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| Morro Rock, California |
As I do when I go ANYWHERE, I added on a few days to sightsee and bird (well, primarily to bird). I had one main target -- the Yellow-billed Magpie -- that lives only in California and only in a limited part of the state at that.
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| Range map: All About Birds |
I knew I needed to be north of LA, but I wasn't exactly sure how far north to guarantee a sighting. So, I decided to drive up to Morro Bay and explore from there. Then, I put out the question on some Facebook birding pages and became concerned that I might not be far enough north.
The conference was in Universal City and, for some reason that I cannot recall, I flew into LAX and took a cab north to the hotel in Universal City. In retrospect, a wiser plan would have been to fly into Burbank. I think that there must not have been a direct flight. Otherwise, why would I subject myself to the chaos that is LAX, including having to wait more than 30 minutes for a bus to take me to the place here you can catch a cab?
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| Left: Los Angeles Times; Right: Google Maps |
Because I wasn't going to need a car during the conference, I didn't book a car until after the meetings. And, that I did pick up in Burbank (after the driver took me to the WRONG off-airport Budget office after I specifically said I wanted the one AT the airport) which I obviously knew was much closer.
Anyway, after all the juggling with LA traffic, I headed north. I spent the first night in Ventura, mainly because I didn't know when I would be able to leave the conference (the agenda had not been set when I booked the flights) and because I have experienced late afternoon LA traffic before.
As a side note, even having taken a cab from LA to Universal and then north out of town, I saw no evidence of the devastating wildfires the city had suffered just a month earlier.
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| Photo: Los Angeles Times |
I left Ventura the next morning, taking a few side roads looking for birds. I drove through the mountains in Santa Ynez, where I saw just a couple of birds not new to me:
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| California Scrub-Jays |
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| Red-tailed Hawks |
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| Turkey Vultures |
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| A Golden-crowned Sparrow |
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| California Towhees (and a Spotted Towhee that evaded my camera) |
The scenery was pretty, too!
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| Santa Ynez Mountains |
Looking for My Target
I tried to follow directions to a spot recommended for Yellow-billed Magpies, but couldn't find a way there. Every time I got close, I encountered a private road or a blocked road. I finally decided I was wasting time, so I headed north without the sighting.
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| I did encounter an Acorn Woodpecker (always fun to see!) |
When planning, I had toyed with the idea of driving up to the Eastern Entrance to Pinnacles National Park. Caty and I had visited the western side in 2013, but I had not been east. You can read about Pinnacles in my post from back then.
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| The western side of Pinnacles, 2013 |
I heard I might see Yellow-billed Magpies there. Originally, I was thinking of going to Morro and driving to Pinnacles the next day. But, the sun was shining and I was feeling good, so I just changed plans and headed straight to Pinnacles. I was a pretty drive through rolling green hills (they are green only after rain and California had been having some rain) and cattle ranches. I should have stopped for photos, but I was starting to realize my mid-day decision wasn't going to give me much time in Pinnacles. Worst case: I could always go back again from Morro Bay.
I was scanning for birds as I drove and as I got close to the Park on Highway 25, I rounded a corner to see a familiar-looking bird on a fence post. A Magpie! But unlike our ubiquitous Black-billed variety in Colorado (indeed, in my yard almost every day), this was a Yellow-billed! Success!
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| Black-billed vs. Yellow-billed |
eBird describes the species as "a boisterous bird ... a riot of black, white, shimmering blue-green and yellow ... gregarious throughout the year, even when nesting: dozens of pairs sometimes nest close to each other." Hit hard by habitat loss and West Nile virus, the Yellow-billed Magpie is on the Partners in Flight Yellow Watch List for species with restricted ranges.
I stopped and tried to get a decent shot. Unlike our extremely bold Magpies, this guy was bit more skittish.
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| The few shots I got were disappointing |
But, by now my subject was long gone. I drove slowly the rest of the way, seeing a few at distance, but never getting another shot. Maybe I'd see some in Pinnacles.
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| The namesake Pinnacles |
I managed to arrive at the Park before the Visitor Center closed (yay! Stamp from the Eastern Entrance) and I looked around a bit.
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| Pinnacles National Park |
Unlike the scrubby west side, east Pinnacles is greener and more developed with a campground and a store. It is famous for California Condors but it was too late in the day to embark upon a hike up the hillside that had a better chance of a sighting.
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| Condors are often seen over this ridge |
Had I never seen one before, I would have done it. But, I've had some great Condor encounters ...
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| California Condor, Marble Canyon, Arizona |
... so I concentrated on the critters around me, including more Turkey Vultures and California Scrub-Jays ...
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| A couple of lovely Black Phoebes |
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| A California Ground Squirrel |
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| A Golden-crowned Sparrow and some beautiful Steller's Jays (a different subspecies from Colorado) |
I explored a little, but the day was waning and I wanted to get to Morro before dark. Plus, I wanted time to look for Yellow-billed Magpies on my way back.
And, speaking of way back, I had two problems. I always travel with maps, but (oddly) I couldn't find a California map before I left home. I have an atlas in my car, but it doesn't have all the minor roads. That shouldn't be a problem, but there is NO Internet in Pinnacles and so I could not connect to GPS for directions to Morro. I was going to have to remember how I got there. So, fingers-crossed, off I went.
Shortly after I left the Park, I rounded a corned to an entire flock of Magpies in the middle of the road. By the time I found a safe place to pull over, they dispersed.
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| One stuck around |
But, I did still manage to photograph a few and I solidly got my target bird!
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| What a beauty! |
I successfully remembered most of my drive, but when I reached the turn-off to King City, the road seemed much smaller and mountainous than I recalled. Thinking there must be another route to King City, I continued on. Of course, I realized after some time that that had been my turn. At that point, I figured that, as long as I headed south and then turned west, I'd be OK. And, that did turn out to be true. Still, it was a bit worrying as the miles ticked by, the Internet did not materialize and my gas ticked toward a quarter tank. The area was drop-dead gorgeous with velvety green hills and lovely ranches, but I never stopped to take a photo.
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| Left: The drive with the missed road circled: Right Photo: Redfin |
Why oh why do I do that?
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| But I did stop for a windmill and a Red-tailed Hawk |
Just as I saw a road in the distance that appeared to turn toward the coast, I also got Internet and confirmed that that would get me where I was going. I got back on 101 about 40 miles south of the King City intersection, but still on track to Morro Bay. It was a prettier drive, so it was actually a win -- just a win with a little angst. It is amazing how quickly a populous place can become frighteningly remote!
I stopped for gas (in excess of $6.00 a gallon) and tried to make it to my hotel for sunset. I failed, which is a shame because as I wound through the hills to Morro, I caught glimpses of a spectacular red sky and reflections on a calm ocean.
Morro Rock and Morro Bay
It was dark by the time I checked into the Inn at Morro Bay, a lovely hotel inside Morro Bay State Park. My room had a balcony (if I craned, I could see Morro Rock) and a fireplace.
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| The view |
I had been to Morro Bay before but just for a quick drive-by. This would give me more time to explore.
Located in San Luis Obispo County on California's Central Coast, the town of Morro Bay overlooks a natural bay and estuary of the same name that boasts an all-weather, small-craft, commercial and recreational harbor.
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| The harbor (with Sea Otters!) |
The town has 10,000 residents and a lot of tourists.
Many come to see the area's main attraction: 576-ft-high Morro Rock, a volcanic plug located at the entrance to the harbor.
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| Morro Rock |
The term "morro" is Spanish, Portuguese and Italian for a place where a distinctive and prominent hill-shaped rock formation exists.
Composed mostly of igneous dacite, Morro Rock is one of 13 volcanic plugs (remnant necks of extinct volcanoes), lava domes and sheet-like intrusions between Morro Bay on the north and Islay Hill on the south, all in San Luis Obispo County. The Morro Rock-Islay Hill Complex dates from the Oligocene Epoch 27 to 23 million years ago.
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| The Rock |
Morro Rock used to be surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled in to make the harbor. The rock was quarried from 1889 to 1969 and was designated a Historical Landmark in 1968.
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| Morro Rock from Morro Bay |
The area around the base of Morro Rock is open to visitors, with parking lots and paths. Climbing the rock is prohibited due to risk of injury, and because it is a Peregrine Falcon reserve.
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| Peregrine Falcons nest on Morro Rock |
Originally a Chumash settlement near the mouth of Morro Creek, the area has been inhabited for at least 1,000 years.
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| Where the Chumash lived |
There is dispute as to whether Morro Rock belonged to the Salinan or Chumash People. The Salinan have been given the right to climb Morro Rock for their biannual solstice ceremonies, in which they celebrate the time in legend when a Hawk and a Raven destroyed the two-headed serpent-monster Taliyekatapelta as he wrapped his body around the base of the rock. The local Chumash tribe believes that the rock is so sacred that it should never be climbed.
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| Another perspective |
The first recorded Filipinos to visit America arrived at Morro Bay in 1587, from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza. The first European land exploration was in 1769.
While governed by Mexico, large land grants split the surrounding area into cattle and dairy ranchos, which needed shipping to bring in dry goods and to carry their crops, animals and other farm products to cities. The town of Morro Bay was founded in 1870 as a port for the export of dairy and ranch products.
During World War II, a U.S. Navy base, Amphibious Training Base Morro Bay, was on the north side of Morro Rock.
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| The breakwater on the southwest side of the Rock was built in 1944-45 |
From the 1940s to the late 1950s, Morro Bay had an active abalone-fishing industry, but that declined because of overfishing. Halibut, sole, rockfish, albacore and many other species are still caught by both commercial and sport vessels.
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| A boat moored in the bay |
In addition, oysters are grown by aquaculture in the shallow back bay.
In the 1950s, Pacific Gas and Electric built the Morro Bay Power Plant, which created jobs and increased the tax base. The city incorporated in 1964.The plant closed in 2014.
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| The plant gave the town the nickname Three Stacks and a Rock |
Morro Bay is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. A small summer colony of Sea Otters usually can be seen in the kelp near the harbor entrance. I saw some and it was winter!
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| Sea Otters! |
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| Morro Strand |
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| Recreation Options at Morro Bay State Park |
Estuary Walk
I awoke the next morning to -- as is typical along the California Coast -- fog. I figured it would lift and I would get another sunny day like the day before.
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| Fog |
It didn't.
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| This was as good as it got |
I started my day with a walk along the boardwalk around the harbor through the estuary.
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| The estuary |
You want birds? They got birds!
The marshy area was filled with ...
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| Great Egrets |
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| Marbled Godwits |
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| Double-crested Cormorants |
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| Western Willets |
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| Long-billed Curlews |
The harbor area was inhabited by ...
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| Great Blue Herons |
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| Turkey Vultures |
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| Anna's Hummingbirds |
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| California Towhees |
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| White-crowned Sparrows |
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| Black Phoebes |
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| And, even some Dark-eyed Juncos |
I was surprised (although I don't know why) to find a colony of Sea Otters just floating around the boats in the harbor.
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| Close to the dock, too! |
I always think they live farther north. But, they live at the Monterey Aquarium, which is only 150 miles north.
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| What a treat!!! |
Also in the harbor were ...
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| Western Gulls |
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| Buffleheads |
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| Eared Grebes |
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| Greater Scaups |
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| Northern Pintails |
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| Pied-billed Grebes |
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| Ruddy Ducks (non-breeding, so no blue bill) |
It was quite a festival of birds. Unfortunately, the thick fog hampered photography. I figured I explore elsewhere and then come back in the afternoon when the fog was gone. Not only did the fog NOT leave, but in the afternoon almost all the shorebirds were also gone. I am so glad I took the morning walk.
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| Heading out |
The Rock
After the walk, I explored a little in the State Park and then went to Morro Rock.
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| Morro Rock |
I walked around the base and marveled at the waves hitting the breakwater. I have no idea if this kind of violent surf is typical or not.
It was fascinating to watch. I am a sucker for waves breaking over rocks ...
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| ... especially when the plume is at least 20 feet high! |
When I looked it up, I found this "the surf at Morro Rock's breakwater in Morro Bay is often considered rough and challenging, especially for experienced surfers." I wonder how inexperienced surfers find it. Terrifying?
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| Some political commentary, too |
The description continued: "The breakwater's beach and reef break create strong, barreling waves, particularly during northwest swell conditions." Indeed!
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| No one was surfing when I was there, except a Common Loon |
Watch it here.
As you can see from my photos and video, it was still foggy.
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| There was a little sun, but not much |
I was scanning for birds and a man passing by pointed me toward a Peregrine Falcon perched on a ledge (presumably its nest) high up the rock face.
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| The depressions in the rock provide good cover |
It never did much, except preen and duck back in the cavity.
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| But a sitting Peregrine is always a win! |
As I was returning to my car, I saw more Sea Otters.
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| I think there are now there year-round |
Lampton Cliffs
After watching a few more Sea Otters, I headed out for more exploration. I decided to go north to see what I could see (code for I didn't do much research and Morro Bay and Rock were starting to get old).
I left the highway and tried to get some good seaside views. I ended up in a little neighborhood park, called Lampton Cliffs, with some pretty vistas.
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| Looking out to sea |
The Park had stairs down to the ocean, but when I got to them, they were closed off with yellow caution tape. Looking down to the rocky inlet below, I could understand why. I had to be content with the cliff view.
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| The Great Egret had the inlet to himself |
I also spent a little time with a cute little California Ground Squirrel that was obviously ready for his close-up! Everyone in California wants to be a star!
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| Everyone in California wants to be a star! |
A Great Surprise
Before heading farther north, I studied my GPS and noticed a dot marked "Friends of the Elephant Seal Visitor Center" just up the 101 in San Simeon. Wha???? I looked it up and it mentioned a viewing spot.
I made it to the Visitor Center, which was in a strip shopping area and didn't appear to have a viewpoint. I went inside to inquire and was instructed to drive seven miles north and look for the Vista Point sign.
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| What a find! |
Located in Piedras Blancas, the vista point has two boardwalks overlooking a sheltered beach.
Would there be any there? I knew Northern Elephant Seals were not on shore year round, but couldn't remember when they were there. Caty and I had seen some at Point Reyes on the same trip as Pinnacles in 2013. But, they were distant and I didn't have a good camera then.
This could be good! And, it was!
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| Northern Elephant Seals below the boardwalk |
Many had left already, including most of the males. But, there were lots of juveniles, some nursing mother/baby pairs and a few giant males.
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| A pretty good group |
Although they tended to be rather inert (compared to the sparring Caty and I saw in 2013), they were very, very, VERY noisy.
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| The ones we saw in 2013 were very active |
I think most of the caterwauling was hungry youngsters who would be heading to sea soon.
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| A noisy bunch |
About Northern Elephant Seals
Named for their size and males' long pendulous noses, Northern Elephant Seals are one of two species (the other is the Southern Elephant Seal). It is a member of the family Phocidae (true seals).
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| The "elephant" nose |
Hundreds of thousands once inhabited the Pacific Ocean, but they were slaughtered wholesale in the 1800s for the oil that could be rendered from their blubber. By 1892, only 50 to 100 individuals were left. They were thought to be extinct in 1884 until a remnant population of eight was discovered on Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California in 1892 by a Smithsonian expedition, who promptly killed several for their collection (brilliant!).
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| The Marine Mammals of the Northwestern Coast of North America, 1850 |
In 1922, the Mexican government gave protected status to Elephant Seals, and the US government followed suit a few years later when the Seals began to appear in Southern California waters. Since then, Elephant Seals have continued to multiply exponentially, extending their breeding range as far north as Point Reyes.
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| Today, there are approximately 200,000 |
The huge male typically weighs 3,300 to 5,100 lbs. and measures 13 to 16 feet long, although some males can weigh up to 8,200 lbs. Females are much smaller and can range from 880 to 1,980 lbs. and from 8.2 to 11.8 feet long.
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| You can see how much larger the male is (and I don't think there were any really big ones there) |
Bull Southern Elephant Seals are, on average, larger than the Northern species, but the females in both are around the same size. Northern Elephant Seals typically live for around nine years.
Pups are born with dark, almost black fur.
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| New(ish) pups |
After weaning, they shed the dark coat to turn silvery grey.
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| Silver was the predominant color of the ones I saw |
Adult males' necks and chests are furless and have a speckled pattern of pink, white and light brown.
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| An adult male |
This the consequence of thicker, calloused skin that builds a protective shield in preparation for fights they participate in during the mating season.
The eyes are large, round, and black. The width of the eyes and a high concentration of low-light pigments suggest sight plays an important role in hunting.
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| Dark, dark eyes |
Like all Seals, Elephant Seals have atrophied hind legs that form the tail and tail fin. Each of the "feet" have five long, webbed fingers. While their hind limbs are poor for land locomotion, Elephant Seals can move as quickly as five mph for short-distance travel, to return to water, catch up with a female or chase an intruder.
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| This one was making some progress |
Like other Seals, Elephant Seals' bloodstreams are adapted to the cold with a mixture of small veins surrounding arteries to capture heat from them. Northern Elephant Seals store oxygenated red blood cells within the spleen.
Residents of the eastern Pacific, Northern Elephant Seals spend most of their time at sea, and usually only come to land to give birth, breed and molt at rookeries on offshore islands or remote mainland beaches. Most rookeries are in California and northern Baja California, ranging from Point Reyes National Seashore to Isla Natividad, Mexico.
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| Rookeries; Map: Wanderlust Travel & Photos |
There are significant breeding colonies at Channel Islands, Año Nuevo State Reserve, Piedras Blancas Light (where I was) and the Farallon Islands in the US, and Isla Guadalupe, Isla Benito del Este and Isla Cedros in Mexico.
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| Piedras Blancas |
In recent decades the breeding range has extended northwards. In 1976, the first pup was found on Point Reyes and a breeding colony established there in 1981. Since the mid-1990s some breeding has been observed at Castle Rock in Northern California and Shell Island off Oregon. In January 2009, the first Elephant Seal births were recorded in British Columbia at Race Rocks.
Northern Elephant Seals exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism in their feeding behaviors. When males leave their rookeries, they migrate northwards to their feeding grounds along the continental shelf from Washington to the western Aleutians in Alaska. Males mostly feed on benthic organisms on the ocean floor.
When females leave their rookeries, they head north or west to forage on pelagic organisms across a large area of open ocean in the northeastern Pacific.
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| Migration map: Morro Bay National Estuary Program |
Females have been recorded as far west as Hawaii. Females dive deeper -- up to 5,700 feet -- and stay down longer than males. Female Elephant Seals have been found to dive almost continuously for 20 hours or more a day, mostly at 1,300 to 2,000 feet where small fish are abundant.
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| Underwater; Photo: Oceanlight.com |
Northern Elephant Seals' prey includes deep-water squid, Pacific hake, pelagic crustaceans, relatively small sharks, rays and ratfish. They do not need to drink, getting water from food and metabolism of fats.
While hunting in the dark depths, Elephant Seals seem to locate their prey at least partly by vision, sometimes helped out by some prey's bioluminescence. While they don't use echolocation, the long stiff hairs on Elephant Seals' snouts are sensitive to vibrations and are assumed to play a role in searching for food.
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| The "whiskers" are called vibrissae |
Elephant Seals are prey for Orcas and Great White Sharks, which are most likely to hunt pups, seldom going after large bulls. When hunting adults, Sharks are most likely to ambush with a damaging bite and wait until the Seal is weakened by blood loss to finish the kill.
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| Great White and Orca; Left: Los Angeles Times; Right: Daily Mail |
Northern Elephant Seals return to terrestrial breeding grounds in December and January. The bulls arrive first, hauling out on isolated or protected beaches that offer protection from winter storms and high surf. The bulls engage in fights of supremacy to determine which few will achieve a harem.
After the males have arrived, females arrive to give birth to a single pup, usually at night. Immediately after birth, the female will turn to her pup and emit a warbling vocalization, which is used to attract the pup throughout the four-week nursing period. Sometimes, a female can become very aggressive after giving birth and will defend her pup from other females.
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| Aggressive behavior |
While most females nurse only their own pups, some do accept orphaned or alien pups. Some pups, known as super weaners, may grow exceptionally large by nursing from other females in addition to their mothers.
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| Nursing pup |
Feeding on its mother's rich milk, which is 55 percent fat, the pup grows from approximately 75 pounds at birth to 300 to 400 lbs. upon being weaned.
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| Putting on the pounds |
During the last few days of nursing, females come into estrus and mate.
Mating behavior relates to a social hierarchy, and stronger males are considered higher rank. A dominant bull can have a harem of 30 to100 cows, and, in a lifetime, could easily sire over 500 pups. Males unable to establish harems wait on the periphery, trying to mate with nearby females, usually to be chased off by the dominant bull.
Fights are not usually to the death, but they are brutal, often with significant bloodshed and injury. In cases of mismatched opponents, the younger, less capable, males are usually chased away. Pups are sometimes crushed during battles between bulls.
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| "Gentle sparring," Point Reyes, 2013 |
After mating, the adults abruptly abandon the pups and head out to sea. When the weaned pups are four to six weeks old, their original coat of black fur molts and is replaced by a shiny new silver coat.
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| A shiny coat |
Soon afterward, they begin learning to swim in the shallow offshore waters or in ponds formed by rainwater. They are very curious and rather awkward and somewhat afraid of the water at first. But they learn quickly, spend more and more time swimming about, and then, during the last three weeks of April, they go to sea one by one and disperse northwestward. They feed off the coast of northern Washington and Vancouver Island in British Columbia and do not appear on land again until September.
Pinnipeds, like other mammals, must replace old skin and hair. Most animals shed hairs year-round, but Elephant Seals do it all at once in the spring and summer. The molting process is so abrupt that it is called a "catastrophic" molt.
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| Catastrophic! Left: The Naturalist's Notebook; Right: Friends of the Elephant Seal |
Females give birth for the first time at an average age of 3-4 and have an average life expectancy of about 20 years. Males are mature at 5 years, don't reach high rank until 8, with prime breeding years between 9-12. Males have a life expectancy of 14 years.
Elephant Seals communicate though various means. Males will threaten each other with the snort, a sound caused by expelling air though their probosces, and the claptrap, a loud, clapping sound comparable to the sound of a diesel engine.
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| The nose makes the noise |
Pups will vocalize when stressed or when prodding their mothers to allow them to suckle. Females make an unpulsed call to their young and a harsh, pulsed call when threatened by other females, males or alien pups. Elephant Seals' low-frequency sounds help maintain social hierarchy in crowded or noisy environments.
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| They can be loud |
In California, the Elephant Seal population is continuing to grow at around 6 percent per year, and new colonies are being established; now limited by the availability of haul-out space. Numbers can be adversely affected by El Niño weather; the 1997-98 El Niño may have caused the loss of about 80 percent of that year's pups.
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| Lookin' good |
While the population is rising in California, some colonies farther south are experiencing declining populations due to rising sea and air temperatures.
After spending all that time with Elephant Seals, I headed back.
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| I saw a Brush Rabbit in the parking lot on the way to my car |
Back to Morro Bay
It was still a bit foggy, but I was still looking for a nice afternoon sun.
I stopped at Morro Strand, just north of Morrow Bay. I think this is where all the birds I had seen in the morning went.
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| Lots of birds |
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| A Marbled Godwit and some Long-billed Curlews |
A few stops along the coast and then back to the hotel.
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| Even though the sunset was not as spectacular as the night before, it was pretty good |
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| Pretty good, indeed |
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| Even nice for birds! |
A nice little foray to California -- and I got my target bird!
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| Yellow-billed Magpie |
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