California - Day 2 - 13/1/16

It was to no great surprise that sleeping was going to be an issue, and so with both of us being wide awake at 4am we decided to drive a couple of hours north to Oso Flaco Lake where we birded for four hours seeing a staggering number of birds. Possibly the highlight was seeing my first Hummingbird! Next stop was Morro Bay, where again wetland species were very numerous, even more so we had timed the high tide just right. Further sites included Morro Rock, again see a host of new species, before ending the day along highway 41 near Cerro Alto Campground. Intentions were to visit more sites today but we just ran out of time, though where we did visit was worth it and saved us time elsewhere. Stayed the night in Monterey.

Due to the vast number of birds seen today, only noteworthy species will be mentioned at each site, with those highlighted being lifers. 

Oso Flaco Lake

Song Sparrow - 10

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1

Long-billed Dowitcher - 3

Canvasback - 15

Virginia Rail - 1

Anna's Hummingbird - 4

Bushtit - 17

Hermit Thrush - 1

California Thrasher -2

Wrentit - 2

Heermann's Gull - 3

Glaucous-winged Gull - 2 1w

Marbled Godwit - 4

Green Heron - 1

American Bittern - 4

Sooty Fox Sparrow - 1

Common Yellowthroat - 1

Chestnut-backed Chickadee - 2

+ many species of Ducks

Morro Bay

Brandt's Cornorant - 3

Black Turnstone - 5

Spotted Sandpiper - 1

California Scrub Jay - 6

Spotted Towhee - 3

American Avocet - 20

Least Sandpiper - 30

Short-billed Dowitcher - 50

Forster's Tern - 4

Anna's Hummingbird - 10

Cinnamon Teal - 2

California Towhee - 1

California Quail - 2

Morro Rock

Townsend's Warbler - 4

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher - 1

Ring-billed Gull - 1

Black Turnstone - 6

Western Grebe - 2

Great Northern Diver - 1

Bewick's Wren - 2

Hermit Thrush - 1

Cerro Alto Campground

Oak Titmouse - 2

Acorn Woodpecker - 1

Wrentit - 1

 our only American Bittern of the trip - Oso Flaco Lake

 Lesser Scaup at Oso Flaco - one of several species of Duck present at this site

 Song Sparrow at Oso Flaco

 California Thrasher at Oso Flaco

 juv Glaucous-winged Gull at Oso Flaco Beach - one of several seen during the trip

 a very tame Snowy Plover at Oso Flaco Beach

 first-winter Western Gull at Oso Flaco Beach

 Audubon's Warbler at Shell Beach - by far the commonest Warbler of the trip

 Spotted Sandpiper at Shell Beach

 California Quail at Elfin Forest

 Sooty Fox Sparrow - one of only four seen during the trip

 Townsend's Warbler at Morro Rock - a big surprise was connecting with several of these bright gems over the course of the trip.

 adult Heermann's Gull

Marbled Godwit at Morro Rock