- Date: 10/09/2010
- Time: 06:00:00 AM
San Mateo Coast
Field Trip
Join us for a trip to the San Mateo County coastline. We will base our efforts at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, in search of shorebirds along the rocky shorelines and seabirds on the open ocean. Scouting the cypress and willow groves along nearby San Vicente Creek trail could turn up warblers and other migrant songbirds. We will spend the day working our way toward Princeton Harbor just south of Moss Beach, planning to return to Davis around 6 pm. Expect a 1.5 – 2 hour drive (the reserve iis about 20 miles south of San Francisco). Bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, lunch, plenty of water, and dress in layers for variable temperatures along the coast. Meet at 6 am in the Marketplace/Big 5 parking lot in northwest Davis (Covell Blvd./Sycamore Lane). Please contact Kirk Ehmsen (607-379-2733) or Clare Fasching (650-235-6726) for any further trip-related information.
********************TRIP HIGHLIGHTS************************
The day began with eight people ready for adventure in slight fog at Fitzgerald State Park (plus three young raccoons that ventured from the undergrowth into the parking lot). As we wandered down to the beach, Sami LaRocca and Sharon Kirkpatrick spied a Tropical Kingbird. We strolled through the cypress forest and peered down on a flock of Sanderlings catching the light on the beach. A beautiful Townsend’s Warbler posed for pictures and we stopped for lunch. The afternoon was spent walking the beach at Piper Point Harbor. We watched Elegant and Forster’s Terns performing acrobatics above the water with Brown Pelicans diving for fish in the background. A family of Brandt was eating duckweed, which kept us duly entertained. The Wandering Tattler made an appearance in the same spot as last year. Black Turnstones, Willets and Black-bellied Plovers wandered on the beach. Returning to our cars after a lovely low-wind day, we watched a Common Loon and in the distance saw a Pacific Loon. All in all the day was a success with fun people and beautiful birds.
Total species count was 61.
