Amy and I took a walk up through the forest behind Stinson beach. We saw a family of Northern Flickers in the top of a spruce tree: black breast-plates, red on the cheek (spotted only once by me). Also a Wilson’s Warbler, an Allen’s Hummingbird, some Dark-eyed Juncos on the trail, a Western Wood Pewee near the flickers, a Brown Towhee. And a huge banana slug and bright blue dragonflies. A wren-like bird was making an accelerating call from the tops of the bushes. I suppose it was a Bewicks’ Wren, although I didn’t see the eye stripe and the call was missing the initial wheeze-buzz. But I can’t identify it as anything else. Apart from the missing eye-stripe, it had the curved beak and long tail of a wren.

We started out in the fog, and were in the sun by the time we reached rock ledge near the top. The vultures were soaring, and the swallows were swooping. On the way back to the house we saw the Red-shouldered Hawk, in flap-and-glide flight, seemingly scolding a vulture.

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