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Birding at Carmel River State Beach

2008-10-069 CommentsBirding, Nature, Photography

Saturday, Septermber 13, 2008:

Sarah was in a nearby salon, getting a trial up-do and make-up in preparation for our upcoming wedding, so I whiled away a couple of lovely hours at Carmel River State Beach.

Heermann's Gulls by you.

Heermann’s Gulls

A large group of Harley-Davidson enthusiasts congregated in the parking lot as I arrived, shortly departing in a roar of un-muffled exhaust, but it was otherwise pretty quiet at this great birding location.

A huge flock of gulls congregated between the lagoon at the mouth of Carmel River and the ocean, numbering in the many-hundreds.  It was mostly composed of California Gulls, with a large number of Heermann’s Gulls, which kept to themselves mostly, and a sprinkling of Western Gulls, obvious by their much-larger size.

Western Sandpiper by you.

Western Sandpiper

A couple of Western Sandpipers skulked at the lagoon’s edge, but it was mostly quiet here, so I turned my attention to the gull flock and the ocean’s edge.

California Gulls by you.

California Gulls

On our previous visit, I had “seen” Elegant Terns, but couldn’t really count them as a lifer, as they were very distant, and they weren’t distinguishable, but this time I got close.  It also helped that I had binoculars and a telephoto lens with me!  So… *LIFER!*

Elegant Tern by you.

Elegant Tern

The Elegant Tern colony was perhaps a hundred strong, and I enjoyed long and close looks at this pretty seabird.  Although a passing wildlife enthusiast said she’d been told that the adults had all left, this was not the case, as their bright orange bills were conspicuous among the paler yellow of the juveniles.

Gull flock by you.

Gull flock

Elegant Terns by you.

Elegant Tern Colony

At the water’s edge, I had to walk through the gull flock, which parted noisily and quickly re-formed behind me.  A handful of Marbled Godwits and a couple of Willets foraged at the waterline, and Brandt’s Cormorants and a lone Great Egret were farther out in the surf.

Marbled Godwit by you.

Marbled Godwit

Beach by you.

Beach

Brown Pelicans were constantly flying to and fro, mingling with the gulls, and splashing in the lagoon’s waters.  Although the overcast conditions weren’t ideal, I did manage to get a few good flight shots of these prehistoric beauties.

Brown Pelican by you.

Brown Pelican

Sanderlings by you.

Sanderlings

A small group of Sanderlings rested just past the tideline, then burst into action, little black and white wind-up birds.

Willet by you.

Willet

Point Lobos by you.

Point Lobos

A cooperative Marbled Godwit gave me very good views and even posed for a few portraits.

Marbled Godwit by you.

Marbled Godwit

Flautist by you.

Flautist

What I initially thought to be another Sanderling turned out to be a Snowy Plover.  This bird, whose Western race is endangered, blends in very well, and is so often the case, once I saw one, I quickly spotted several more.

Snowy Plover by you.

Stealth Snowy Plover

Snowy Plover by you.

Plover bling

Gull Photog by you.

Gull photog

About an hour into my stroll, the clouds cleared and blue skies burst out, but it was nearing time to pick Sarah up, so I began to make my way back toward the car.   There were many birds, and a good number of them allowed a close approach, so I was able to get some good photographs on my return:

Eared Grebe by you.

Eared Grebe

Carmel River by you.

Carmel River mouth

California Gull by you.

California Gull

Gulls on the beach by you.

Lots of gulls!

Brown Pelican by you.

Brown Pelican in the gull flock

Elegant Terns and Gulls by you.

More Elegant Terns

Birdy Lagoon by you.

Carmel River Lagoon

Least Sandpipers by you.

Least Sandpipers

Greater Yellowlegs by you.

Greater Yellowlegs

Brown Pelican by you.

Brown Pelican

Heermann's Gull by you.

Heermann’s Gull

My walk ended as it began, with a crimson-billed Heermann’s Gull.  I ‘ll have to make a point to come to Carmel River State Beach more often when we’re in the area, as it’s a nice intimate area with excellent scenery, and good bird photography opportunities!

Birds seen:
Observation date: 9/13/08
Number of species: 20

Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos 3
Pacific Loon – Gavia pacifica 1
Eared Grebe – Podiceps nigricollis 1
Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis 50
Brandt’s Cormorant – Phalacrocorax penicillatus 10
Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus 8
Great Egret – Ardea alba 2
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura 3
Snowy Plover – Charadrius alexandrinus 4
Black Oystercatcher – Haematopus bachmani 1
Greater Yellowlegs – Tringa melanoleuca 3
Willet – Tringa semipalmata 2
Marbled Godwit – Limosa fedoa 5
Sanderling – Calidris alba 5
Western Sandpiper – Calidris mauri 4
Least Sandpiper – Calidris minutilla 2
Heermann’s Gull – Larus heermanni 75
Western Gull – Larus occidentalis 250
Elegant Tern – Thalasseus elegans 80
American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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9 Comments
  1. Reply
    2008-10-07 at 07:23
    scienceguy288

    IT is so nice to see you again! I always enjoy your birding photographs and today was no different. Thanks!

  2. Reply
    2008-10-07 at 10:31
    Heidi

    Excellent outing 🙂 There must be something to Marbled Godwits… they know a camera or something. They’ve posed for me too before.

    I like the “plover bling” too. Good looking beach. The central coast is an awesome place to visit.

  3. Reply
    2008-10-08 at 09:08
    Adam R. Paul

    Scienceguy: Thanks – I hope to get out more soon, but wedding planning and such are unsurprisingly taking much of my previously-free time!

    Heidi: Indeed, I have a lot of good Marbled Godwit photos, although the ones from this outing may well be the best.

  4. Reply
    2008-10-08 at 13:41
    ankush

    beautiful gull shots

  5. Reply
    2008-10-08 at 17:04
    Klaus

    Got birds?
    The Flautist species I’m not familiar with though. What an ugly bird. A face that only a mother can love. Though it seems to be able to utilize tools! 😉
    Cheers, Klaus

  6. Reply
    2008-10-08 at 19:28
    jayleen

    The Marbled Godwit who posed is particularly exquisite. This is a particularly good batch Adam! Kudos…

  7. Reply
    2008-10-08 at 23:11
    Mary Carlson

    Beautiful shots as usual, Adam. This seems to be a great time of year for birding on the coast, doesn’t it? We have seen quite a variety of coastal birds, too. Thanks for sharing.

  8. Reply
    2008-10-17 at 21:14
    Adam R. Paul

    Ankush: Thank you!

    Klaus: Indeed, an ugly duckling if ever there was one! The beige & pale blue coloring do help with camouflage in the sand and surf, however….

    Jayleen: Thanks – that’s probably my favorite shot of the bunch

    Mary: Yep – gotta love fall migration!

  9. Reply
    2008-11-21 at 02:23
    Natural Moments

    I enjoyed viewing a sampling of your photos. I like your Heermann’s Gull Photos and Snowy Plovers. Keep on exploring Nature.

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