Field Journal Entry 2
Date & Location
September 6, 2023
Muir Beach Overlook | 37°51’42.6″N 122°35’10.2″W | 489 ft
Slide Ranch | 37°52’24.5″N 122°35’45.7″W | 128 ft
Site Description
Muir Beach Overlook is a beautiful, accessible viewpoint for birding, located on a high cliff just across the Golden Gate Bridge. Its topography is characterized by steep slopes and rocky cliffs including cliffs composed of sedimentary rocks. The general habitat of Muir Beach Overlook is primarily coastal scrub but there are other numerous plants such as Monterey cypress and Coyote brush. Following a small trail from the parking lot, we went to a smaller overlook before heading over to the main one. At this overlook, there were numerous cliffs, rocks, cypress trees and shrubs where a number of common key species were seen including Western gulls and Red-tailed Hawks. Heading over to the main overlook, it was a more expansive view of the ocean, cliffs and rocks where we saw a wide variety of species including Brown Pelicans, Brandt’s Cormorants and California Scrub Jays. After, we headed to another small outlook, mainly surrounded by Monterey cypress and Coyote brush where we spotted Yellow Warblers, Bushtits, Pygmy Nuthatches and more Red-tailed Hawks.
After Muir Beach Overlook, we headed over to Slide Ranch, which is up north along the Shoreline Highway. Its topography is characterized by rolling hills, steep slopes and rocky cliffs where a variety of these habitats are home to grasses, wildflowers, trees, shrubs and animals. At Slide Ranch, we were primarily surrounded by grassland and trees such as Redwood and Oak trees. Our primary goal at Slide Ranch was to spot a Great Horned Owl, which we did! Walking down the trail, we saw a couple of California Quails and White-crowned Sparrow juveniles. In a forest-like area further along the trail, we saw a Great Horned Owl camouflaged on one of the trees.
Species Account
Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus
Great Horned Owls are the most widespread and largest owls in North America, measuring 18 to 24 inches in length in adult form. They have a stocky build with a large head and round body along with their brown and gray feathers, with minimal white markings. On top of their heads, they have two tufts of feathers, which are called their “horns”. Great Horned Owls have a large and round head along with large, yellow eyes that provide excellent night vision. Their beaks are sharp and hooked, which helps them with catching small animal prey at night such as mice, rats, gophers and other birds, which primarily makes up their diet. These owls are found in a variety of habitats including forests, woodlands and urban areas, but they prefer areas with plenty of trees for nesting, which is where we saw our owl. In particular, we saw a female Great Horned Owl and while the overall appearance is the same for females and males, females are slightly larger and aggressive. While these owls mate for life, females do the hunting and defending while males are responsible for brooding and feeding the young. We were able to get a good look at the owl through our binoculars and scopes at two points of view.
Narrative
At around 8:15 am, we started walking out to the cars, where one was driven by Professor Paul and the other by a grad student. After driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and up some windy roads, we arrived at our first destination, Muir Beach Outlook, around 9:00 am. It was partly cloudy with a slight cold breeze, but the sun started to come out as time passed. Right as we got out of the cars, we saw what looked like a cat, but turns out it was a bobcat! We were all stunned and stood there while witnessing it catch a gopher. Then, as we were walking to our first spot with our eyes still on the bobcat, we were at a small overlook hoping to spot a Peregrine Falcon, but no luck. Instead, we saw a number of Brown Pelicans and Red-tailed Hawks. Onto the next spot, we were able to get a more expansive view of the ocean where we saw a countlesss number of Brandt’s Cormorants, Western Gulls and a couple California Scrub Jays. On a rock, there was a sea lion surrounded by a large number of birds. We started walking to our last spot, which was in an area surrounded by large cypress trees and shrubs. In this spot, we saw more Red-tailed Hawks soaring by and a few Yellow Warblers flying through the trees. We headed back to our cars onto the next destination, Slide Ranch!
As we arrived at Slide Ranch, we were hoping to see a Great Horned Owl. As we were walking towards the eucalyptus trees, we passed by a farm where we saw numerous sheep and goats! Next to it, we saw some California Quails and White-crowned Sparrow juveniles. We kept walking and as we were all staring at the trees, we were able to spot the owl, camouflaged with the tree. Seeing a Great Horned Owl was truly amazing and makes me excited to see all of the other cool birds out there!
Sources
Great horned owl life history, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/lifehistory
Great horned owl – Ebird. https://ebird.org/species/grhowl
