When I was living in the Santa Cruz mountains I saw 5 owl species in the 13 years I was birding in the Monterey Bay area. They were the Northern Pygmy (seen 3 times at my home), Great Horned, Short-eared, Barn (seen twice) and Burrowing Owls (seen 3 times). Since we bought our new home off Mt Rose Hwy in Reno, NV last October 2015 I have seen 5 species.
My move to the Reno Nevada area has been a big change but one of the things that was a little unexpected was seeing birds in there breeding plumage. In Santa Cruz the Horned Grebes are winter birds and we only see them in their basic plumage.
There has been a battle between my Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Steller's Jays for many years at my Santa Cruz home. The Steller's bully the Sharpie but if a Cooper's Hawk arrives there is complete silence.
There are eight pelican species in the world and in Santa Cruz we have two: the American White and Brown Pelican. There's something about the pelican. Large bird that is kind of homely and goofy but one of the most graceful birds in flight and when diving for food.
There are people that like cities and the rush of the humanity but I like the places that gets me close to nature. Baldwin Creek and 4mi Beach is such a place for me. This is where Baldwin Creek meets the ocean and it's about 4 miles north of Santa Cruz, CA. This area is know for being a gull roosting spot with at time 5000 or more on the beach.
