Owlets in a Palm Tree-the fauna & flora of California

As we are finishing up a week in San Diego I am reflecting on a couple of amazing times we had in between Pinnacles & the big city. Stay tuned for a post about where we are now in the coming day. After Pinnacles & before San Diego we had 2 campsites for 2 nights. The first was Cerro Alto in Los Padres National Forest near Morro Bay. This was also a last minute swap out when highway 1 & Big Sur failed to reopen. It turned out lovely relatively "remote" and peaceful. The National Forest extends quite far--past Santa Barbara & consists of some moister valley bottoms with many larger tree species and then quickly transitions to scrubby chapparel (see photo but basical scruby land with bushes and low trees but nothing big).

At Cerro alto we were treated to both--a campsite in a thicker oak & pine woodland with bubbling creeks and yet fields and open hilltops. The kids were in heaven hiding, climbing running to the fields. The campsites were so far apart we basically were a lone. We had to bring in our own water as the wastewater system was still down from last winter's storm but no worries...we were ready. And birds! Eager birders were coming to the campsite to bird for Spring migration and happy to stop and chat. I got my e-bird app out the next morning and enjoyed learning about all the different birds-- from different kinds of grosbeaks to mountain quail. We had a great horned that night calling all night and the kids and I spied ki up on a wire way up in the chapparel. I also got to to a great run up into the chapparal woodlands above the fog with amazing views and plants along the way.

We also had a stop to Morro Bay which was the coastal town near the campsite. We went to the big 'morro' or rock there and saw peregrines, many pelicans (I'm pretty sure I've seen more than 500 pelicans now), sea otters, seals and a sea lion in the bay. And then there were the ground squirrels. No we didn't feed them but it was pretty obvious someone was!

Then we headed to the palm-lined Refugio State Park for 2 nights of "town" camping-- very squished but only a few minutes from a beautiful sandy beach. If you hike or bike in as we did on our California bike trip #2 in 2013 then you get the best campsite at Refugio. We still had a lovely time...beach time, bike time (1 mile down a coastal trail until it tumbles into the sea). So many beautiful wildflowers are out this time of year too!

We were again treated to a Great Horned Owl at night. In the mist of the first morning I opened a tent flap and looked out as a few crows were cawing madly (usually a sign a raptor is nearby) and glimpsed the owl fly--right into a campground palm tree. The next evening I got out my binoculars and we got a treat! Not just an owl but a momma with 2 large owlets. We could stand right under their palm and look up and with binoculars see them very clearly. Sorry no photos! We just don't have good enough cameras. These wild things carry me though the city life until we can get to the next wild place (though Chris did have the fortune of having a striped skunk wander by him on our patio last night!) And PS- We did go through LA and stopped only to see the museum at the La Brea Tar Pits and marvel at all the paleozoic animals that fell into the tar there--1000's of dire wolves, extint bison, sabre-tool and scimitar cats & mastadons. Better than any fairytales? ;)