The Californian Condors south from here were easy to find and continuing down the coast was very picturesque. We stopped at a Northern Elephant Seal colony before ending the day spectacularly at Cerro Alto Campground (Route 41) seeing four stunning Varied Thrush, as well as several other good species but the Thrushes could well prove to be the birds of the trip.
Night in Atescadero.
Point Pinos
Surfbird - 2
Glaucous-winged Gull - 3 (2 adults)
Black Oystercatcher - 2
Black-vented Shearwater - 3
Song Sparrow - 1
American Herring Gull. - 10
Carmel Mission Trails
Pygmy Nuthatch - 1
Pine Siskin - 3
Band-tailed Pigeon - 10
Cedar Waxwing - 2
Oak Titmouse - 2
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
California Condor - 9
Route 1 Northern Elephant Seal Colony
Glaucous-winged Gull - 5
Brewer's Blackbird - 50
Snowy Plover - 50
Northern Harrier - 1 ringtail
Least Sandpiper - 2
Snowy Egret - 1
Cerro Alto Campground (Route 41)
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Wrentit - 2
Varied Thrush - 4
Brown Creeper - 3
Nuttall's Woodpecker - 1
Steller's Jay - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 10
Golden Eagle - 1
Bald Eagle - 2
California Scrub Jay - 3
adult Glaucous-winged Gull at Point Pinos
Black Turnstone at Point Pinos, Monterey
Anna's Hummingbird
California Condors at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Elephant Seals along the Pacific coastline
Wrentit at Cerro Alto
one of four Varied Thrushes seen along this road. A stunning bird that sat motionless for 15 minutes while we photographed it. A weird sensation reminding me of East Asian Thrushes, yet being so bright it reminded me of a Bokmakierie (if only there were orange ones) in Southern Africa, yet being in the States. A beautiful bird!!
Acorn Woodpecker at Cerro Alto
a very approachable Gull roost at Point Pinos - spot the Glaucous-winged
Big Sur NP
Elephant Seal colony along the Pacific coastline
Varied Thrush habitat
