Archive for the ‘Eureka’ Category

Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

cedar_waxwing_w_berry

I’m back in California where gas is 30 cents more a gallon and state park campgrounds are $35 a night. First stopped in Eureka to visit the nearby Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary. It is amazing how many visitors this water treatment facility gets. Students from Humboldt University study it, there are joggers and walkers with children and/or dogs, bird watchers, and a few winos.

Was pleased to see a hundred or so cedar waxwings (picture above). There are berry bushes all along the walkways, full of berries, which they appreciated. Also saw around 25 night herons. They were hidden in the brush and too far away to get a good picture of.

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Red-shouldered hawk seen two days in a row.

Was pleased to see the birds pictured below in some woods outside my trailer at the Eureka Fairgrounds rv park: A downy woodpecker, a black-capped chickadee, and a brown creeper. It is the first brown creeper I’ve seen.

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black-capped_chickadee

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Posted in Arcata, brown creeper, cedar waxwing, chickadee, Eureka, hawk, woodpecker | Comments Off

Eureka

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

I came to Eureka to see the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge. Noticed a lot of egrets and saw that there was a rookery across the road from the refuge on private property in a grove of tall trees. The egrets are going to the refuge for food and water and then flying back to the trees with one twig. It will take a lot of trips to make a nest at that rate. There was constant traffic to and from the rookery. I walked up to the trees, but you can’t see much, the egrets are so high up. You can hear a lot of activity going on. While they are safe from ground predators, there are eagles, hawks, crows and vultures circling above the trees.

Barn swallow at the refuge visitor center.

Song sparrow

Went to visit the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary that is part of their wastewater treatment system. The marsh wren above was singing away. Did not seem to mind my presence.

Posted in egret, Eureka, goldfinch, marsh wren, swallow, wildlife refuge | No Comments »

Rainy Oregon

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Have been in Oregon for the past week, at an Escapee park. Need new truck tires and wanted to get them here, where there is no sales tax. Also, got my bike in Eugene and want to have it serviced. It has been rainy here, but I am enjoying it. Would not feel this way if I had been here 5 months or so, but it is a nice change after being in desert areas so much.

A lot of Oregon dark-eyed junco’s here (top picture). Put some sunflower seeds out for birds where I can watch them. Bottom two pictures were taken through my rv window. The first one is a young Oregon dark-eyed junco; the second, a spotted tohee.

The way here: Took highway 1 to Morro Bay State Park where I stopped for the night. It was really crowded due to spring break. Crossed over to highway 101 until going back to highway 1 through Santa Cruz. Wanted to stop for the night at Half Moon Bay State Park, but it was full. Ended up stopping in a pullout near Stinson Beach on highway 1. There was so much traffic and I was so tired, I had to stop. Next day crossed back over to good ole highway 101. Pressed on to a rest stop in Oregon for the night, arriving at my destination the next day.

Wish California would have more rest stops along highway 101. Driving from the Los Angeles area to Santa Barbara, there are none. The first one is in the Gaviota Beach area and it is usually full.

Would like to circle back to the Eureka area (pictured below) for a couple of weeks when I am through here. Spring break should be over then!

Posted in Escapee, Eugene, Eureka, junco, Sutherlin, towhee | 2 Comments »