Great Gray Owls in Yosemite National Park

For many people there is one particular bird or bird species that once seen can ignite an interest in birds and birding. In my encounters with other birders out there I often discover that it was the sighting of an owl species that lit the fuse for them.  For my friend Jeff it was the Burrowing Owls that were present in his Southern California neighborhood that really fanned the flames of his passion for birds. For many years now he has been hoping to encounter North America's largest owl species the Great Gray Owl and the month of April is a good time to go looking for them.

In California the Great Gray Owl (GGOW) is an endangered species. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 100 pairs in the state, 65% of which reside within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. The California population of these birds is somewhat unique in that researches have shown them to be genetically and behaviorally distinct from the rest of the GGOWs found in North America. This indicates that they have been geographically isolated from the rest of their species for a significant period of time. In 2009, while leading a school group for a week of outdoor ed in the park, I had my one and only encounter with the GGOW. You can see that blog post here. That encounter gave me some insight on when and where to see these birds in the park. April is a good time to look for them for several reasons. As the snow melt is accelerating the mid-elevation meadows become more accessible for hunting owls, the deciduous trees on the meadow edges have not yet begun to leaf out making sightings there easier, and the owls are beginning their mating activities as they move upslope into these meadows for the breeding season.

Knowing that Jeff wanted to make an effort to see these birds I proposed a one-day speed run up to the park to make the attempt. Fortunately, Friday April 18 was free for both of us. We met at 5 am. at the Pleasanton Park-n-Ride and were in place for our attempt by 8 am. Since the park identifies the GGOW as a sensitive species they state on their website that the locations of sightings of these birds should not be publicized and therefore I will not disclose where we saw them. We began our survey by starting in the place where I saw them 16 years ago. Not surprisingly, we did not see them there so we expanded our search to other meadows in the area. At one point, as we were moving through the forest between meadows we heard the characteristic low booming hoot of the GGOW. For the next 30 minutes we tracked it through the forest catching periodic brief glimpses in an increasingly frustrating attempt to get a clear view of it. Eventually our hunt took us to the edge of a large meadow where there in the distance we could see a large owl perched on a branch 10 feet off the ground at the meadow's edge. Although our observation was distant we could clearly see that we had found our elusive GGOW. As we watched this bird we could hear another hooting in the forest near by indicating that there were at least two in the area. Each time the one in the forest hooted we could see the one perched in the tree react to it and eventually it flew off into the forest in the direction of the other bird. We congratulated ourselves on the good fortune of seeing this bird and went to examine the ground below the owl's perch for pellets then sat at the meadow's edge in the hope that we might see the bird again. We gave it a good 20 minutes and decided to head back. As we got up and began to move off I turned and looked over my shoulder and across the meadow to a stand of Birch trees and thought that an excellent place for an owl to perch so I paused and scanned the small grove. I immediately called Jeff back because there, 5 feet off the ground was another GGOW. I think this was a third bird but we could not be certain of that. We were much closer this time and were able to get some good pictures and spend some quality time enjoying this bird.

After this the rest of the day was gravy. We traveled the Hetch Hetchy Rd. out to the dam then followed the Mather Rd. down into the canyon of the Tuolumne River and enjoyed a picnic along the river. We then drove Smith Station Rd. off of Hwy. 120 down to Coulterville an on across Hwy. 132 where we visited San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge to end our day. Other notable birds of the day were Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, Mountain Quail, Rock Wren, and Lawrence's Goldfinch.

We had such an amazing day, it is so rewarding to find what you think might be there in the place you think it might be. I stress the word 'might' as there are no guarantees in the world of birding. This is a field trip that I will repeat next year and hopefully for many years to come. Great Gray Owls are truly amazing birds, what a joy to see them again.

Revisiting the Greater Sage Grouse

Two years ago in early spring Michael, Jeff and I traveled to Northeastern California hoping to find the Shaffer Mountain Sage Grouse Lek. I wrote about that adventure in a previous post that you can see here. As winter in Northern California began to wind down and hints of spring began to excite my wanderlust, I thought that a return to Shaffer Mountain would be an excellent way to kick off the spring birding campaign. The three of us met again in Susanville, did a little evening birding and then prepared for the early morning walk up Shaffer Mountain. This time we had a good idea of the precise location of the lek and after about a mile and a half of walking positioned ourselves behind a shrub/tree blind and soaked in the spectacle. We counted 33 grouse on the lek that morning, the males fanning their tails and booming with their air sacks, a few females moving amongst them searching for that perfect male. This is such a spectacular scene in nature and it strikes me that so few people actually have the chance (or take the chance) to see it. As the three of us stood in the light of early morning taking in our surroundings and the show in front of us, we counted ourselves amongst a very special group, those that go out into the world to enjoy what nature has to offer us. For us in this case it is the birds that draw us out but for everyone there is a reason to step into nature. Find what draws you into the natural world and go!

Greater Sage Grouse

After our experience with the Sage Grouse we went over the mountain and down to Eagle Lake where we were able to continue to build our trip list of species. Two notable birds here were a pair of Osprey and a single Clark's Nutcracker. We continued north to visit another of our favorite spots in NE California, Jess Valley at the foot of the Warner Mountains. It's been a good snow/rain winter up there and there was a fair amount of water in the valley even before the real melt begins. We saw lots of ducks here but most notably was our count of over 50 Sandhill Cranes. Moving on our next stop was Modoc National Wildlife Refuge in Alturas where we took in the expected birds for this time of year without any surprises.

Jess Valley

We would stay in the area for 2 nights at a cabin we found on Vrbo that is right up against the Warners just off of hwy 299. It's a great spot that I would use again. The next day we devoted to Lava Beds National Monument, Tule Lake and Lower Klamath National Wildlife refuges. Taking the back way into to Lava Beds off of hwy 139 in cold early morning conditions we had many singing Meadowlarks and then a small flock of Pinyon Jays, a species I have not seen there for many years. We picked up some good forest birds up by Mammoth Crater however, it was the severity of destruction caused the most recent fire to pass through Lava Beds that really caught our attention. From this spot we were also able to look southwards towards what is now called Sáttítla Highlands National Monument. Recently designated by the Biden administration and now in danger from the new administration, it's future is uncertain. What is certain is it's importance to California's most critical natural resource - water. You can learn more about why it is so important at this link. We then focused our attention on Tule Lake for the remainder of the morning. You can see the Tule Lake basin quite easily from the higher land of Lava Beds and as we looked down on it we could clearly see that it was full of water, a very good sign. I think I can safely say that in all my many years of visits to Tule Lake I never seen so many ducks and this is directly due to the amount of water in the sumps of the refuge. The only duck species we missed was Blue-winged Teal and that is uncommon there. Michael even found us an Eurasian Wigeon. Other highlights were the Ring-billed Gulls in exceptionally bright breeding plumage, many Bald Eagles and a large raft of Snow Geese still present on the water. A truely memorable day at Tule Lake. As we finished up our tour we stopped in at the new visitor's center and refuge headquarters where we learned that the surplus water from this year's rains was responsible for Tule Lake's condition and surprisingly to us, for Lower Klamath's condition. Lower Klamath NWR has been starved of water in recent years and has been dry that last few times I've driven by it. Refuge staff told us that water managers were putting water into every conceivable place they could this year and that meant that Klamath was also full. Well, we just had to see that so we crossed over to the other side of Sheepy Ridge and drove the tour route of Lower Klamath. Our notable additions to the list here was a female Barrow's Goldeneye and a Rough-legged Hawk. In general, Lower Klamath and Tule Lake were in the best condition we have seen them in for many years. I only hope it can stay this way.

Tule Lake

When we returned to the Alturas area we decided we would cross over the Warners and have dinner in the quaint little town of Cedarville in Surprise Valley. We had an excellent meal at Woody's and then drove the diked up portion of 299 across the Lower Alkali Lake picking up two additional birds, Ferruginous Hawk and White-faced Ibis.

The next morning, after packing up we devoted some time to the hunt for the Juniper Titmouse. This was a life bird for Jeff and I saw a pair the previous evening but they flew off before Jeff could see them. We expected them at the campground at Lava Beds but they weren't present there so it was now or never. Fortunately for Jeff it was now. They were spotted and Jeff was able to get some good photos of them as well.

From the Warner Mountains we then began our journey westward and the road home. We made our traditional stops at the Rat Farm (Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park) and the Hat Creek Picnic area and then Michael was off for Eureka and Jeff and I back to the Bay Area. Another great trip in the books and a warm up for our California desert trip in May.

See our trip species list here.

583 - Lesser Black-backed Gull

Over the course of the last three winters I have gone looking for Lesser Black-backed Gulls (LBBG) around the Bay Area on a number of occasions. Until recently these birds were a true North American rarity, however now it is common for several of them to appear each winter amongst the large gull flocks on the bays and shorelines of Northern California. Their North American winter range is primarily east of the Mississippi River with almost all of this species abandoning North America entirely for the breading season.

Typically I watch the daily ebird rarity report for sightings of this species and then head out and sift through the thousands of gulls in the flock where they are found. Two days ago a report appeared of a LBBG in a restored tidal marsh on the northern edge of San Pablo Bay. Thanks to the sharp eyes of Gene Hunn and his timely report, I felt I had a chance of finally seeing this elusive gull. The location of this sighting is interesting for another reason. Slowly but surely, tidal marshlands in the Northbay are being restored after having been diked and drained over 100 years ago. The area in the image below that is circled in red is an example of this restoration and is where the LBBG was to be found. Looking at the image you can see that the area just to the east of the circled area is "reclaimed" land and is still being farmed probably for hay. A good comparison of a more natural state vs. one of human engineering. As sea levels rise these tidal marsh areas will become more and more important in mitigating that problem. The restoration of these once "reclaimed" marshlands is also extraordinarily important to the long-term survival of the bird species that depend on them during migration.

It was only about a 30 minute drive from my house to get to Reclamation Rd. and the parking lot for the Sonoma Baylands Trail. The tide was falling when I arrived and much of the marsh was showing exposed mud with channels of draining water. It was only about a 1/4 mile walk along the western levee before I spotted a likely candidate out along one of the channels. After carefully scoping a larger dark-backed gull working on a fish carcass there was little doubt that I had found my quarry. With the heat haze and the distance my pictures were poor at best but several field marks confirmed the sighting. Yellowish legs, size, a much darker back than other gulls, smudgy head and neck collar, and the orangish spot on the bill. All of this told me that this was a Lesser Black-backed Gull, bird number 583 on my North American Life List. Now that I have been able to list one I'm sure that I will get some closer looks in the future and I will look forward to that. My experience with this bird ended on a somewhat exciting note as well. As I was breaking down my scope and getting ready for the walk back to the truck there was a commotion out on the mudflat. A juvenile Bald Eagle had swooped down on the gull and stole the fish carcass from it! It was a brief encounter and the Eagle was soon flying away with his prize leaving what I can only describe as a somewhat bemused gull. Thanks to one of the deans of north bay birding, Gene Hunn for finding this bird.

The better of many poor images

Owling in Early January

In Early January I got a hot tip from watching the ebird reports of a Saw-Whet Owl near Sacramento.  There is a levee road just southwest of Sacramento called Babel Slough Rd. that is apparently a good place to find owls. A Sacramento area birder had been out on this road and had a pretty cool encounter with a Saw-Whet and Jeff and I thought we might give it a try the following night. (Here is the ebird report of that birder's sighting with pictures).

We met up at the Park-n-Ride in Cordellia and made our way to Babel Slough Rd. It was a really cool night out with some cloud and a pretty bright moon and it made for a very pleasant stroll along the road as we listened for the Saw-Whet call. Unfortunately, we listened in vain giving credence to the idea that the bird seen the previous evening was on the move and no longer around. We had plenty of hooting Great Horned Owls and screeching Barn Owls and saw several of both. All in all a great way to usher in the new year.

First Rarity of the Fall Season

Local San Francisco birder Dominick Mosur got quite the surprise last week when he was birding a local patch near Stern Grove called Pine Lake. A bird never before seen in California popped up and said hello. The Slate-throated Redstart is a small warbler of Central and South America and only occasionally makes an appearance in the US, usually in southeast Arizona. This of course has caused a firestorm of interest in the birding world with people coming from all over the country to see it.

Here is an article from the SF Chronicle about the sighting.

I noticed the postings about this bird last week and thinking that it wouldn't stick around did not chase it. However, after several days of sightings I felt I had to give it a try so foregoing my usual Sunday morning bike ride I headed for southwest San Francisco.

I arrived at 7:45 and happened to run into Dominick as he was leaving. He was kind enough to give us directions to the spot where a few minutes later I joined a group of about 20 birders surrounding a willow thicket at the southeast end of Pine Lake. Over the course of my two hours at the spot I had two brief but good looks at the bird. Some of the other birders with large camera rigs were able to get good photos but I was not.

An excellent start to the fall season. Makes you wonder what else is out there!

Slate-throated Redstart (from Bird of the World)

Forest Bathing and a Pair of Flammulated Owls

Cherry Lake

Last week I was supposed to be backpacking in Yosemite but a minor foot injury prevented my participation. I did however, help out with the transportation for the crew going to the mountains so I found myself with an opportunity to explore the region between Yosemite National Park and the Sonora area along Hwy 108. After dropping the intrepid hikers off in Tuolumne Meadows I continued west on Hwy 120 until just after leaving the park took the Evergreen Rd. to Camp Mather just below Hetch Hetchy. From here a road runs west to intersect with Cherry Lake Rd and my access to the Cherry Lake area. The main reason for camping in this area was a place called Jawbone Pass, an intersection of forest roads where over the years there have been reports of Flammulated Owls. 

Flammulated Owl (from All About Birds)

These small owls are highly nocturnal, staying in cavities or high in the trees deep in the foliage during the day and foraging in the woods at night. Thus, they are extremely difficult to see but not so difficult to hear. My plan was to camp at the pass and listen for them in the night and maybe if they were close enough, actually see one.

Jawbone Pass

It was late in the evening when I arrived at the pass, I got something to eat and did a bit of a walk-around spotting Golden-crowned Kinglets, Juncos, Hairy Woodpecker, and a stunningly bright Western Tanager. Then I set up my chair in the middle of the clearing, draped a mosquito net over me and listened for about an hour as it got dark. It was really quite something just sitting there taking in all the sounds of the forest around me. I heard many interesting things but no owls. But the night is long and I would awaken several times in the night (oh the joys of growing older) and be able to listen for them again. Sure enough, at about 2 am. I began to hear a distant pair of Flams calling back and forth. They were not anywhere close to me and may have been as far away as 1/4 mile. They are known to be very good ventriloquists and can project their sound over a fair distance thus making them even more difficult to find. So I was content with just hearing them and I could add a new species to my list and hope that some day in the future I will actually be able to see one.

Butterbredt, Owens Valley and Sierra Valley - A Migration Bonanza

Upper Butterbredt Canyon

During the second week of May I made my annual pilgrimage to the Mojave Desert. I was fortunate to be joined this year by my good friend Michael Morris who came down from Eureka for the trip. Although we ended up doing a lot of driving we did have an amazing trip seeing 164 species over our 4 days.

        See our complete bird list                                                See our photos from this trip

After leaving Napa we headed straight for Kern County and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge where we started our trip list, a list that would grow to 94 species by the end of the day. After a few hours of birding the tour route at the refuge and picking up what we would normally expect to see there, we headed east through Bakersfield and on into the Kern River canyon. Our plan was to travel along the river up the canyon to Lake Isabella then in Weldon take Kelso Valley Rd. and then Butterbredt Canyon Rd. over the pass and down to Butterbredt Spring. As we drove over Butterbredt Pass and then down to the spring we added a lot of species that were using the migration corridor of Butterbredt Canyon. We camped at the spring that night and woke up to wave after wave of migrants coming up the canyon. In all my years of coming to Butterbredt, this was by far the most impressive bird display I have ever seen here. While we didn't see any rarities, it was the sheer number of migrants that was notable. Warblers in the spring and down the canyon and other passerines in the grove of Trees of Heaven just to the north of the spring. Nature is amazing!

After an incredible morning at Butterbredt we began our journey up the Owens Valley. As we made our way north we checked out Sage Flat, the Owens River and then headed east on Hwy. 168 to climb our way up into the White Mountains. We were able to go all the way up to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest visitor's center at Schulman Grove although it was not yet open for the season. We added a few high mountain birds to our list here and then retreated back down to 9,000 ft. and the Grandview campground for the night.

Sierra Crest from the White Mtns.

The next day saw us returning to the Owens Valley where we made several more stops in the morning before turning back towards the White Mountains to drive into Silver Canyon. This four-wheel drive road climbs all the way up to the plateau at the top but it is very steep and rough in places. We only went a little ways up this canyon, far enough to add a few more species to our list, namely Chuckars which gave us great looks along the road.

From here we continued north to Benton Hot Springs and then using Benton Crossing Road and Owens River Rd. made our way back to Hwy. 395 so we could drive the June Lakes Loop. By late afternoon we found ourselves at Mono Lake County Park which is usually pretty birdy. However, we found that as we had moved north the numbers of migrant species we were seeing really began to decline. It was clear that the waves of migrants we were seeing down in the Mojave had not gotten this far north. We did however add a number of resident species to our list as we moved north. 

Our plan that night was to camp at a Forest Service campground just in Nevada along Desert Creek. However, the combination of a navigation error and a very rough road forced us to change our plan and that night we ended up camping along the West Walker River on Hwy 108. We continued to add birds to our trip list the next morning around the campground and then at the Two Rivers Preserve just down the road. From here we decided to finish our trip by driving north through Reno and then visit Sierra Valley before crossing back over the Sierra at Yuba Pass. 

Michael along the West Walker River.

On our way north we detoured just outside the town of Walker and drove a forest road up to the headwaters of Mill Creek. This took us up a beautiful little valley that was dotted with Beaver ponds. I'd not been up this road before and it was well worth the trip. We found our Clark's Nutcracker and White-headed Woodpecker along this route.

Later that day we arrived in Sierra Valley. This large and wet valley sits just on the east side of the Sierra crest and has always impressed me as yet another example of the diversity of the natural wonders California offers us. Here we picked up our last two birds of the trip, Sandhill Cranes and a Willet. Then it was over the pass and down to Downieville for a dinner stop and on back to Napa.

I had a great time traveling and birding with Michael again, although next time I think I will try and cut down on the number of miles we drive in the pursuit of our feathered friends.

An Eclipse, Some National Parks, and a Few New Birds on the Side

I have never had the experience of witnessing a total eclipse of the sun but I have encountered a number of people over the years that have had that chance. To a person they have all told me that such an event can be a life changing experience. So when our friends Roger and Loreen Ruegg suggested heading out to Texas for this spring's eclipse, we jumped at the chance. Danette and I also took advantage of this opportunity to add four more national parks to our list of those we have visited together and along the way I even managed to add four more life birds to my North American list. It was a long drive but totally worth it!

After stopping in Bakersfield to see Danette's mom we headed out into the desert for our first National Park along our route - Joshua Tree. After our drive we stopped at Big Morongo Preserve where we hiked a ways down the canyon that connects the Mojave Desert above with the Colorado Desert below. A thoroughly enjoyable hike that turned up some early spring birds and helped to get our legs warmed up for more hikes along the way. We then headed into the park and drove the loop that connects the west entrance to the north entrance taking a side trip to Keys Viewpoint. While I had visited Joshua Tree many times, this was Danette's first visit. She thought it spectacular and commented that although the Joshua Tree's were very cool, it was the geology that really defined the park. We were up early the next morning to drive through the park from north to south and enjoy the sunrise on the way. Then it was on to I-10 and a long drive to our next overnight stop, Portal, Az. and the Chiricahua Mountains.

The Chiricahuas are one of my favorite places on the planet and I've always wanted Danette to see them. We arranged it so we could stay in Portal and then have the following morning to hike along the South Fork of Cave Creek. The creek was running pretty high and it kept us from being able to go very far up the canyon but the morning was beautiful and the walk very enjoyable. Once again early spring birds were present but the more spectacular birds of the area had not yet arrived for the season. We briefly connected with Roger and Loreen here, they hiked in the canyon in the evening and then were off very early the next morning for the long drive to Austin. It would take us two more days to get there. Springtime is a good time to be driving in this part of the world, we found west Texas to be pretty green and we really appreciated all the flowers along the edges of the roads we were driving.

Our time in Austin was mostly focused on the eclipse but we did have a chance to walk around and take in a pretty cool city. I slipped away early on one of our mornings there to Balcones National Wildlife Refuge and managed to add the Golden-cheeked Warbler to my list. Then on my way back into town found the large group of Monk Parakeets that were nesting on the power polls downtown.

With the Rueggs in Austin

Our last day in Austin was all about the eclipse. We headed out early to meet Roger and Loreen about an hour west of town where they were camped. It was cloudy the entire morning and we were really concerned that we may not get to see the spectacle. However, as the event began the clouds worked a bit in our favor to act as an atmospheric filter. Then as it neared totality the clouds seemed to vanish. The period of totality was surreal. We all looked at one another with pure wonder on our faces. I'm so glad we were able to experience this specticle, well worth the journey to Texas.

Big Bend National Park

We left Austin early the next morning and headed for Big Bend National Park. We spent the afternoon driving through the park on the recommended auto tour route and were very impressed by both the mountains and the Rio Grande Valley below and south of them. I will have to return some day in the future with the bird nerds so we can get the Colima Warbler whose only nesting location in the U.S. is high up in the mountain region of the park.

We spent the next morning at Davis Mountains State Park near Alpine, TX. Danette did a short hike while I staked out the bird feeder station as I had been told that this was the easiest place to see Montezuma Quail in the entire universe. They of course knew I was coming and so stayed away but I did get nice looks at another new bird, the Black-crested Titmouse.

Black-crested Titmouse

Our final two new national parks came on the following day. Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. We met up with Roger and Loreen for our tour of the caves and they were, in a word, spectacular. Witnessing the flyout of the Cave Swallows gave me my final new bird of the trip. These caves were a true highlight of our trip. Thankfully, Danette's pictures came out really well so we have some good memories of our time underground. After a nice picnic at the Bird Springs unit of the park we headed south for an afternoon hike in Guadalupe Mtns. 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

We then took a scenic route through the center of New Mexico and on into Arizona driving through Petrified Forest National Park which we had visited previously before hitting the interstate for our return to California. We stopped for a night at a fun little inn in Williams called "The Red Garter", drove to Bakersfield the next day and then home to Napa.

We really had a fun time on this trip. Thanks to our friends Roger and Loreen for the idea and having us along. If you ever get the chance to see a full eclipse, do it!

Link to our photos from this journey.