Sunday we spent the day out on Monterey Bay on a pelagic birding tour. (Pelagics are birds that live most of their life out on the ocean coming to land only to nest.) What a great trip. There were about 20 people on the boat, 6 of whom were tour leaders, so there was always someone nearby to answer questions, point out birds, and explain i.d. characteristics. We saw 20 species of birds, which was less than we expected, but most of them were lifers. Highlights included: 2 species of jaegers, 3 species of shearwaters, and black-footed albatross--about 30 of them in a large group of mixed birds. Also a mother and calf humpback whale, sea otters, a pod of 6 Risso's dolphins, and a blue shark that came right up to the boat--the crew had fetched up a hunk of squid that some gulls had been feeding on and attracted the shark with it.
Monday we drove up to Napa and Sonoma and visited several wineries--our favorite was Mumm's where we had a great tour explaining how champagne is made, plus they had a photographic art gallery. We ended up our day at the Russian River Brewery for supper. Today--maybe a few more wineries.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
The retired life: grandchildren, reading, gardening, CRWRC work, traveling--it's all good.
1 comment:
Good to read and catch up and hear from you. It's been a long time since I've been to California. Laurie and I are due back - relatives and all. Your blog brings back great memories.
Post a Comment