[CINC] ESCI Monday, September 10

[Catherine French]

Following a weekend of fun and adventure as overnight volunteer on AI with campers and kayakers galore, I got to spend Monday at Scorpion with a group of docents from the Monterrey Bay National Marine Sanctuary while Marty Flam worked with the open party day visitors.

Notable notes: Osprey sighted by my group and I at Cavern Point at eye level as it swooped up the from the sea below made a turn and flew west, we could see the bird extremely well. My second up close sighting in three weeks, last one at AI.

We spied a peregrine falcon soaring over Scorpion Canyon, two red tail hawks, a loggerhead shrike, a Pacific slope fly catcher, song sparrows galore and of course ravens. I saw a raven sitting on the fence at the ranch house with a buddy. The one had what was left of an island spotted skunk hanging from it's mouth. I could still smell the stench emanating from the skunk. It wasn't a pretty sight, but interesting.

We observed three foxes foraging in the morning and I have posted a photo on face book of the fox and raven duet, foraging next to each other in the camp ground.

Two sailors who landed for a brief while to enjoy Scorpion said they had seen a humpback whale pass by (they were anchored in Little Scorpion) and an adult bald eagle earlier that morning.

It was another spectacular day in the national park.



Calm Seas,
 
Catherine French
Writer, mentor, naturalist
805.570.0432
To own is to have; to share with friends, is to enjoy.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.rain.org/pipermail/channel_islands_naturalist_corps/attachments/20120911/a12c58b4/attachment.html>