On Friday December 30th my wife, son and I went to Moss Landing. We used our usual plan, starting at the State Wildlife Area where we were greeted by a friendly Long-billed Curlew. We saw the expected birds - Brown Pelicans, Willet, gulls etc. as well as a Harbor Seal and several Sea Otters.
 |
| Long-billed Curlew |
We then drove across the busy highway to Moss Landing State Beach where an immediate find was a state mammal - a pocket gopher. The water was quite high but Marbled Godwits few in the vegetation and the White-tailed Kites were in their usual tree. A Pelagic Cormorant was a bit of a surpise.
 |
| Botta's Pocket Gopher |
We then took a path through the dunes and walked along the beach where we found several Snowy Plover as well as Willets and Sanderlings along the waterline. A few Surf Scoter were in the water.
 |
| Snowy Plover |
 |
| Sanderlings and Willet |
We then walked back along the road. The harbor area had both Common Loon and Pacific Loon and we saw one California Sea Lion (but could hear many more). A group of Heerman's Gulls were on one rock; Brwon Pelicans on another.
No comments:
Post a Comment