Back in January I made a one week trip out to the West Coast. I spent several days in Carmel, California and a few in the Newport Beach area.
The stay was amazing.
In Carm
el, I was just a few miles from Point Lobos Nature Reserve and right up the street from Big Sur state park which wraps the coast along Highway 1. The breathtaking views were enough to write home about, but as an amateur birder, there were lots of new species that I had to get out and find.
In that more north central area of the state I found the:
Black Phoebe, Peregrine Falcon, Brown Pelican, Pelagic Comorant, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Savannah Sparrow
White Crowned Sparrow, Anna’s Hummingbird, White Tailed Kite, Western Gull, Black Crowned Night Heron
Common Merganser, Bewicks Wren, Bushtit, California Thrasher, Brandt’s Comorant
I took a duffle bag with me for clothes, a courier bag for my laptop and work products, and in those two packs I squeezed in my binoculars, field journal, and some field guides.
We took a couple of mini road trips, but I always had to drive. In between sessions I always walked outside to check out the views. We saw seals, whales and dolphins. And when I really had a break from the work stuff, I went out for short hikes in and around Point Lobos.
And I was wowed, on foot or from my glances out the window.
Wherever you go, there you are. Bring binoculars with you, a sense of exploration, and prepare to wonder and be amazed.
the suburban naturalists 