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)

Rolling the Dice in Las Vegas and an Ovenbird in Sacramento

I've only visited Las Vegas on two occasions, the first on our way to and from Zion National Park where we only saw it from the freeway passing through and the second, last weekend on a bird chase. I would imagine that once-upon-time when it was just an oasis in the desert it was a charming place, but today it has grown into quite a large sprawling metropolis taking 20+ minutes to drive across on the freeway at 70 mph. What usually attracts people to Las Vegas is the Strip and all that goes with it. For me I find that the least attractive part. However, like all places in the desert where there is also water it can be a good place for birds and the ones I came for were the Rufous-backed Robin, Yellow-footed Gull, and the Lesser Black-backed Gull. Danette accompanied me to Bakersfield, so often my jumping off point for trips into the desert, where she would visit her mom while I went on to LV. Starting out early from Bakersfield it was just over a 4 hour drive to get to 'Sin City' so I was in place for the birds by 9 am.

View to the west from Corn Creek

Just to the northwest of Las Vegas is one of the largest national wildlife refuges in the lower 48, Desert NWR. Just off of highway 95 you can find the refuge headquarters at the Corn Creek Field Station. The field station is located along Corn Creek and it's well developed trails and paths make it an excellent location for attracting birds. For several years I have checked the e-bird hotspot page for this location and there are always good birds showing up here. Among them is the Rufous-backed Robin. This robin, common in the western part of Mexico is a rare visitor to the American Southwest. Reports were consistent as to its presence so I was reasonbly confident of getting this bird. Because it was a Saturday there were a number of other birders present and they were helpful in pointing out the places where it was frequently seen. After walking the paths and trails for about 20 minutes the Robin made his appearance in an orchard of pomegranate trees and I was able to get good looks and take some photos. Had I not been after the gulls I would have taken more time here as it really was a cool place.

Rufous-backed Robin

Rufous-backed Robin

The gulls I was after had been reported with some frequency this winter on a branch of Lake Mead that lies within easy reach of LV. Most of sightings had occurred early in the day but I wanted to increase my chances and maybe get lucky so I went after them Saturday afternoon figuring that if I missed them then I would have a better chance Sunday morning. The ebird hotspot is at the 33 Hole Overlook and to get down to the water and close enough for good viewing conditions it's about a 1.5 mile walk down a draw and a bit of a bushwack at the end. When I got down to the water the gull raft was well out and too far away for IDing these birds but I was able to get into what I thought would be the best position for seeing them the following morning. This spot overlooked the point at which the water, flowing down the drainage was just entering the lake. It was full of waterfowl and very shallow at that point making it a great location for wading birds and gulls alike to roost. Returning back up the draw I had a few interesting birds such as Abert's Towhee and Rock Wren then made my way back to the city to turn in early.

Sunrise over Lake Mead

Up well before dawn the next morning, getting coffee at Starbucks, Las Vegas seemingly just as busy at that hour as any other. I parked at the 33 Hole Overlook at 6:30 and made my way down to my observation point from the previous afternoon. I was somewhat dismayed to discover only 4 gulls mixed in with the large flock of waterfowl and thought myself wise to have brought a chair with me as it was looking like I would have a long morning of waiting. Soon however, gulls began flying in in small groups and by 7:10 I had a nice sized flock to pick through. Pretty quickly I thought that I had found the Lesser Black-backed Gull so I photographed it and concentrated on finding the Yellow-footed Gull. Later, in looking at my pictures it became pretty clear that what I thought was the Lesser Black-backed was not this bird. I really didn't know what it was so I sent the images off to John Sterling and he sent them on to Todd Easterla (both experts at Gull ids) and Todd concluded that it was just "a screwed up California Gull". I found a number of gulls that I thought might be the Yellow-footed but were not quite right and then there he was, obvious. Clean white head, yellow legs, darker back, and a yellow iris. I thought he was quite striking.  This gull is a resident of The Gulf of California and only rarely can be seen within the lower 48. Most often in the Imperial Valley and Salton Sea of extreme Southern California. This chase was good practice for iding gulls. One thing I learned about identifying both of these species was how important the eye color is. This, of course, makes field identification challenging as you need to be close enough to be able to see the details of the eye. Well I figured that that was a good morning, two new birds by 7:30 (only one actually as the photos would later show) and that was enough of Las Vegas for me. I got on the road and headed for Bakersfield. Since I had a little time on my hands I did take a scenic detour through Mojave National Monument driving a route that left I-15 just after the state line and going to Kelso and then on to Baker and back on I-15.  This loop takes you through a large swath of the Joshua Tree forest that is found in this part of the monument. Even though it was quite early in the year for good birding here, I did have many Cactus Wrens, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Brewer's Sparrows, and a nice Black-throated Sparrow.

Yellow-footed Gull

Yellow-footed Gull

While it's true that I missed the Lesser Black-backed Gull I would say that my Las Vegas trip was a success. Two new life birds, a couple of very cool birding spots, and of course a chance to be in the desert all combined to make it worth the effort. 

Mojave National Monument

Ovenbird in Sacramento

Just prior to leaving for Las Vegas, reports of an Ovenbird in the Sacramento drew my attention and I hoped it would stay around long enough for me to see it upon my return. In fact, this bird seems to be settled in for the winter but it hasn't been the most cooperative bird for seeing. It seems to have chosen  William Land Park and the WPA Rock Garden there as it's winter residence. Almost all of the reports are from the dense cover along the northeastern edge of the rock garden. Ovenbirds are skulky and secretive by nature and this bird is no exception. Many people have waited long hours for just the briefest look at this fellow. I was fortunate in that I only had to wait about a half hour for my look.  And yes, it was a brief one, long enough for a positive ID but not long enough to try and get a photo. I spent another hour trying for a better look but he never reappeared. Perhaps I will have more time with this species in April when we go to Texas for the eclipse.  That's 577 and counting now. Maybe #600 this year is possible!

Two Rare Gulls in Santa Cruz County

For most of my adult life I have used the National Geographic Field Guide of North American Birds as my primary field Guide. It's fine artwork, well written descriptions, excellent range maps and overall easy to use organizational structure make this guide the gold standard for me. I mention this because when I went to Aptos to search for the two rare gulls seen at the mouth of Aptos Creek, I had the pleasure of meeting Jon Dunn the author of the National Geographic Guide.

I had just arrived at the creek mouth and was perched up on a mound of sand created by the late December storms when I heard a voice behind me ask, "Is this the place for the Gulls? After giving a positive response I came down off my mound and he stuck out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Jon Dunn." After introducing myself I asked, "You mean the Jon Dunn, author of the National Geographic Guide?" After answering we had a conversation about how much I enjoyed and used his book these last 35 years and we began to look through the small flock of gulls at the mouth of the creek. I had only just gotten there and hadn't really looked through them yet and I told Jon I was not a very good gull person. He immediately picked out the Laughing Gull and gave me a couple of key field marks and we enjoyed good looks but after a few more minutes of careful scanning we couldn't turn up the bird I had come for - the Black-headed Gull.

Since ebird reports had the bird moving between Hidden Beach to the east and the Aptos Creek mouth I told Jon that I would walk the beach in between to search for it. We exchanged phone numbers so I could text him if I found the bird and I shouldered my scope and started walking.

After a 5 mile walk examining all the gulls, picking up a nice blister, and getting a bit peeved at the dog owners who let their dogs chase off the birds, I returned to the creek mouth hoping that the BHGU would show up. Sure enough it wasn't but a few moments and there it was. I sent off a text message to Jon so he could come back to see it and got comfortable in my chair to watch and take pictures. After about 45 minutes the gull began to move east down the beach stopping at intervals to join the Sanderlings in the surf. I kept it in view for as long as I could until, once again the dogs intervened and it flew down the beach and out of sight. Not five minutes later Jon arrived. This happens so often in birding! He and his companions decided to move down to a further parking lot to try and catch the gull there. He later sent me a text letting me know that they found the Black-headed Gull and he could add it to his Santa Cruz County list. So a successful day for all!

I really enjoyed meeting Jon, he is one of the friendliest birders I have encountered out there in the field. He is also generous in his knowledge and happy to share it in a way that doesn't display the least hint of condescension. I hope to bump into him again some day and this time to have my field guide with me so he can sign it!

 

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gull

Black-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

View more images of these gulls at this link

The Goose Loop Getaway

The season of the winter solstice is a special one for so many reasons. Humans the world over celebrate this turn of the year in a variety of ways and in some cases have even changed their traditions to fit this season. For example, the co-opting of the season by the Christian faith so that the birth of Christ is celebrated at the same time as the pagan rituals marking the turning of the season and the gradual return of longer days. But for all observers of nature and the world around us (both secular and non-secular), the low angle of light from the sun and the shorter days can create conditions of breathtaking beauty. Nowhere is this more evident than here in our great state of California. Our state is nearly 10 degrees in latitude from top to bottom. At the southern end on the Winter Solstice we receive almost 10 hours of sunlight, at the northern end of the state only 9. And of course, as you move northward in the state and the latitude increases the angle of the sun striking the earth decreases. It is these low angle beams of sunlight, often passing above, below and even through clouds that create moments of extraordinary beauty in the landscapes around us.

View our shared photo album of this trip.

This past week my birding buddies and I returned to Modoc County, California's most northeastern county where we witnessed first-hand the magic of the low winter light conditions. For many years in the past I visited this region on a Thanksgiving weekend trip to Tule Lake and Lava Beds National Monument and it has been some time since I have returned at this time of year. Michael, Jeff and I had not gotten together to bird since our Arizona trip in May so this seemed like good timing for another adventure. Also joining us this time was Erik Blomquist, Jeff's good friend from his days teaching in Aromas, CA. We secured an AirBnb in Alturas (the Goose Loop Getaway) to serve as our home base for our 2 day stay (I highly recommend this approach as it was comfortable, convenient, and inexpensive).

We began our trip by meeting Michael at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. We were interested to note that they have built an entirely new headquarters building with a new visitor's center that will open early in the new year. For that first afternoon we followed our traditional approach by driving the auto tour route off of Hill Rd. We knew that this year Tule Lake and Lower Klamath had not received the water that they need to support the large flocks of birds we would typically see. On our way in from Highway 97 we saw first-hand that Lower Klamath was almost completely dry. Traveling the tour route at Tule Lake we passed sumps that are usually full of water and birds but not this year. It wasn't until we were nearly to the south end of the refuge that we encountered water that held ducks, geese, and swans. We did enjoy good looks at many raptors as we drove the route. Tons of Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Cooper's Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, a couple of Bald Eagles, and a White-tailed Kite. We seemed to have all of the regular duck species to be found here: Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Pintail, Ring-necked, Ruddy, Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Shoveler, Canvasback, Hooded Merganser, and one very obvious and beautiful Eurasian Wigeon. Usually it is the great numbers of geese that excites the birders who brave the chilly temperatures at this time of the year. While they didn't disappoint, their numbers were not close to what we have seen here in the past. By far the most were Snow Geese with a few Ross's Geese thrown in. Also present were Canada and White-fronted Geese. They were joined by at least 25 Tundra Swans, always a graceful and beautiful bird. Perhaps the most stunning of all the birds we saw that afternoon was a beautiful blue phase Snow Goose, once thought to be a seperate species, it is a dark bodied Snow Goose with a white head, spectacular in the afternoon light.

Tule Lake NWR

Following our tour of the auto route we entered Lava Beds National Monument where we drove the main road through to connect with Highway 139. We were hoping to pick up some good Juniper/Pine forest birds to add to our list and on our way in we did see a Loggerheaded Shrike, however the main event of the Lava Beds tour was to witness the significant destruction caused by the Caldwell Fire in 2020. I had seen it the year after the burn and Michael, Jeff and Erik had not been to Lava Beds since the fire. I was hopeful that there had been some significant progress in the recovery; there was not. This landscape is a pretty resilient one but it is going to take a significant amount of time for it to recover to it's pre-fire state. However, with climate change there is some question as to whether or not it will ever reach it's pre-fire state. Will the same species repopulate the burn scar or will new ones, better adapted to a dryer/hotter climate replace them. Yet another thing to ponder as we make our way through the monument and then hit the road for Alturas and our base for the next 2 days.

Our Airbnb (the Goose Loop Getaway) wasn't fancy but was perfect for our adventure and the price was exceptionally reasonable. We settled in, made dinner, and crafted our plan for following day, all while the temperature was dropping outside to below freezing. In our younger days we would be camping at Lava Beds and freezing our butts off. The perks of retirement and older, creakier bones.

Our morning began with a scan around the property. Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Flickers, Quail, and Townsend's Solitaires made up our local residents. We then headed out to drive the tour loop at Modoc NWR. One of our reasons for coming to Alturas was the presence of water at this refuge. While other refuges in the area had many dry ponds and sumps Modoc had an abundance of it. What it didn't have was an abundance of birds. We managed 22 species here including our only Belted Kingfisher of the trip.

Modoc NWR

Heading south on 395, we made for Likely, CA. and from here headed into Jess Valley tucked up against the west flank of the Warner Mountains. It's here where you can find the headwaters of the South Fork of the Pitt River. We have visited this valley on several occasions before and it is always worth it. For highlights we had between 7 and 10 Golden Eagles, a number of Rough-legged hawks and tried very hard to turn up a Juniper Titmouse for Jeff. We left Jess Valley by West Warner Rd. a dirt forest road that traverses the west flank of the mountains, visiting Mill Creek CG and then making our way north. We very well may have been the last vehicle on that road this season as it was pretty muddy and slippery and the next storm would surely make it impassable.

Coming down out of the mountains we had thoughts of lunch so made a quick stop at the Goose Loop Getaway, savored the smell of our cooking dinner, ate, and piled back in the truck for the last stage of the day - a trip to the other side of the Warners and Surprise Valley.

Surprise Valley in the extreme northeast corner of California might be one of the most remote and least visited sections of the entire state today, but it has an important place in the history of early emigration into the state. In 1846 the Applegate trail was established as a safer alternative to the Oregon trail for settlers heading for the Willamette River Valley. Coming from Nevada it crossed the Warner Mountains at Fandango Pass then turned north for the Oregon country. Then, in 1848, after the gold discovery, the Lassen Cut-off was created by Peter Lassen which took settlers south after crossing Fandango Pass down into California. This emigrant trail was heavily traveled until 1853 when the wagon road over Cedar Pass (modern day Highway 299) opened and the Lassen Cut-off shifted to this route. Many early California settlers, aware of the 1846 Donner Party tragedy, wished to avoid the high Sierra crossings and thus chose this route into the state. Here is an excerpt from the 1849 journal of Elijah Bryan Farnham describing his parties' approach to Fandango Pass: 

"Commenced our travil along the border of the dry the lake bed of the through a grassy valley The tall Siera was on our left Covered with magnificent finery [pines?] along its whole extent There pines coverd hills contrasted well with those barren plains There were plenty of streams a running from the mountains The prospect was that our Suffering for water was over Camped on the eastern base of the mountain for the last time For to morrow by good luck we expected to cross".

Surprise Valley

As we made our way over the Warners and down into Surprise Valley we were greeted by spectacular afternoon sunlight filtering through the piles of clouds covering the peaks of the the Warner Mountains. This valley is known for flocks of sparrows in the winter and is the one place in California where it possible to see a Bobolink (in spring). We were hoping to turn up something interesting as we drove the farm roads heading east towards Nevada. Instead we were struck by the paucity of birds, nothing like what we expected here. However, it wasn't a total bust. We had some incredible views of Ferruginous Hawks, both light and dark phased. It's rare that you get to see them together. We had a stunning Mountain Bluebird that seemed almost turquoise in the low afternoon light and we ended the day on a high note with a very sharp looking Prairie Falcon. 

Jeff's shot of the Prairie Falcon.

Our final day began with some weather as we made our way back south. Our plan was to follow Highway 299 back towards Redding where we would split up to return home. We encountered some snow flurries on the road as we went over the mountain to drop down into the valley that holds the town of Bieber and the Ash Creek Wildlife Area. Making a brief stop here we visited the Barn Owl that roosts in, of all places, a dilapidated barn, and saw a few other resident species. From here we went to the end of Rat Farm Rd. in McArther and Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park. Again, not a huge number of birds but we did see several Tundra Swans, Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, a Bald Eagle, Ring-necked Ducks, and a very cool American Bittern to name a few. This is a great place to visit and I would really like to return in the spring with Kayaks to properly explore it.

Michael & the Ash Creek Barn

We stopped at the rest area where Hat Creek crosses Highway 299 and bid farewell to Michael. Then we headed south down I-5 for one more stop at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Here the shear number of Snow Geese was the most impressive aspect of our quick visit. There were also large numbers of ducks and our only Wilson's Snipe of the trip. Jeff also pulled us out a nice Glaucous-winged Gull. I think that an argument can be made that because of the scarcity of water in the Klamath Basin, numbers of geese and ducks at the Central Valley refuges have gone up. Hard to prove but a reasonable supposition.

All in all, another great trip in the books. It gives me the itch to start thinking about other adventures we might have this spring.

A happy and joyous holiday season to all!

Danette's Best Bird

I'm not the birder that gets excited about gulls. They are usually quite frustrating for me. Over the years I have managed to see most of the gull species that inhabit at least the lower 48 and a few of the arctic species as well.  One that has eluded me until today is the world's second largest gull - the Glaucous Gull. Best described as a large, pale arctic gull, their range in the winter brings them just down into Northern California. They are actually seen with some regularity around the coast of Northern California but in the winter gulls tend to congregate in large numbers and finding the unusual one amongst hundreds, sometimes thousands of other gulls, each capable of showing you a variety of different plumages (cycles) depending on how old they are, is enough to send me a little bit around the bend.

Anyway, my wife Danette had an errand to run today up to the lovely hamlet of Chico and I went along because - well, I'm retired and a trip out of town sounded like fun. Once again, thanks to ebird, I was aware of a Glaucous Gull sighting at the Feather River Parkway and Fish Hatchery in Oroville which just happens to be on the way to Chico. Long story short, Danette said that this was the best rare bird sighting she had ever been a part of (we saw the bird before I even turned the car off). Painless, she didn't even have to get out! To her credit she did get out and we spent a few minutes watching and getting some photos. We also noticed why this was a good spot for gulls to congregate. All through the shallows we could see large salmon in various states of decay, some living, some not. They had completed their last journey and done their duty at the hatchery across the river and were now fulfilling their last duty in the circle of life - food for the scavangers.

A fun day out and a new bird to boot! Species number 573.

A Lapland Longspur at the Dump

There is an interesting relationship between birds and garbage dumps. In some cases it is an active landfill where birds (especially gulls) can be found. For example, the Tamaulipas Crow can only be seen within the North American ABA area at the public landfill in Brownsville, Texas. I know, I've been there. But it is the increasingly more common occurrence of birds being found at what was once a landfill but is now capped over and reclaimed land. Some notable examples of this here in my home state are the following:

• The now world famous Arcata Marsh Project in Arcata, CA.
• The American Canyon Wetlands in American Canyon, CA.
• Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline Park in San Leandro, CA.
• Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley, CA.

These are just a few of the many that I visit with some regularity here in Northern California. Some pretty nice places that cover over the massive amount of waste that we generate. We have since learned to hide our landfills farther away from urban centers in places that are not so environmentally sensitive. Sometimes I wonder if this is a bad thing as we seem to be more disconnected from our garbage and we really don't realize how much of it we create as we no longer have to look at it or smell it near our communities.

All that being said, I found myself at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley because of some ebird reports of Lapland Longspurs foraging in the grasslands that now cover what used to be a landfill. Danette and I had been doing some shopping in the area and she agreed to a quick stop to see if they could be located. Lapland Longspurs are sparrow like birds that are regularly seen during the winter months at a few locations around the Bay Area. This is another species that has always eluded my detection so I figured this was a pretty good chance to rectify the situation. As I walked over the grassy area spotting Meadow Larks, Pipits, and Savannah Sparrows, I spotted another birder with a large camera rig and checked in with him. Fortunately, he was camped out right in the middle of an area that they were frequenting and within a matter of minutes there they were. I had good looks at three of them as they foraged and managed to get a few pictures but lighting was not good enough to call them really decent photos. So there we are, Lapland Longspur, bird number 572. Slowly heading for 600.

First New Rarity of the Season

Bar-tailed Godwit

The day was unusually warm as an early October heatwave descended on the Bay Area. Looking across the Bay we could see two of the largest cruise ships I had ever seen docked in San Francisco. Glancing up we could see the Blue Angels practicing for their Fleet Week performance. And just a few hundred yards away we could hear the horn blasts and see the organized chaos that is one of the largest container ports in the world. Hardly the place where you would expect to find a rare bird. 

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in the middle of the Port of Oakland seems a bit of an afterthought and is generally unknown to most people, but it does have a reputation amongst birders as being a good place to view a variety of different shorebirds. Word had gotten out on the listserves that a Bar-tailed Godwit was being seen here so I texted Jeff and he met me there and acted as my guide since he had seen the bird the previous day.

The Bar-tailed Godwit has been a problem bird for me. Two years ago one wintered in Emeryville and I tried numerous times to see it without any luck. Most recently, on our way home from the San Juan Islands, Danette and I made a slight detour along the coast of Washington to Tokeland to see one that had been there for at least six weeks - no luck. I was beginning to think that this was going to be my new nemisis bird. I can now rest easy in the knowledge that they do actually exist. Within one minute of setting up his scope Jeff found the Godwit on a sandbar in the harbor surrounded by a large number of close cousins, Marbled Godwits. For the next half hour we enjoyed leisurely views of the bird and took in the beautiful day around us.

The image above shows the Bar-tailed at the top just left of center. In this image you can see the size difference with the Marbled Godwits around it and see its paler color, heavier barring, and white supercilium. Those are Elegant Terns in the foreground - the "bad hair day birds."

A few more words about the Bar-tailed Godwit. It is widely held that these birds are the champions of non-stop migration. Each fall they leave Alaska and fly non-stop over the Pacific to New Zealand, a journey of over 7,000 miles accomplished over eight days, losing over half their body weight in the process. Astonishing! There is no way of knowing why the bird we saw is not on this traditional route, but we do know from previous records that their appearance on the Pacific Coast is not out of the question. Like many other bird species the Bar-tailed Godwit is in decline particularly due to habitat loss along the coast of the Yellow Sea where it depends on mudflats to feed during the return journey to Alaska.

This is a bird you can't help but to admire. If you'd like to learn more about this distance champion I would point you to this article from Audubon's "The Sketch."

Link to the google photo album of my images.

Glorious Northeastern California

Yellow Creek in Humbug Valley

In these days of divisive politics and regional conflicts California often takes a beating in the national eye. Yes, we are a majority liberal, open-minded and inclusive state and I make no apologies for that. People have their opinions and disagreements about these things and that's fine. But the one thing that you simply can't disagree on as far as California goes is it's incredible natural beauty. The Golden State has it all (except tropical rainforest) and I took a couple of days to visit one of my favorite parts of it this past week.

Growing up we spent a fair amount of time during our summer holidays in the Lake Almanor region with my mom's cousin's family. These fishing, hiking and camping adventures have always held a special place in my heart and it seems that every time I return, the area is even more beautiful. That's actually saying something as today the evidence of climate change is right in front of your face with horrible burn scars from the recent fires.

Butte Creek

The birding portion of my trip began as it has in the past with the turn off of highway 32 onto Humboldt Rd. I followed this road up to Jonesville then over to the Humbug Road. This road on through Butte Meadows and up to Jonesville is really quite beautiful and would make an excellent bike ride, however, after Jonesville you enter the burn scar and it is quite devastating. Many of the typical forest birds of this area were seen with the highlight being an American Dipper doing his thing in Butte Creek.

American Dipper

As I crested the Humbug Summit and began to drop down again I passed through heavily burned forest. Signs of recovery were evident in the understory with broad swathes of light purple color from the many patches of blooming penstemon. I turned off the Humburg Road and headed south towards Soda Creek Canyon for the day's main activity - a hike down to fish Soda Creek. Maps indicate a trail down into the canyon from Deer Point however it has been many years since that trail has seen any maintenance and it was difficult to follow all the way down. None-the-less I made it down to the creek and enjoyed a really nice afternoon of fishing. The creek is full of Rainbows and I think I only caught one less than 10 inches. At one point I had solid strike from one much bigger than that but he shook the hook pretty quickly. It was really good to return to this creek that Vic had introduced me to so many years ago. Back then I had a great day fishing with my dad, Vic and Ralph Andre. This time I was all alone but I felt all three of them with me as I had another fantastic afternoon.

Upper Soda Creek Canyon

Soda Creek

Soda Creek Rainbow

After the nearly 1,000 foot climb out of the canyon and back to the truck I was pretty tired and decided that the rest of the trip would be for the birds and the fishing was done. Continuing on my way through the burn scar I headed for Humbug Valley where I expected to camp at Yellow Creek Campground, one of the most picturesque campgrounds I have ever encountered. As I turned to follow the road towards the campground I added two of my favorite mountain birds to my list, Lazuli Bunting and a family of Mountain Quail. Continuing on I was met with quite a shock. The campground was in ruins, the fire had done a significant amount of damage and it was obviously closed. So it would be plan B for camping, I headed into and through Chester and over to Clear Creek and camped out on my cousin's deck next to the creek. A lovely spot but pretty buggy. I watched the Common Nighthawks above the creek as I drifted off to sleep. 

The burned over Yellow Creek Campground

Next morning it was up early for coffee and pastries and on the road towards Eagle Lake. I took the A1 (Eagle Lake Rd.) off of Hwy. 36 which takes you up over a pass on its way to the lake. A few years back Jeff and I had taken this road and stopped at the pass and it was a good birding spot, it still is. Here I added Cassin's and Warbling Vireos, Orange-crowned Warbler, a curious pair of Northern Harriers, and Red and White-breasted Nuthatches to name a few. Eagle Lake brought me numerous Osprey, Vesper Sparrow, White-faced Ibis and a variety of duck species. Continuing north on CA 139 I made my way to the Ash Creek Wildlife Area just off of CA 299. Here I added Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Swainson's Hawk and a family of Barn Owls in the barn next to the parking area.

Barn Owls

Heading west on 299 I made a stop at Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park at the end of Rat Farm Rd. Over the years I have seen a number of interesting e-bird reports from this location so I wanted to check it out. It was of course the middle of the day so birdwise it was quite slow. I did enjoy a flyover of a Bald Eagle. As I drove west on 299 through McArthur, Fall River Mills,  and Burney I was reminded of what a scenic road it is. I picnicked at Hat Creek and followed the unique drainage of the Pit River as it made its way towards Shasta Lake. My last recorded bird for the trip was a singing Yellow-breasted Chat along Little Cow Creek next the Hwy. 299.

All-in-all a good trip that brought back many good memories. While there is no doubt that the fire damage in the area around Lake Almanor is significant, what we do know is that over time it will recover. The big question that climate change brings is how it will recover. Will the once great pine and fir forests of the area return or will we see something different in its place. Time will tell and I will continue to visit and watch as long as I can.

Humbug Valley

Hanky-Panky in the High Desert

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Part of the fun of being a birder is thinking back on previous adventures and remembering the details of a first sighting. I recently had cause to recollect the first time I saw the Greater Sage Grouse.