Drakes Beach - Part Two

I have lots more photos of Drakes Beach from our trip to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, so let's get right to it...

Here's another shot of one of the loons I talked about yesterday...

 There's something so magical about having an entire beach to yourself...

Every time we go to the coast, I come back convinced that I could quit my day job to identify gulls full time. There are so many different types that I have the hardest time matching up a name to my photos. My field guide has several pages dedicated to how different the juveniles look from 1st winter to 2nd summer and so on and so forth!

 If I were a seagull, I'd definitely hang out at the beach all day, every day...

Come back tomorrow for some more of Drakes Beach!

Drakes Beach - Part One

Sometimes you just need to see the ocean. So, we hopped in the car and drove the 200 miles west until we hit the Point Reyes National Seashore. We're still enduring triple digits here in the valley and spending some time in 60 degree temps on the coast sounded absolutely divine.

We've been wanting to explore this area for a while now--and wow, was it beautiful!

Our first stop was Drakes Beach...

This is the first beach I've seen with sandstone cliffs...

The landscape was absolutely stunning, even in the early morning light...

It was 8:00 in the morning and we had the entire beach to ourselves...

In the distance, we could see huge flocks of birds (we're talking thousands) flying across the water...

At first we thought they were cormorants because of how low they sit in the water, but then we thought they might be guillemots...

And then when we got home and put the photos in our ID app, it told us they are loons!

You might remember that we had our very first loon sighting in the mountains at Lassen VNP last year. (Read that post here.) So, you can imagine how baffling it was to have our second sighting hundreds of miles away and on the beach no less.

More pics of Drakes Beach on tomorrow's post...

San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge

We made a quick stop at the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge on our way to the Point Reyes National Seashore. Next time, when we aren't in a race to beat morning rush hour traffic, we'll explore the area a little more.

Don't you just love the beautiful art at the info kiosk?

In the few minutes we were there, we saw a lot of shorebirds and wished we could stay longer!

Great Egret flying over the water

Black-bellied Plover

Off to the seashore...

White-breasted Nuthatch Sighting

Hey there and happy Hump Day!

I just wanted to post a couple more photos of the little White-breasted Nuthatch we spotted in our backyard...

I still can't believe he paid us a visit! Then again, we've seen some pretty incredible birds stop by the backyard. That bird bath we bought a million years ago sure has paid for itself several times over!

Hopefully this summer heat will loosen its grip and allow us to get out and take a cruise through our local refuges soon. Until then, we're heading to the coast on the lookout for shorebirds...

Young Mockingbird

Last month I took these photos of a juvenile Northern Mockingbird and just now found them buried in with all the bird bath photos I posted yesterday. Better late than never!

When we first saw this guy land, it took us a while to figure out just what he was because he's all spotted. I always forget there's a bunch of unusual looking birds out and about this time of year because they're newly fledged.

I just hope he doesn't hang around to sing his loud songs at five a.m. like his daddy!

Bird Bath Bonanza

I can confidently say that our backyard bird bath is the coolest spot in town! At least the birds that visit us must think so. We have seen quite a variety of birds stopping by to simply take a sip of water or indulge in a full-blown bath. Here's a little sampler of what we've been seeing when we look out the window...

(Keep in mind that the photos are a little darker than usual because we had our sliding glass door tinted to help cut the glare and keep us cooler during these sweltering triple-digit Northern California summers.)

Our favorite backyard visitor has got to be the pair of Hooded Orioles that take their regular baths in the evening...

The male is one of the most striking birds I think I've ever seen (at least in my little backyard anyway.)

(I know I've posted about him before, but he brings us so much joy that I'll find any excuse to mention him!)

The Lazuli Bunting sure is noticeable when he flies in! His beautiful turquoise head stands out among the sparrows...

We've always had a regular pair of Eurasian Collared Doves, but lately these Mourning Doves have been stopping by to see what all the fuss is about...

And finally, this last bird has to be the most incredible backyard bird sighting for us. A White-breasted Nuthatch! We've seen Red-breasted ones up in the mountains at Lassen, but to look out and see a little nuthatch in our bird bath was a real surprise...

I have been taking some video of the birds we spot in the bath, and as soon as I put it all together in my new editing program, I'll post these cute little guys in motion.

Have a wonderful week!