A "Big Day" is a common exercise in the birding community, in which a birder attempts to see as many distinct species as possible in one 24 hour period. On May 2nd, 2018, I executed a Big Day in several locations around Monterey Bay and came up with 85 species from sunup to sundown!
The early bird gets the worm! Black-Bellied Plover in Moss Landing Harbor.
My plan was formulated based on a few factors: birding hotspots in the area as recorded on eBird, low and high tides for the day, and connecting a continuous route with minimal traffic congestion (time was of the essence!). The weather was great, right around 70 with light breezes, nothing blustery enough to quell bird activity. I decided to move south-to-north beginning at Elkhorn Slough and working my way back up to Santa Cruz.
Acorn Woodpeckers compete for trunk space in the Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Reserve.
Elkhorn Slough is a paradise for any nature-obsessed person, boasting one of the largest salt estuaries in California and attracting incredibly diverse wildlife. I spent time in the Moss Landing Harbor, looking for shorebirds on the mud flats exposed by the low tide, as well as on the neighboring sand dunes spotting birds on the ocean. From there, I drove a few miles up the Slough to the Estuarine Reserve and hiked through rolling grassy hills, eucalyptus forest, and along the estuary shore. After a few hours, I returned to the harbor to observe the difference between the low and high tides.
A male Wood Duck hiding in the reeds at Neary Lagoon.
Due to time constraints, I skipped a planned stop in Watsonville and drove straight through to Santa Cruz. After a short lunch break, I met my friend Dan at the UCSC Arboretum where we got up close and personal with brilliant hummingbirds, as well as more twitchy songbirds and seed-eaters. Dan and I also stopped at Neary Lagoon where we were lucky to catch a pair of elusive wood ducks.
Great-Horned Owl waking up for the evening at Natural Bridges State Beach.
After parting ways with Dan, I made my final two stops of the day at Antonelli Pond and Natural Bridges State Beach to round out my Big Day, and then headed home to tally my totals. Tracking sightings through the eBird app makes this exercise a breeze at the end of the day, but extensive photographing and cross referencing with my bird book helped me to be certain of my list (see below).
All in all the Big Day was a very fun exercise that I aim to repeat soon!
The Big Day's tally (Purple Finch was determined to be an exceptionally bright House Finch after closer examination of photographs).