Introduction
In early February 2009, Sarah and I left a cold and wintry England for a three week American road trip covering over 4,000 miles and five US States. While wildlife watching wasn’t the only aim of the holiday, we certainly dedicated a large amount of time looking for mammals, birds and reptiles. With the exception of the latter (it was winter after all), I was highly delighted with what we managed to see, including several endemics and locally occurring species.
We flew with British Airways from London Heathrow and I was very happy with the level of service they provided. Our luggage allowance was generous enough to accommodate Sarah’s photography equipment, my scope, countless field guides, a spotlight and above all, Sarah’s cosmetics and shoes! No mean feat.
A short connecting flight was made on our return journey with US Airways between El Paso and Phoenix. Again the service was good, especially as they didn’t charge us for our extra luggage even though we had double the airline’s allowance!
We hired a compact SUV (Toyota Highlander) through Alamo. This was the third time we have used this company as they have always proved less expensive or more convenient than their competitors. They are not particularly good but their vehicles have never let us down. We also hired a rather pricey satellite navigation device that did prove very useful, especially around cities.
Fuel was cheap although every American I spoke to complained about the escalating prices. Throughout the trip I continuously over estimated how many dollars worth of fuel the car would take at the pre-pay petrol stations.
Accommodation wise we stayed in a wide selection of hotels, ranging from Travelodges and Holiday Inns, to more supposedly luxurious hotels with above average nightly rates. Higher prices didn’t always equate to better quality and service! The budget hotels were all clean and perfectly adequate for a good night's sleep.
All our accommodation was pre-booked ensuring we kept to our carefully planned itinerary at all times.
As with accommodation, we ate at a wide range of restaurants. Ihop was a popular breakfast/brunch stop although this company is largely responsible for my bulging waste line at the end of the holiday. Various fast food places (especially Mexican) kept us filled up on the road, although we tried to eat at least one decent meal a day. This was easier to do in the cities, although some surprisingly adequate restaurants can be found in the national parks.
While the constant driving and nomadic nature of our holiday caused few problems, it did mean on many occasions we had to visit places en route with all our possessions in the car. While we made sure passports, money etc. were on our person at all times, inevitably some things of value had to be left in our vehicle. At such times we always parked in areas with lots of activity and made sure we didn’t leave the car alone for long periods of time.
Part 1: California and Nevada
The first week of our holiday was spent on the western seaboard of the USA in northern California, followed by a couple of nights in Las Vegas. Compared with later in the trip, a relatively small amount of time was dedicated to wildlife watching although I did make an effort to see as many marine mammals and seabirds as possible. Ideally we would have spent more time exploring the forests of California and seeking the speciality birds of the area but with time at a premium we had to leave the majority of places for next time.
Day 1 (February 10) - San Francisco
After a rather uneventful flight we arrived at San Francisco airport in the middle of the afternoon to find the weather much better than forecast. Going through US Customs we were delayed somewhat by problems with Sarah’s online visa waiver which meant she was ‘interrogated’ by burly Immigration Officers in a scruffy interview room before they realised she wasn’t a threat to homeland security. To cut a long story short, when filling in your online visa waiver don’t make any mistakes! Not only will your first application be rejected, but when you reapply, your initial error will be noted and questioned when you enter the US.
For the first three nights of our holiday we were based in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco, about five minutes walk from the bay. In a city with such good public transport, it seemed pointless to pay for a hire car until we needed one. More to the point, many city hotels charge astronomical car parking fees! As a result we took advantage of the free bus service to our accommodation and I welcomed the chance to sit back and let someone else do the driving.
Almost instantly I started birding from the bus, first noting a small flock of untidy looking feral Rock Doves sat on the roof of the terminal building. Not the start I wanted, but a trip tick all the same.
As soon as the bus left the airport I started to see large numbers of Western Gulls. This species was my first lifer of the holiday and turned out to be one of the most numerous seabirds in San Francisco.
Our journey continued and as we stopped in a brief traffic jam next to the bay, I saw a large raft of waterfowl which close scrutiny revealed as Greater Scaup. A couple of American Crows were also noted before we reached the hotel.
After checking in and unloading our gear, we decided to take a quick walk to explore our surroundings and get some dinner. As we strolled along the seafront a Starling flew over our heads. Among the Western Gulls I was delighted to find a couple of Heermann’s Gulls, including a stunning adult bird.
Moving on, I made a beeline towards Pier 39, attracted by both the sound of sea lions and by the enticing smell of the many restaurants. The California Sea Lions were hard to miss as they lounged around the floating platforms, barking to each other and occasionally taking to the water. A couple of Clarke’s Grebes were silhouetted in the fading light, whilst the islet of Alcatraz loomed in the distance. As I looked left towards the Golden Gate Bridge I was overtaken by that surreal feeling that comes on the first day of any foreign holiday. My stomach rumbled as we headed to a nearby seafood restaurant for a delicious dinner.
Walking back to our hotel we paused to watch a House Mouse as it fed off food scraps underneath a popcorn machine.
Day 2 (February 11) - Fisherman’s Wharf / San Francisco City Tour
After a leisurely breakfast, Sarah and I decided to revisit Pier 39 to try and photograph the sea lions. A single Western Grebe (below) had joined the Clarke’s Grebes while a couple of Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants were out at sea.
As we walked through the shopping arcade I spotted the obligatory House Sparrows together with a male Brewer’s Blackbird. Both species taking advantage of the abundant discarded fast food, as the mouse had done the night before.
Sarah and I continued our walk going east towards the piers of Aquatic Park. Mew and Herring Gull were added to the list, together with some Common Loons and a solitary Red-breasted Merganser. Among the Western Gulls that lined the pier wall I was happy to catch up with one of my easier targets. Having missed a recent vagrant in the North East of England, I was particularly interested in seeing a Glaucous-winged Gull, and the first winter in front of me looked especially pleasing. Unfortunately Sarah didn’t share my enthusiasm as she doesn’t like gulls!
By this time the sky had gone from various shades of grey to jet black so we decided to head back to our hotel to get our coats. Not far from the Aquatic Park harbour we passed an area of grass and shrubs which was bordered at the rear by a very large wall, presumably belonging to a private garden.
Against my better judgement I reached for my binoculars and had soon identified both White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows feeding in the grass. A flock of American Goldfinch flew into a nearby tree, closely followed by a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and then an American Robin.
Not knowing where to look next I spied a couple of Hermit Thrushes grubbing around in the leaf litter while a ‘bloody massive’ bumble bee turned out to be an Anna’s Hummingbird.
Amazingly Sarah seemed as happy as me to forget our coats and watch the birds. She soon had her camera out chasing the hummingbird as it flitted between the trees.
In my excitement I barely registered the nearby fishermen hastily collecting up their belongings and throwing them into the back of pick-up trucks. I also took little notice of the mother - child under each arm - running towards her super sized 4x4 while continuously glancing up at the sky.
I was following a rather interesting Ruby-crowned Kinglet with my bins when I felt a particularly large and cold rain drop hit the back of my neck. A second later the heavens opened up and it rained like hell!
We spent the next few hours drying off in a nearby diner before opting to take a trolley tour of the city sights. This turned out to be a good move, as not only did we see and learn a great deal about the city of San Francisco, but I also managed to spy some good potential birding locations for the next day.
Day 3 (February 12) - Crissy Field Pond
The sun made a welcomed appearance for our last full day in San Francisco so we decided to take a walk to the pond at Crissy Field - an area that looked particularly interesting from the previous day’s trolley tour.
A Cooper’s Hawk over Aquatic Park was our first new bird, although views were brief and distant. While walking up McDowell Road and through the park we saw several Anna's Hummingbirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and also a group of very noisy Rose-ringed Parakeets.
Once down the hill at the other side we walked along the marina in the company of large flocks of Brewer’s Blackbirds and Ring-billed Gulls. We stopped to watch a Harbour Seal as it swam between the boats and noted our first Eared Grebe a couple of minutes later.
It seemed the sunshine had brought out every fitness fanatic in California. Buff, lycra clad personal trainers overworking their clients provided ample entertainment between the wildlife, although I must admit to feeling extremely fat and unfit in their company (especially after my ‘all you can eat’ pancake breakfast!)
We reached Crissy Pond to find many of the birds I had spotted from the trolley ride, although my views were now good enough to identify them with confidence.
A single Long-billed Curlew worked a mudflat while a group of Least Sandpiper seemed to prefer the rocky area near a bridge. Snowy Egrets patrolled the marsh fringe and the odd Anna’s Hummingbird flitted between shrubs and trees.
Good numbers of waterfowl included both Ruddy Duck and Bufflehead. Lesser Scaup were also present, as were American Coot and the odd Pied-billed Grebe.
After watching the birds for a good while, we retired to the visitor centre for a well earned drink. A Black Phoebe hunted flies from a nearby perch, paying little attention to the nearby joggers and dog walkers. I couldn’t help grinning to myself as I bit into my chocolate muffin while watching California’s fitness elite run past.
While walking back to Fisherman’s Wharf we took a slight detour past the Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium. The surrounding parkland held Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robins and Anna’s Hummingbirds, while a pond was home to good numbers of Ring-necked Ducks and Mute Swans.
Heading back to our hotel we soon passed the grassy area where we found many of yesterday’s birds together with a rather showy Northern Flicker.
The sun was still shining when we made our way across Aquatic Park, noting a Great Blue Heron as it flew overhead. Unfortunately the early afternoon was somewhat spoilt by our next wildlife encounter. A shrieking noise alerted us to a Clarke’s Grebe that had somehow ended up on the beach and was subject to repeated attack by a couple of Western Gulls. Not knowing if I should intervene and save the bird, or let nature take it’s course, I stood almost as helpless as the grebe. A moment later I was saved making the decision when two more gulls flew down and killed the poor bird in a couple of seconds.
It amazed me how the majority of people walked past the spectacle, totally oblivious to the dark turn of events taking place a couple of metres away. The experience certainly left me thinking whether I should have ended the Grebe’s misery before the gulls did.
The rest of the day was spent shopping and eating.
Day 4 (February 13) - Journey South to Monterey
We picked up our hire car as early as we could and headed south towards the Pacifica Highway. Unfortunately after a couple of minutes we realised our sat-nav wasn’t working and had to make our way back to the Alamo depot using… God forbid… a map!
Second time lucky we hit the highway with the sun shining and the rest of our holiday in front of us. Although I enjoyed San Francisco I wasn’t sorry to leave it behind, instead I looked forward to what Monterey had to offer. A couple of Red-tailed Hawks soared high on the morning thermals as we left the city and entered some really stunning countryside.
Our first port of call on our relatively short journey was the state park at Half Moon Bay. A quick walk on the beach revealed nothing but a small group of Sanderling, at which point the sun disappeared and the wind picked up blowing sand in our faces.
As we neared the car Sarah spotted a large bird of prey which turned out to be a ringtail Northern Harrier. As the bird quartered the sand dunes it almost came within touching distance on several occasions. Naturally Sarah didn’t have the right lens on her camera to take a decent photo. We saw Northern Harriers at least a couple of times a day for the rest of our holiday, although none were anywhere near as obliging as this bird.
On the spare of the moment we decided to drive back up the coast several miles to Pillar Point, where according to my guide, we should see some birds. As we left Half Moon Bay an American kestrel on telegraph pole was the first of our trip.
The sun had reappeared as we pulled into the small car park at the point. While Sarah sorted her camera, I birded the adjacent marsh first noting a Song Sparrow (below) singing from an area of brush and then some White-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground.
Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons hunted in the reeds, together with a Belted Kingfisher which hovered above them. I was momentarily distracted by the honking of some flyover Common Ravens, and when I looked back the kingfisher had been replaced with a White-tailed Kite.
Sarah was finally ready and we headed down the path to the harbour where we added Willet to our trip list along with some rather fine looking Surf Scoters (below). Sanderling, Bufflehead and Eared Grebe were also present in good numbers.
As we headed towards the rocky area at the end of the point we crossed paths with a local birder who cheerfully informed us of what was about on the rocks. He also pointed out the huge black cloud had crept up behind us and suggested we turn back to avoid a soaking.
The complete drenching we received days earlier was still fresh in my mind, but at the same time I knew at least one lifer lay in waiting about half a mile away. Time was quickly running out so I made a decision I never, ever make lightly - I decided to run like hell!
I reached the point seriously out of breath as the first rain drops started to fall and quickly picked out the birds, first noting a single Marbled Godwit followed by a group Black-bellied Plover and then my target Black Turnstones. The birder had not seen any Black Oystercatchers so I was pleasantly surprised to see a small party foraging on the rocks not too far away.
At this point the rain was getting heavier so I abandoned any hope of Surfbirds and ran back to the car literately seconds before the drizzle turned into a torrential downpour. It rained for the majority of the drive down to Monterey, where we arrived in the last few minutes of daylight.
Day 5 (February 14) - Monterey Whale Watch
Today was the day of our whale watch so we arrived at the wharf in good time. We checked in with Monterey Bay Whale Watch who gave us some disappointing news. Firstly, the usual captain who is a keen birder was on vacation, so I wouldn’t receive any assistance identifying any tricky seabird species. Secondly, conditions out of the bay were bad enough to have cancelled the earlier ‘breakfast trip’ although they had calmed down enough to sail now.
While waiting for the boat to depart I spotted my first Sea Otter in the harbour mouth, together with California Sea Lions, various grebes, a Common Loon, Brown Pelicans and some Brandt’s Cormorants. As we boarded the boat Sarah realised her camera battery had not charged properly, much to her disappointment.
As we left the harbour we saw some Surf Scoters and what looked like a distant Red-throated Loon, and before we had even left the bay our captain had spotted our first Grey Whale. A mini stampede followed as everyone wanted a better view. Fortunately the whale gave fairly decent, albeit brief views, before our boat left it in peace to continue its migration.
By this point the waves started to get higher and people started to turn green. Despite living by the sea most of my life I haven’t got the best sea legs, however I was quietly confident my sea sickness tablets would see me through.
Small flocks of Common Murre started to appear by the boat, while Western Gulls and Black-legged Kittiwakes flew overhead. I thought I saw a Rhinoceros Auklet fly up from the front of the boat but was unable to clinch the identification much to my own annoyance. Looking in the field guide this species seems so distinctive, but from my brief view I couldn’t be sure.
Two more Grey Whales were found by our boat and I saw both of them reasonably well. By the third whale most of the passengers had retired to the cabin, the majority looking bored and rather sea sick. I wasn’t feeling too good myself but still pressed on keen for some different cetaceans or seabirds. A Northern Fulmar increased my interest as did the occasional Sea Lion, however, by the time the captain called out ‘Manx Shearwater’ I was very close to loosing my breakfast! Needless to say I didn’t see the shearwater.
We returned to dry land a short while later having seen nothing else of note. I was disappointed not to have seen much cetacean or bird diversity, but at the same time I was grateful for the three Grey Whale sightings. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Monterey Bay Whale Watch to anyone as I was very impressed with the level of service they provided. It was just unfortunate that the conditions were far from ideal for spotting dolphins and porpoises.
A short walk along the wharf settled our stomachs enough to try some lunch at a local Italian Seafood Restaurant where the fried shrimp in hot Buffalo sauce was exceptional. We then decided to explore the Monterey Peninsula, in particular Asilomar State Beach which is supposed to be a good place to look Wandering Tattler and Surfbird.
At Point Pinos, en route to the park, we stopped by the golf coarse to inspect Crespi Pond. Taking care not to get hit by a golf ball I scanned the dense reeds and quickly found several Black-crowned Night-herons. A Common Yellowthroat caught my eye and I soon noticed a Snow Goose feeding alongside some Canada Geese, Mallards and American Coots.
Knowing the pond can be good for rails in winter I decided to investigate the various squeals coming from the reed bed. As I peered through a gap in the reeds I was amazed to see a Sora boldly march out into view and proceed to forage on a patch of mud. I stood in silence daring not to move as the bird pecked the ground about a metre away. Birding doesn’t get much better than this I thought to myself, just as a Virginia Rail walked passed the Sora!
Record shot of Sora.
Unfortunately I had to move away moments later as some golfers appeared from over the brow of the hill. Feeling very smug with myself I joined Sarah in the car and headed further down the road to Asilomar State Beach.
The beach was busy with walkers but we still managed to see several bird species including Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, a Whimbrel, California Gulls and some Canada Geese. While scanning the sea I spotted a couple of Sea Otters drifting towards the surf while feeding and grooming.
Sarah and I spent the next hour or so watching these delightful animals and before we realised, the afternoon was nearly over.
Part of me wanted to continue the search for Tattlers and Surfbirds, however having seen so much already we opted to sit down and watch the sunset instead.
Several Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Black Phoebe were amusing to watch as they chased sand-hoppers along the shoreline.
Day 6 (February 15) - Pinnacles National Monument
On our last full day in California we decided to spend the afternoon at the Pinnacles National Monument in an effort to see some woodland bird species. Yellow-billed Magpie was my only real target, although I was eager to see any wildlife that I wouldn’t encounter later in my travels.
Unsurprisingly the weather worsened as soon as we started our journey towards the monument, with rain and high winds in accordance to the local forecast. A Turkey Vulture was seen close to Monterey, along with countless Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels as we headed east. We decided to visit the east side of the park for a couple of reasons despite the greater distance involved. The prospect of Yellow-billed Magpie was one of these reasons and our decision paid off before we had even reached the park when two birds were seen feeding alongside the CA25.
We reached the monument in a light drizzle to find we were practically the only visitors in the car park. The ranger advised us not to wander too far as a rather bad storm was forecast for later in the afternoon. With this in mind we set off along a nearby trail carefully listening for signs of birds. Unfortunately the high wind made it very difficult to hear each other, never mind anything else. As the rain increased we walked back towards the car having only seen one bird of note- an Oak Titmouse.
Just as we were about to give up the rain stopped and the wind dropped significantly. Almost immediately the forest sprang into life. California Towhees appeared around our feet while Acorn Woodpeckers (below) flitted between the trees. A single White-breasted Nuthatch called from a nearby tree trunk before climbing head-down in characteristic nuthatch fashion.
My attention was then drawn to a chirping sound that seemed to be coming from a pile of rocks. I watched the rocks through my bins and out popped a California Ground Squirrel much to my delight. This was more like it.
A longer walk up a different trail produced more birds including Lesser Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, Common Raven and a noisy Western Scrub-jay. While returning to the car we found fresh Coyote scat on the path which was interesting, while two Mule Deer were seen as we drove out of the park.
Although I’m sure we missed many bird species I was happy with how our afternoon had eventually turned out. The weather wasn’t as bad as forecast after all, and I added several endemic or locally occurring species to our trip list.
Day 7 (February 16) - Drive to Las Vegas
The drive to Las Vegas was the longest on our trip so we checked out of our hotel early and headed south on Highway 1. This particular road boasts breathtaking scenery, but is also incredibly slow due to the many sharp bends as the road hugs the coastline. Heavy rain the previous night had also caused several landslides, including one that had closed part of the road.
Early in the journey a California Thrasher was seen sat on top of a roadside bush, although I was unable to stop for better views. Luckily we saw a couple more birds further down the coast, including one which posed for a photo.
Turkey Vultures and the other common birds of prey kept me amused as we made our way to Piedras Blancas where we spent half an hour observing the impressive breeding colony of Northern Elephant Seals. Among the huge loafing adults were many pups begging the question how an animal so little and cute could turn into something so fat and ugly!
Glaucous-winged Gulls provided avian interest although to be honest I spent most of my time watching the seals. Western Meadowlark and Great Egret were seen from the highway near to Piedras Blancas.
Reluctantly we left the seals and continued pretty much non-stop to Nevada. The journey produced little wildlife, apart from the usual raptors. A Cooper’s Hawk over Taco Bell in the town of Paso Robles was probably the highlight.
For the rest of the long drive we endured heavy rain, hail stones and even snow on the high ground. With so much distance to cover we were unable to take any diversions no matter how tempting they looked. Many hours later, as darkness fell, we saw the bright lights of Vegas and before we knew it we were exploring the casino of our hotel.
Day 8 (February 17) - Las Vegas
It goes without saying that we didn’t see much wildlife in Las Vegas, at least not the type I was looking for. Great-tailed Grackle was the only new bird, with Rock Doves, Starling, House Sparrows and Mallard also seen around the city.
Day 9 (February 18) - Arizona bound
After a day almost devoid of wildlife I was eager to leave Vegas and get to the Grand Canyon National Park before sunset. However we departed later than planned and drove straight to the Hoover Dam where we admired the scenery while stretching our legs. A single Aechmophorus grebe was a speck on the water below the dam almost tempting me to set up my scope. However, time was at a premium so we returned to the car and continued our drive to the Grand Canyon.
Part 2. Arizona and New Mexico