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Daily Bucket - Cruising the Pacific Coast Highway along the Sonoma Coast [1]

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Date: 2022-08-17

Offshore rocks all along the coast provide a safe haven for thousands of birds

It’s so hot (108 degrees here in Sacramento), I thought I’d cool off reminiscing about a trip to the ocean last year.

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It was another 100+ degree day when Mr. Birdbrain and I decided to take off for the coast. After three hours we hit the coast at Bodega Bay known for being the infamous setting of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. The temperature was a much cooler 68-70 degrees with a slight cool ocean breeze.

We went up to the Bodega Headlands where we could view the ocean and and get an eagle eye view of the offshore rookeries.

Brandt’s Cormorant Rookery — the juveniles have grey down feathers on their head and wings

Western gulls — note the first year all black plumage including the feet

As we headed back to our car we saw some other Headland residents.

Mule deer at the parking lot

Adult Western Gulls

Juvenile Western Gulls bob on Bodega Bay waters

Leaving Bodega Bay, we cruise north along the PCH which hugs the coast high above the beaches for more than 100 miles before turning inland and ending at the town of Leggett. Every few miles there are turnouts, vista points and access roads to take you down to the beaches.

At one of these turnouts, I see some folks with a scope. So I wandered over to check it out. It was a couple of volunteers from a local conservancy group doing a bird count on the cormorants. These particular rocks housed nesting sites for all 3 species of cormorants found along this section of the coast.

The Double Crested Cormorants took the highest spot, the Brandts congregated on the next slightly shorter rock, and the Pelagic nested on the steep sides of both rocks.

Double Crested had the highest and most level spot and best view

This rock was shorter and not as flat, but it had plenty of room for the Brandts

Pelagic Cormorants perch on the craggy sides of the rocks. Note the nest on the right side.

We stopped at a couple of more turnouts along the way and this is what we saw:

A bumble bee on a flower

Gulls, cormorants and pelicans safely congregating on one of the many outcroppings

A Harbor Seal rests on a mussel encrusted boulder

Tidal pools teeming with mussels and sea vegetation appear at low tide

Waves crash against the rocks creating dramatic sprays

Black Oystercatchers

We ended up at Goat Rock State Beach where the Russian River empties into the Pacific at the north edge of the park. We picnicked near the sand dunes but stayed far from the water edge:

First time I have seen a sign like this

Ring Bill and Western Gulls stay well above the dangerous surf

A juvenile White Crowned Sparrow has almost completed molting into adult plumage

Brewer’s Blackbird hanging out near the disabled parking spot

Common murres and cormorants

Orange Sea Star left high and dry by an unusually low tide

Purple Sea Star wrapped around kelp

Long grasses anchor the dunes. The Russian River empties into the Pacific under the bluffs in the background.

The day ends with a gull flying by a glorious sunset

The heat is on and we are staying inside. It’s still more than 90 degrees at 10 pm.

What’s up in your neck of the woods?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/17/2117117/-Daily-Bucket-Cruising-the-Pacific-Coast-Highway-along-the-Sonoma-Coast

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