After seeing a couple rare birds reported that I need to add to my life list I headed for the coast and that is way out of my 5 mile radius.
walkway to get to the Jetty and North Beach
Huntington Beach State Park. I totally forget to get a shot of the entrance sign and couldn't find one online either... It was thundering and a shower of rain had just stopped upon my arrival. I left home about 6:30 am and it's 129 mile drive. So it was about 9:30 once I entered the park, found a spot in the parking lot, used the restroom and readied my small pack for the walk down to the Jetty. It is a 1.5 miles hike one way down the beach to the Jetty...
Finally I got to the Jetty the thunder drew closer but I got lucky and the rain never came...the wind did pick up and it was pretty breezy! Happy about that it made it feel much cooler.
At the infinity point the jetty turns left and that is my destination...so altogether the walk is about 2 1/2 miles to get there. And this is the there Im referring to...this cove and the surrounding area is shore bird nesting area
This little spit of sand is the perfect spot for terns, since they have small webbed feet they don't really go swimming, they dive, and take off right back to flight. They do stand in shallow water.
A black tern had been reported and I had hopes of seeing it...I checked this large mixed flock...no black. But I had royal, sandwich, least, common, and lots of confusing juveniles!
Mostly royal terns here with Black Skimmers and a few others mixed in...
royal terns on the wing
Least Tern
Juvenile least tern
I listed only 1 common, since this is the only adult I found, I think that one standing behind is an immature but Im not sure so the adult Common Tern is center front...
And one of my favorite terns the Sandwich Tern
The Black was seen the next day there is only one and he just was not with the majority the day I visited...so I guess a second visit? Lots of Semipalmated Plover walked down the beach..and they were hanging in the nesting area that is fenced off.
And another target bird for me, and a LIFER this plover has eluded me over and over, but not this time!
The Wilson's Plover! And not just one but quite a few of them and the bonus---->
with CHICKS...
Adorable!
This cove has a rounded shape...so I keep going around the curve and found some Ruddy Turnstone picking through the beach "goodies".
over a small rise to this shallow pool...lots of small shell here.
And I still don't know what this immature tern will be when he grows up! What's your best guess...It is a medium sized tern. This time of year is very challenging to ID gulls, terns, sparrows, and heck nearly all the new arrivals don't look quite like they should yet!
I'm going to split this post it's way too long, stay tuned for part II.
PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.
