There has been a battle between my Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Steller's Jays for many years at my Santa Cruz home. The Steller's bully the Sharpie but if a Cooper's Hawk arrives there is complete silence.
There are eight pelican species in the world and in Santa Cruz we have two: the American White and Brown Pelican. There's something about the pelican. Large bird that is kind of homely and goofy but one of the most graceful birds in flight and when diving for food.
There are people that like cities and the rush of the humanity but I like the places that gets me close to nature. Baldwin Creek and 4mi Beach is such a place for me. This is where Baldwin Creek meets the ocean and it's about 4 miles north of Santa Cruz, CA. This area is know for being a gull roosting spot with at time 5000 or more on the beach.
The times I hear of a rare bird in my area I get excited especially when it is a lifer. So when I heard a report of a Painted Bunting in San Benito County just over the Santa Cruz County line I went for it.
It's always exciting to find a rare visitor to your area but when you also get the opportunity to observe behavioral interactions the encounter becomes even more special. I was leading a Santa Cruz Bird Club field trip along the north coast of the county when I got a call from one of the birders in the group that he had found an immature Ferruginous Hawk interacting with Red-Tail Hawk.