California part 1

Day 1
Collected car from San Francisco airport and headed north on highway 1. Sara was ill so we only stopped when she needed to puke but from the car saw some good stuff. The highlights were Black Crowned Night Heron, Red Shouldered Hawk and Snowy Egret

Day 2
Woke early and went out as soon as it was light enough, the first things I saw were tiny little Anna's Hummingbirds zipping around the flowers, Brown Pelicans fished offshore and Divers were abundant on the sea. Heading north we stopped off at Laguna point saw plenty of sea birds including Heermanns Gull. Shore birds included Black Turnstones and Oystercatcher.  Next the Avenue of the giants a drive through a spectacular forest of Redwoods.

Anna's Hummingbird

Black Oystercatcher

Redwoods

The view from the motel 

Day 3
Our only days birding started at Arcata Marsh and ended at Humbolt Bay, Arcata was good and gave up good views of lots of different birds including Peregrine, White Tailed Kite, American Bittern, and loads of ducks and waders. Humbolt bay NWR was less birdy but the spit along the Hookten road ended in a beach full of birds.

Long Billed Dowitcher

Marbled  Godwit

Birds on a wire

Western Sandpiper Dunlin and Sanderling

Day 4
Could not leave the Redwoods without another walk through them, then drove south towards our next destination the Nappa Vally . Ticked off Clarks grebe on Clear Lake and had  a walk round Anderson Marsh

Spot the blogger

Day 5
Paid $20 to walk round some petrified Giant Redwoods that were buried by a volcanic eruption 3,400,000 years ago. They were not a patch on the Lesvos ones, I felt cheated for the only time on the trip. Drove further south towards Three rivers passing 2 Golden Eagles and more Red Shouldered Hawks en route.

Golden Eagle

Red shouldered Hawk

In part 2 more big trees, bears and Newcastle brown ale




.