In April, Karen and I took two boat trips across California's Santa
Barbara Channel to do some hiking, birding, and camping on Anacapa
Island and Santa Cruz Island within Channel Islands National Park.
Highlights included seeing the Island Scrub-Jay and Island Fox (about
two dozen of them!) on Santa Cruz, and being startled at night by
Barn Owls nesting on the cliffs of Anacapa. If you are a life-
listing birder (and who isn't?), you will eventually need to go to
Santa Cruz Island to see the Island Scrub-Jay, found nowhere else on
earth. I have two blog posts that tell the tales and show the photos
of our experiences, and a third post interpreting the great
conservation stories now playing out in the Channel Islands. Go to:

http://leerentz.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/channel-islands-national-
park-exploring-santa-cruz-island/

http://leerentz.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/channel-islands-national-
park-adventuring-on-anacapa/

http://leerentz.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/channel-islands-restoration-
we-are-as-gods/

Lee Rentz
Shelton, WA
lee at leerentz.com