Santa Barbara 02-14-04 to 02-16-04

Cricket and I spent the Valentine's Day weekend (aka Presidents Day for the unromantic...) in Southern California at the Circle Bar B Guest Lodge in Goleta, just north of Santa Barbara. There we rode horses, hiked along a beautiful riparian corridor, played pool and gin rummy in the saloon, and failed dismally at a round of horseshoes outside our little cabin. It was great, though. Very relaxing and romantic. The area was supremely beautiful and we were far away from telephones, computers or deadlines, if only for three days. While it wasn't not a birding trip per se, we did manage to find some great birds with very little effort! Along the horse trail and by the rocky creek we saw Canyon Wren, and in the pre-dawn hours, just outside our cabin we heard Northern Pygmy-Owl singling loudly. The familiar "chick!" call of Yellow-rumped Warbler could be heard everywhere and occasionally the soft, liquid call of Hermit Thrush as well. In the hills during our ride we also detected California Quail, Wrentit, Western Bluebird and California Thrasher. The nearby Refugio State Beach had a host of wintering Gulls, mostly California and Western, but a few Ring-billed and Mew were present as well as a large group of Royal Terns. This latter species is not found in our area, but is rather common in winter in the southern part of the coast. Other birds present at the beach included Marbled Godwit, Willlet, Sanderling and Killdeer. The drive along Hwy 101 in the Bradley area produced numerous Yellow-billed Magpies and a single Ferruginous Hawk. What a great way way to spend a long weekend.