The Cutest Critter of the Sea

 

Down the road from Cambria is beautiful Morro Bay. Besides being a great spot for resident and wintering birds, it's home to one of the most adorable sea animals. A trip to this part of the coast would not be complete without stopping to admire them.

To be able to watch these special animals in person is magical. Whatever worries or stress you may have disappears while they do what sea otters do...

Mother sea otters are extremely attentive to their pups. Besides being fed and held, they are in top-notch condition due to hours of grooming.

They roll, they groom themselves...

They love kelp. Whether it be a place to find food like sea urchins or to use it to anchor themselves to one another or....

to the ocean floor so they can nap. 

Cheers to these gentle creatures of the sea!

This vacation just like most ended too quickly.

Happy Exploring!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Escape to the Coast

 

While the National Forests in California are closed due to the high number of wildfires, it's extremely difficult to get out and enjoy nature since Idyllwild is surrounded by the San Bernardino Forest. Fortunately, the coast is within driving distance so we escaped for a few days and found a gem, Cambria.

This small coastal town has lots of small inns across the street from the rocky Moonstone Beach. This photo taken by Dan shows the boardwalk along the beach. We woke to cool morning fog every morning but after lunch, the sun reappeared and warmed us up. It was such a nice change from hot, sunny days.

What a fun surprise to find harbor seals at the end of each day as they piled up on the shore to sleep.

When the tide was out, we walked along the beach which was full of kelp. The Black Turnstones loved this stuff. They were in constant motion flipping up the kelp looking for something tasty. It was tough getting an unblurry photo.

Just before sunset, I found one enjoying the last rays of the sun. Click. I got my photo.

It's fun to look in tidal pools for sea creatures. Sea anemones and starfish (sea stars) were the only ones that I recognized. We needed our marine biologist friend, Cathy, along with us on this trip! In the link below by National Geographic, there are some beautiful photos of unique sea stars. There are over 2000 species in oceans across the world. I found this one unique with its glowing orange design.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/starfish-1

Within 30 minutes of Cambria, you can see elephant seals on a beach, go birding in a few "hotspots" (I saw my first Chestnut-backed Chickadee! Yeah), and stop at a gorgeous spot called Ragged Point. We liked it so much, we went there twice - once covered in fog and the other time, the shoreline could be seen under the blue skies.

It was here in their garden, that I sat and waited for a hummingbird to drink from this gorgeous purple flower (Does anyone know the name?). After lots of attempts, I finally got this Anna's Hummingbird in action. Another exciting moment for me.

The highlight of the trip for me is in the next blog.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Rainy Day at the Tower

 

A new adventure awaited us. It began by flipping the tower sign to "open" before we drove up to our new home away from home on Black Mountain.

For this season, we chose to volunteer at the Black Mountain Fire Lookout Tower.

Since 2013, we scanned the mountains for smoke and fire from the tower on Tahquitz Peak but this year, we made a switch to Black Mountain.

One of the main physical differences between the two towers is that the tower on Tahquitz is an older, shorter wooden structure on an 8,846 ft peak compared to the taller metal tower at 7,772 feet on Black Mountain. 

Once inside the cab, they are essentially the same. The Osborne Firefinder is an essential component for determining the location of smoke or fire that is found within a 20-mile radius of the tower. As you can see from the window, our time at the tower included a mighty thunderstorm with heavy rain. Lightning strikes can pose a real threat to the wilderness but fortunately, there were not any impacts during this storm.

Although the two towers are in the same wilderness, the views differ. Some landmarks are familiar but there are plenty of new ones to learn.

Mountain Chickadee

Cassin's Finch

We had plenty of feathered visitors to the tower before...

...and after the rain. It's not easy being a bird!

This was my favorite moment as the sun was setting.

I love rewatching the rainy weather! It's such a welcome sight in the mountains!

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Hidden in Sight- Part 2: A Mesmerizing Moth

 

Despite a snowy winter, the San Jacinto Mountains like most places in the west are once again in drought conditions. With little rainfall this year, there are fewer blooming flowers. So what do you do if you are a nectaring insect? Search for a blooming patch!

Coronis Fritillary

With fewer food and nectar plants available, there are fewer caterpillars and adult butterflies. While the birds are keeping a low profile since they are busy feeding and protecting chicks, I have been looking for other signs of life. I have no trouble finding lizards these days but I've seen very few butterflies. The other day I finally spotted a variety of winged beauties when I found a patch of purple flowers - mustang mint and southern mountain wooly stars.

Monarch

While I was trying to get photos of other butterflies, this monarch surprised me with a brief landing.

This is one of the few sightings of monarchs that I have seen this season despite all of the healthy milkweed plants that are growing.

Joba Skipper

The wooly star flower was the magnet for the majority of butterflies that I found on this trail.

Although the butterfly population seems lower than normal, the bees seem to be doing pretty well. When I saw this insect, I thought it was a bee until I started watching it carefully.

The first noticeable difference is that this "bee" didn't land on the flowers. Rather, it hovered in place and flew from one flower to another like a "hummingbird".

Then I noticed that it had a proboscis for slurping up nectar. Definitely not a bee! So what is this hummingbird/bee insect?? It is officially called a Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) but it's nickname is "Hummingbird Moth". Watching this moth and trying to figure out what it was mesmerized me. Because I stood here so long trying to get a decent photo of this moth in constant motion, a well-meaning passerby asked if I was okay. ha

Hedgerow Hairstreak

My morning of unexpected "butterflying" ended with this hairstreak. Did you know they have hairlike projections off of their hindwings to trick predators into going after them instead of their head/antennae area to live another day? 

My latest unsolved mystery is why this beautiful unidentified dragonfly returns to our yard and lands on this pipe.....If you know the answer or know the ID of this beauty, let me know! 

A special thanks to Bruce, our local expert, for the butterfly identification.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Hidden in Sight - Part 1: Nesters

Discovering bird nests is tricky. Birds, of course, want to keep their presence hidden for the protection of their eggs and chicks. Whenever I am lucky enough to find one, I keep my distance and use a zoom lens or binoculars for observation so the parent birds don't get nervous and delay feeding their chicks.

The female Bullock's Oriole flew in head first while I was admiring this unique hanging woven nest. 

Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii) Female

Luck was on my side during this hike at Hurkey Creek. Two nests in one day!

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

This hawk looked almost ready to take care of itself. I'm sure it's out of the nest since I spotted it a few weeks ago.

Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

These swallows nest in Garner Valley where they can find mud and either a shelter or bridge to build their nests as a colony. When I was here, they seemed to be in various stages. Some were still building nests while others were feeding their chicks. 

Cliff Swallows in Action

During these hot summer days, remember birds and other wildlife greatly benefit from a dish of clean water. Drippers are especially attractive to birds. Enjoy the birds! It won't be long before the summer visitors head south once again. Once that happens, you'll have to wait another year before they return.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and Content by Robin Roberts

Sedona - Red Rock Country

 

Sedona is famous for many things but the red rocks that surround the city are the most obvious.

When you drive into town, unless you've been there numerous times, you will be forced to pull over on the side of the road and start taking photos. They are magnetic.

If you are lucky enough to be with someone who lives here, they can educate you on the names of some of these iconic formations. The formation above is "Coffee Pot". Below, "Shark Tooth" and "Steamboat". Although many have the honor of being named, there are plenty of these beautiful formations that are waiting to be named. The tricky part is that these rocks look different from various places in town so it takes a while to learn their names.

The challenge with living in a beautiful place is that much of the world wants to come to visit. Those of us living in Idyllwild know about that situation. We are proud of our town and love our mountains and we don't mind sharing but when we can't find a parking spot for our own hiking trails or visitors trash the trails or worse, start illegal campfires, we aren't so welcoming. Sedona's situation is magnified.

So how do you cope with the influx of people when you want to get out and enjoy nature? For me, I try to find less-known places to get out. They may not be magnificent like the popular spots, but they are peaceful and rewarding in a different way. During my visit, I was introduced to two special places that have water which is inviting to...birds. Yeah! Dead Horse Ranch State Park and Bubbling Springs are two birding hotspots that are not heavily visited by humans but they have lots of birds.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

This masked warbler found the ponds with surrounding vegetation perfect for him.

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)

Idyllwild is home to this neotropical migrant in the summer just like Sedona.

Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)

However, it would be rare for us to see its cousin in our mountains.

I'm hoping to get these lizards identified by someone more knowledgeable than me! Idyllwild and Sedona both share being lizard country. Our backyard in Idyllwild is a haven for four species of lizards. If you haven't spent much time watching lizards, it's really a fun thing to do. They have a lot of personality. Just like with birding, binoculars help you see their details and their behavior.

I'm usually looking for nature spots to explore but visiting museums can be extremely enlightening about a place.

We found this copper art museum in nearby Clarkdale which is a previous copper mining town.

This museum covers lots of information including historical facts like the ones listed above.

There are numerous rooms filled with beautiful pieces. Imagine scuba diving with a copper helmet? Did you know that wine is made with copper?

One of the biggest surprises to me was a room filled with "Trench Artwork". I was surprised at my ignorance about the fact that during WW1, soldiers created artwork while stationed abroad. These beautiful pieces were created from artillery canister shells abandoned on battlefields. This museum has so much to offer. I highly recommend taking a side trip to Clarkdale if you find yourself in Sedona. While you are there, go to Violette's Caboose for lunch. You won't be disappointed!

Happy Memorial Day!

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Click on photos to enlarge.