July 18, 1993
Along with my mom and Tom Wheaton, I took a harbor cruise out of San Pedro. I saw ☆Heermann’s Gull☆, ☆California Brown Pelican☆, and Herring Gull. The stars of the show were a ☆Gray Whale☆ mother and calf swimming together alongside our boat.
After the harbor cruise, my mom, Tom Wheaton, and I made a stop in Playa del Rey to look for birds near Ballona Creek and Wetlands. At the beach, we saw more Heerman’s Gull and my first ☆Ruddy Turnstone☆: two of them at close range in amongst a flock of gulls. Such attractive, striking birds!
Along the creek, we saw several Great Blue Heron and at least four ☆Green Heron☆. We flushed a couple of Black-crowned Night Herons from a roost or a nest, and I also saw California Scrub-jay for the first I’ve seen since keeping track of my bird sightings.
Species List
Harbor Cruise: Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus), Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni), California Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus), American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)
Playa del Rey Beach and Ballona Creek: Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni), California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica obscura), Green Heron (Butorides virescens anthonyi), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias wardi), Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres), Sea Fig (Carpobrotus sp.)
Let me know what you think!