COMPLETE CALIFORNIA
15-28 September 2007
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Day |
Agenda
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1
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Plan to arrive at the San Jose California Airport by about noon. This
is where the tour begins. We'll spend the afternoon birding in and
around Bodega Bay and Point Reyes. A wide variety of passerines and
shorebirds is possible but is heavily dependent upon weather.
Overcast and foggy skies can produce large passerine fallouts
at Point Reyes and we will hope for this. Other species on Point Reyes
to look for include Tricolored Blackbird and American
and Pacific Golden-Plovers. Additional shorebird possibilities
include Baird's, Western, Least,
Semipalmated, Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers,
Ruff, and hopefully something Asian! First night near
Petaluma.
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2
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We will spend the morning around Bodega Bay and then head southward
with a stop at the Marin Headlands Hawk Watch where we may see a
variety of raptors including Sharp-shinned, Cooper's,
Red-tailed, and Red-shouldered Hawks, White-tailed
Kite, Prairie and Peregrine Falcons, and possibly
Golden Eagle. Second night in Petaluma.
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3
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Today will be a travel day. We will start by heading inland toward the
arid habitat south of Hollister. We'll stop at Pinnacles National Park
to search for California Thrasher, Lawrence's Goldfinch,
Nuttall's Woodpecker, Prairie Falcon, Wild
Turkey, and Lark Sparrow. Later we will look for
Yellow-billed Magpie and Swainson's Hawk in the Central
Valley and Western Bluebird and Acorn Woodpecker in the
Sierra foothills. Late afternoon and evening birding will be near the
entrance to Yosemite National Park for owls and montane species
such as Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
White-headed Woodpecker, and possibly American Dipper.
We'll do a dusk search for Great Gray Owl. Overnight in
Oakhurst.
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Great Gray Owl
--Randy Miller
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4
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The entire day will be spent birding in Yosemite looking for species
such as Sooty Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Mountain
Quail, Black-backed, White-headed, Pileated,
and Hairy Woodpeckers, Williamson's and Red-breasted
Sapsuckers, Hermit, Nashville, and MacGillivray's
Warblers, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, and
Cassin's Finch. It will be difficult to keep our eyes on the
birds, as the scenery is truly spectacular. Evening birding will be
at Mono County Park looking for Yellow-headed Blackbird,
Sora, Virginia Rail, Eared Grebe, and
Red-necked Phalarope. Overnight on the eastern side of the
Sierras in Lee Vining.
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5
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Our day will be spent birding in the sage and woodlands east of the
Sierras. We will start early with a visit to Crowley Lake for
Greater Sage-Grouse, Prairie Falcon, Sage
Thrasher, Sage and Brewer's Sparrows, and Gray
Flycatcher. A special visit will be made to Aspendell for
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. Birding in the woodlands and other
areas around Lee Vining can produce Lewis's Woodpecker,
Mountain Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Calliope
and Rufous Hummingbirds, Green-tailed Towhee, and
Pygmy Nuthatch. We'll go out in the evening to try for
owls and Common Poorwill. A second night in the same
motel in Lee Vining.
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6
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Morning birding in Yosemite will be for any species that we may have
missed. Then we head westward toward Monterey Bay with a stop en
route for Spotted Owl and any rarities that may be on
the hotline. Overnight in Watsonville.
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7
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We'll look for Tufted Puffins on our pelagic trips.
--John Puschock
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The first of our two scheduled pelagic trips will take us into
world-famous Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz. Monterey Bay is bisected
by a huge submarine canyon twice the size of the Grand Canyon. This
geography allows for rich and diverse wildlife to be viewed within a
short distance of land. Potential species include Pink-footed,
Buller's, Sooty, and Black-vented Shearwaters,
Black and Ashy Storm-Petrels, all three jaegers,
South Polar Skua, Arctic Tern, Cassin's and
Rhinoceros Auklets, and Marbled and Xantus's
Murrelets. We will hope for a rarity such as Tufted
Puffin, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Streaked,
Wedge-tailed or Manx Shearwater, Laysan
Albatross, or a tropicbird. Blue and Humpback
Whales are a distinct possibility as are four additional species
of cetaceans. We'll do some evening birding looking for
species not seen on the previous day. Our second night in
Watsonville.
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8
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We will start on the coast north of Santa Cruz with a visit to Ano
Nuevo for Black Swifts that nest in shoreline caves. We will
then turn our attention to finding passerines that may include a
variety of warblers such as Wilson's,
MacGillivray's, Townsend's, and possibly Hermit.
We'll return to the habitat that fringes Monterey Bay and look for
Snowy Plover, Baird's Sandpiper, and rocky shorebirds
such as Black Oystercatcher, Surfbird, Wandering
Tattler, and Black Turnstone. Passerine opportunities
include migrating flocks that may contain Violet-green Swallow
and Vaux's Swift. There will be owling in the evening for
those who want to stay up late. Our third night in Watsonville.
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9
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We will bird the Watsonville area on the edge of Monterey Bay with an
introduction to some of the common birds of this area including
Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's
Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked
Stilt, and American Avocet. A stop in oak woodland could
yield California Quail, Wrentit, Anna's
Hummingbird, California Towhee, Nuttall's
Woodpecker, Hutton's and Cassin's Vireos, and
Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Fourth night in Watsonville.
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10
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Today is the Monterey Seavalley pelagic, also with Shearwater
Journeys. Here are some of Debi's comments from least year's trips:
This report covers Shearwater Journeys' three spectacular sea birding
trips on Monterey Bay on Sep 9, 10, and 11. This is surely one of the
most productive times to get out to see seabirds. Birders who
participated in all three of these trips recorded nearly 35 species of
seabirds, including 12 species of tubenoses, and 12 species of marine
mammals, and enjoyed some of the best weather conditions. Highlights
were many. For three days in a row, Shearwater Journeys found the
storm-petrel flocks which included Wilson's, Fork-tailed, Ashy,
Black, and Least Storm-Petrels; one Manx Shearwater
was found on every day; Flesh-footed Shearwater was found on
two of the three days, with a high count of 10 on Sep 10th; South
Polar Skuas were found every day; and it was a grand slam on all
of the jaeger species on two of the three days; on Sep
10th, 201 jaegers were recorded, of these an astounding
152 were Pomarine Jaegers; a Short-finned Mako
Shark made a star performance; and finally, the Orca show
was just great. For the full species list for these and other pelagic
trips, click on Debi Shearwater's
web site.
Fifth and final night in Watsonville.
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11
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Today we journey southward along Highway 1 in search of California
Condors that have been released in the area. We will spend ample
time looking for this spectacular species brought back form the brink
of extinction, although we are not guaranteed of seeing them. Our
afternoon drive will take us to Ventura with additional birding stops
for migrants en route. Overnight in Taft or Ventura.
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12
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Departure for a full day trip to Santa Cruz Island for the endemic
Island Scrub-Jay and the Santa Cruz Island races of Bewick's
Wren and Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Royal Tern,
Xantus's Murrelet, and Black-vented Shearwater are
possible on the boat trip to the island, as are Blue and
Humpback Whales. Overnight near Taft or Ventura.
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13
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We will head east to southern San Joaquin County in search of Le
Conte's Thrasher and Sage Sparrow. Dependent upon our
previous findings during the tour, we may also bird Mount Pinos in
search of Calliope Hummingbird, Mountain Quail, and
Black-chinned Sparrow. If this is not necessary, we will
continue to the Los Angeles basin where we will look for Spotted
Dove, Allen's Hummingbird and, time permitting,
California Gnatcatcher. Overnight near Long Beach or Redondo
Beach.
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14
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For those doing just the regular California Tour, we'll arrive in Los
Angeles in time for departing flights from Los Angeles International
Airport.
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OR, for more California Birding Adventures,
you may continue on to
SAN DIEGO & the SALTON SEA
28 September - 2 October 2007.
See
separate itinerary
for the complete details.
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Leader:
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BIRD TREKS Complete
California Tour will be led by Jason Horn of Emmaus,
Pennsylvania. Jason is a highly experienced birder and will help you
to have a bird-filled, worry-free experience. He has led numerous
tours in Costa Rica and served as the birding guide at that country's
world famous Rancho Naturalista Lodge.
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Price:
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The tour fee is $3795, based upon double occupancy. Single
accommodations can be arranged for an extra fee of $685.
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Includes:
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Expert guide service, THREE pelagic trips, ground transportation and
entrance fees within California, ALL meals, and lodging for the
entire tour. ALL tips are also included in the tour fee, except
for anything that you may wish to give to your tour leader(s).
Does not include the cost of alcoholic beverages, items of a personal
nature, or transportation to and from San Jose or Los Angeles. Upon
request BIRD TREKS
will help you obtain the best possible airfare and coordinate your
arrival into San Jose.
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Deposit:
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A $900 deposit will assure your reservation on the tour. The balance
is due 15 July 2007. Send your deposit SOON so that we can
secure the least expensive airfare to San Jose and reserve your
spots on the pelagic trips.
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Extra
Services:
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We offer the services of our exclusive
BIRD TREKS travel agent,
Lori Heathcote, in arranging your air travel. Lori has 21 years
of experience in the travel industry and is a veteran birder. Contact
her through Bailey Travel at 1-800-224-5399, or you can e-mail
lori@baileytravel.com.
By dealing with Lori you have the security of a 24-hour toll-free
telephone number in case of any travel emergency. She can also assist
you with all pre- and post-tour travel plans.
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Refund &
Cancellation
Policy:
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With written notice more than 60 days prior to the first day of the
tour, 100% of your deposit will be refunded, minus a $75 service fee.
With 30-60 days notice, you will receive a 50% refund of the full cost
of the tour. No refund can be made with less than 30 days notice. You
will receive a full refund if you provide a replacement for your spot
on the tour.
No partial refund can be given once a tour begins.
We strongly recommend that you purchase trip
cancellation insurance to protect your investment in case of injury or
illness to you or your family prior to or during a tour. Click on the
following link to Access America or contact
BIRD TREKS for information
on obtaining this coverage.
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Robert M. Schutsky
216 Spring Lane
Peach Bottom, PA 17563
Phone: 717-548-3303
Fax: 717-548-3327
e-mail: info@birdtreks.com
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