Central Coast Excursion

Mt. Clef Regional Open Space

Recently, Danette and I had a chance to spend a little time on the Central Coast in the Los Osos area. With all the hills in California displaying the lovely green color of early spring it seemed that everywhere I looked I was treated to beautiful views and spectacular scenery. During our time there we took a day trip down to Ventura to try and see a couple of King Eiders who have been present at the pier there. We had a fun day of it, enjoying the scenery a visiting Ventura.

Eiders are sea ducks that are usually found in the high latitude coastal waters of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia. They are well known for their spectacular plumages during breeding season and when they are seen on the Pacific Coast it is usually during the winter when they are much more drab and non-descript. When I was in Alaska in 1990 I did see a Common Eider in its breeding plumage and it was indeed a sight to see. That has been my only eider sighting over the years so this was a chance to add another bird to my life list. The Ventura Pier had been damaged in the recent storms so we were unable to walk out on it to look for the eiders. However, after scoping the area from the beach for just a few minutes we found them in the company of a Western Grebe. The weather was so pleasant that it wasn't difficult to see why they had chosen to spend their winter there.

King Eiders & A Western Grebe

We enjoyed an excellent breakfast in Ventura and since we had some time on our hands we took a long shot to try and see another bird I had yet to add to my list. The California Gnatcatcher is a local resident of the coastal sage scrub of Southwestern and Baja California and is now threatened due to development. At the extreme northern end of its range there is a small part of Ventura County where it can be seen, Mt. Clef Regional Open Space. After a few GPS failures we managed to find this area on the hill behind California Lutheran University. It was pretty windy and I really didn't think we had much of a chance but we took the walk to the top anyway to take in the view. Much to my surprise, about halfway up several Gnatcatchers showed themselves. They were very active and difficult to photograph but they gave us good looks and showed enough of their tails to confirm that they were California. I think Danette is my good luck charm as that gave me two life birds in one day!

Thanks to Danette's friend Judy for letting us stay at her place in Los Osos. I look forward to visiting this area again soon.

California Gnatcatcher