Whale-Watching

Yesterday, I went whale-watching on a sailboat with my brother and some relatives who are visiting. It was a bit different than last time; this time we set out from Oceanside and the sailboat was a bit smaller. It's been unusually hot this week, but it was very cool and breezy over the ocean. Below are some views of Oceanside.

We stood around for a short while and I noticed a rather large Western Fence-Lizard near my foot. It didn't notice me until I took out my camera, then it ran a short ways away and looked back at me. I walked back a few steps and it ran back up, grabbed a bug from the grass, and hurried away to some rocks. It then hopped around from rock to rock for a while. Below is a photo of it.

Western Fence Lizard

There was also a California Ground Squirrel hopping around some different rocks. It was a bit fat; it was probably getting some handouts. Below is a photo of it.

California Ground Squirrel

A little Spotted Sandpiper was also hopping quickly from rock to rock down by the water. It was very hard to photograph. Below is the Spotted Sandpiper.

Spotted Sandpiper

A Black-crowned Night-Heron was hiding up in a pine tree. It was very well hidden among the thick branches. Below is a photo of it.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

There were many cormorants in the harbor and out on the ocean, but very few of them were Double-crested Cormorants. There were one or two here and there in the harbor, often hanging around with groups of Heermann's Gulls. Below are two photos of Double-crested Cormorants with the gulls.

Double-crested Cormorant and Heermann's Gull

Heermann's Gulls and Double-crested Cormorant

There weren't as many California Sea-Lions as there were on the last whale-watching trip, but there were still quite a few of them. Most of them were pretty small and just lying around. Below are three photos of them.

California Sea-Lion

California Sea-Lions

California Sea-Lion

There were a lot of Brandt's Cormorants. They were everywhere. Many came pretty close to the boat, such as the one in the photo below. Notice the blue eyes; they're particularly noticeable on Brandt's Cormorants.

Brandt's Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorants and Brown Pelicans

There were also many Brown Pelicans in beautiful breeding plumage. They sat on the rocks, floated on the water, and flew past the sailboat in lines. Below are three photos of them.

Brown Pelican

Heerman's Gull and Brown Pelican

Brown Pelicans

There were a few snowy egrets hanging around in the harbor. Below is a photo of one.

Snowy Egret

We saw several Common Bottlenose Dolphins. They were quite a distance away, but then came up close to the boat and swam along beside us. Below are two photos of them.

Common Bottlenose Dolphins

Common Bottlenose Dolphins

I saw one bird I'd never seen before. It was a Black-vented Shearwater. Black-vented Shearwaters are found all year round in Baja California, and in fall and winter venture up to southern California. They are rather plain-looking birds with white bellies and dark backs, tails, and heads. Their wings are dark above and light below. They have long, straight, pointed wings and thin bills. Black-vented Shearwaters often fly closer to land than other shearwaters. Below is a photo of one. Sorry the photo isn't that great; it was pretty far away.

Black-vented Shearwater

We actually saw several whales this time, and they came pretty close to the boat. They were Gray Whales. As shown in the photo below, the whales weren't very far out; they actually came between us and the shore. It was really amazing to see them so close.

Gray Whale

There were a few Western Grebes out on the ocean. Below are two of them.

Western Grebes

There were a few loons here and there, both Red-throated and Pacific. Below is a Red-throated Loon in the harbor.

Red-throated Loon

There were also a few Western Gulls around, though far fewer of them than the Heermann's Gulls. Below are two photos of them.

Western Gull

Western Gull

There were Great Blue Herons in every tall pine tree. They were all in pairs or standing on large nests. Below are six photos of them. Except for the last two photos, the herons are different in every photo (eight birds all together). The last two herons are a pair greeting each other (one had just flown in). The Great Blue Herons seem to all be paired up and ready for spring (just in time for Valentine's Day).

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons

Great Blue Herons

Buena Vista Lagoon January

Last Saturday was the bird count at the Buena Vista Lagoon. It was not the best day for birdwatching - a lot of the birds we usually see weren't there - but we still managed to spot fifty species. Below are six views of the lagoon.

There were a few American Coots here and there. Below are two photos of coots (they look the same, but they are two different coots).

American Coot

American Coot

One bird we don't normally see is the Western Bluebird. We saw four in total on Saturday, both males and females. They were going back and forth between telephone lines and a small field across the street from the Nature Center. Below is a female Western Bluebird sitting on a telephone wire.

Western Bluebird

There were many white-crowned sparrows around, hopping through the brush, calling, and singing. They seemed to be everywhere. Below are two photos of them.

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Quite a few House Finches were enjoying the seeds from the sycamore trees. Sycamores seem to be a favorite of finches and warblers. Below is a female House Finch.

House Finch

There were a few Eurasian Collared-Doves around. For some reason, an American Crow started to chase one and continued chasing it for quite a while around the trees. Perhaps it mistook it for a falcon or small hawk, or maybe it was just doing it for fun. Below is a Eurasian Collared-Dove walking on the ground on the trail behind the Nature Center.

Eurasian Collared-Dove

There were many, many blackbirds at the lagoon, both Brewer's and Red-winged. Below are three photos of blackbirds. The first photo is of Brewer's Blackbirds, the second and third are of Red-winged Blackbirds. There's also an American Crow (a black bird) in the second photo.

Brewer's Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbirds and American Crow

Red-winged Blackbird

There weren't very many Western Gulls at the lagoon; only one or two here and there. Below is one standing on a light post in a parking lot.

Western Gull

There were probably over a hundred California Gulls. They were all swirling up into the air in one very large flock, riding the warm currents. Below are two photos of them.

California Gulls

California Gulls

There were many Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds flying around. Below is an Anna's Hummingbird sitting on top of a tree.

Anna's Hummingbird

There were a few Mallards at the lagoon. A pair came up rather close to us. They were probably looking for handouts. The female seemed the more confident of the two. She led the way and walked up on the shore. Below are five photos; the first is the male, female, and a coot. The second is the male and the coot after the female swam away. The third is the same female coming up to us. The fourth is the male hiding in the reeds (the female is also partly visible in the photo; she's walking toward him). The fifth is another group of Mallards flying.

Mallards and American Coot

Mallard and American Coot

Mallard

Mallard

Mallards

There were a lot of Yellow-Rumped Warblers around. Hardly any of them sat still for more than a second or two, so I wasn't able to take very many photos. Below is a Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

We saw hardly any egrets or herons, which was rather disappointing. We did, however, get a very nice view of a Great Blue Heron flying low over the lagoon. It was so low that every time it flapped its wings, its wingtips tapped the water. Below is a photo of it.

Great Blue Heron

There were quite a few Pied-billed Grebes around. There seemed to be a couple at every stop. Below is one of them just before it dove into the water.

Pied-billed Grebe

We saw Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks. Most were pretty far away, but a couple of Red-tailed Hawks few right over us. Below is a photo of one of them.

Red-tailed Hawk

There were a few Orange-crowned Warblers around, hopping through the trees and bushes and singing their trilling song. One did something very unusual. It flew up to a little branch right above me, and sat there for a few seconds; just looking around. Then it flew away. I think that was the longest I've ever seen one sit still. Fortunately, I was able to get my camera out quickly and take a picture. Below is the Orange-crowned Warbler.

Orange-crowned Warbler