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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 1284210" data-attributes="member: 12449">With success at Pinnacles, I neede to begin my return to the coast - next day would be my first pelagic - so tootled back down the valley, then began an amble broadly towards Monterey, but with plenty of diversions here and there, the best being a small reservoir with White Pelicans, Pied-billed Grebes and assorted wildfowl and, even better, a 20 mile excursion up a windy road through hot arid hillsides sporting a good cover of oaks. Lots of good stops aong this road - the first amongst many moments of potential confuson with the umpteen sparrow species, though this afternoon's pair were fairly straightforward - just Lark and Song Sparrows. Red-tailed Hawks circled, no hoped-for Golden Eagles, but far better, a stunning fly-by Prarie Falcon. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker was further north than I expected, Oak Titmice were just plain pleasant and, best of the afternoon, relatives of waxwings, three super male Phainopepeas fed on berries at one raodside stop. Glad I only saw them and had to write their name, pronouncing it might be more problematic!Then onward to the coast - Savannah Sparrow added, a quick jaunt on Highway One also producing Black Oystercatcher, oodles of Brown Pelicans pretending to be fighter-bomber squads and the first of two billion Western Gulls, fortunately punctuated with fair regularity by the most attractive of its cousins, Heerman's Gulls. Evening approached, I had a 5 a.m start next day, so decided upon the luxury of a motel that night, day one finished, California was beginning to impress me.</blockquote>

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