San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay Part Two

Sorry that this post is late. The day after we visited Morro Bay, we visited the Cal Poly campus and walked into the canyon behind the college. There's a wide trail running alongside a creek that breaks into a couple of smaller ones leading up into the hills. It's a very lovely trail. Below are four views along the trail.

There were a lot of Western Bluebirds out in the fields, hovering above the grass and perching on top of bushes. There were quite a few young, brown spotty bluebirds flying around. Below are two photos of the bluebirds. The two in the first photo are adults, and the one in the second photo is a young one hovering above the grass.

Western Bluebirds

Western Bluebird

There were a few Steller's Jays high up in the trees making odd noises. A pair of American Kestrels were very upset at them; they must have had a nest nearby. Below is a Steller's Jay in a sycamore tree.

Steller's Jay

As we walked around the Cal Poly campus, we saw a Western Gray Squirrel. They're somewhat large squirrels with gray backs and pale bellies. They are currently threatened by habitat loss and competition with introduced species (mainly the Eastern Fox Squirrel). Below are two photos of the Western Gray Squirrel.

Western Gray Squirrel

Western Gray Squirrel

There were quite a few goldfinches everywhere we went in San Luis Obispo and the Morro Bay area. We saw a few American Goldfinches in Morro Bay, but they were too far away to take a photo. Below are two photos of Lesser Goldfinches at Cal Poly (the first is a female, the second is a male).

Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch

There also seemed to be a few Pacific-Slope Flycatchers everywhere we went, sitting up in trees or on buildings. We could often hear them calling (a high "seet" sound). There were a lot of them around Cal Poly in particular. Below is one of them sitting on a wall.

Pacific-Slope Flycatcher

An unexpected bird we saw was an American Robin. It was running along the ground with some Dark-eyed Juncos on the Cal Poly campus. It was a male robin with very nice plumage. Below is a photo of the robin.

American Robin

Next to our hotel in San Luis Obispo was a little creek. It was surprisingly full, considering the drought. There was a trail running alongside it, which we explored. We heard a lot of Pacific-Slope Flycatchers and saw a Red-shouldered Hawk while we down there. At night, we could hear a great chorus of frogs. Below are four photos of the creek.