbing up a ladder to the dock), we saw a lovely young California Sea Lion was sunning itself on the lower dock at Prisoners Harbor.

California Sea Lion, Santa Cruz Island

On the island, I finally saw – and photographed – a very cooperative Bewick’s Wren (we actually saw two) …

Bewick's Wren, Santa Cruz Island

A Hutton's Vireo …

Hutton's Vireo, Santa Cruz Island

So, that was three more Lifer birds. And, we saw quite a few Pacific-slope Flycatchers, including one industrious beauty building a nest …

Pacific Slope Flycatcher building a nest

Some Orange-crowned Warblers …

Orange-Crowned Warbler, Santa Cruz Island

Spotted Towhees …

Love the red eyes on a Spotted Towhee!

And, a Bald Eagle …

Soaring Bald Eagle, Santa Cruz Island

I won’t bore you with the other 6-10 birds I didn’t photograph, just a lot of the same ones we saw on the mainland.

And, I got a nice up-close look at some Pelagic Cormorants flying and floating close offshore ...

Pelagic Cormorants, Prisoners Harbor

The Island has flowers and butterflies.

Santa Cruz is lush

I saw four different types of butterfly, including a Gabb’s Checkerspot …

Gabb's Checkerspot Butterfly, Santa Cruz Island

Spring Azure …

Spring Azure Butterfly, Santa Cruz Island

Gray Hairstreak …

Gray Hairstreak Butterfly, Santa Cruz Island

And, Painted Lady …

Painted Lady Butterfly, Santa Cruz Island

Plus, some Water Striders …

Water Strider, Santa Cruz Island

Lots of Dragonflies and Damselflies …

California Dancer Damselfly, Santa Cruz Island

And, a Western Side-Blotched Lizard, posing quite nicely in the sun …

Western Side-Blotched Lizard, Santa Cruz Island

Dave,Tammy; Photo: Shearwater Journeys

On the way over, we met Tammy and Dave McQuade from Fort Myers, Florida, who were doing a U.S. “Big Year.” They were already at about 600 for the year and had a lot more trips planned.  They were delightful, so we were thrilled to find that they, too, would be sailing on the Star Princess for some Pelagic Birding. So, we left Santa Cruz ready for our next big adventure!

Santa Cruz Island: a beautiful place

Trip date: May 7-14, 2019