The Mountains

Last weekend my dad and I took a trip up to the San Jacinto Mountains, an interesting mountain range a couple hours due east of us in Riverside County. In the San Jacintos it is easy to find species that are difficult or impossible to find in Orange County, including White-headed Woodpecker, Tricolored Blackbird, and Steller's Jay. It is also very fun to camp and hike in the wilderness among great birds and another animals.

Dad and I left Thursday evening and made it up to Boulder Basin Campground by nine O'clock. Boulder Basin is a very remote place; a bumpy five-mile drive up a rough mountain road is required to reach it. After setting up camp we wandered through the deserted campground, listening for owls (the campground is supposedly a good spot for Flammulated), but all was silent. Finally, as we were drifting off to sleep in our tent, a Western Screech-Owl called several times. I found this very unusual, since the campground is 7,800 feet above sea level and is vegetated mostly with pine trees. Screech-Owls aren't supposed to be up so high, but it was, and who knows why.

We awoke early Friday morning to the twittering of Violet-green Swallows swooping around the campground. As the morning slowly dawned, other species added their voices: Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Western Tanager, White-headed Woodpecker, and others. We birded around the campground for a few minutes, finding a few new species, including Dusky Flycatcher, Black-chinned Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, and Pygmy Nuthatch.



Once we were all packed up, we bounced a few miles further up Black Mountain Road. A lookout a mile or two past Boulder Basin offers stupendous views. A family of Rock Wrens was jumping around the large rocks here, and the warbled song of a Cassin's Finch drifted up from the forest below.



We took a quick walk around the parking area for the Fuller Ridge Trail, about 8,000 feet above sea level. Here, both Fox Sparrows (of the "Thick-billed" group) and Green-tailed Towhees sang their similar melodious tunes from the tops of stunted trees.



The road doesn't really go anywhere past the Fuller Ridge Trailhead, so we turned around and descended the mountain. After a rough ride, we made it back to the unbelievably smooth highway. We searched a couple creeks for dippers, but once again we failed to find any. By the time we reached Idyllwild it was roughly lunch time, so we stopped and had lunch at Idyllwild County Park nature center. The feeders there were unfilled and desolate. After finishing up, we drove around to the other side of the park and set up camp in the campground. I quickly made friends with the local Steller's Jays with a bag of peanuts I had brought for just that purpose. The brazen birds would land on the other end of the picnic table and steal peanuts right out of the bag!



Later in the afternoon, we took a drive down the highway to Lake Hemet and the Garner Valley. Lake Hemet, usually devoid of birds, produced a Bald Eagle, a Clark's Grebe, and some Mallards and Coots. Sinister thunderheads rolled in, rumbling and sprinkling a bit of rain but not doing anything serious.



The alarm clock sounded early on Saturday morning, around five-thirty. We were planning to hike up the Devil's Slide Trail above Idyllwild, and an early start is a good way to beat the heat of the day. The first mile or two of the hike is rather dull bird-wise, but offers nice views of Suicide Rock (top of this post.) After a couple hours of hiking, however, we found some interesting birds, including Red-breasted Sapsucker, Mountain Quail, Green-tailed Towhee, Brown Creeper, and Hermit Warbler. When we reached Saddle Junction, two and a half miles and 1,500 feet above the parking lot, we decided to take the trail to Tahquitz Peak. Unfortunately, this trail simply disappeared after a quarter-mile, so after wandering around in the woods for awhile, we turned around and headed back to Saddle Junction. We took the Pacific Crest Trail about a mile farther up, probably to about 9,000 feet above sea level. The views from up there were spectacular, to say the least!



It was a long and hot hike, hard on the knees, back down to the parking lot. We got back to our campsite in the early afternoon. Some Western Gray Squirrels and Acorn Woodpeckers had joined the Steller's Jays in snitching peanuts.



After a lovely grilled dinner of kebabs, squash, and eggplant, we drove around a bit in the evening. One some random back roads above Idyllwild we were treated to a beautiful sunset.



I wanted to stay up late and look for Flammulated Owls at Humber Park above Idyllwild, but my dad didn't like this idea so we went to bed early instead. I'll get Flammulated once I don't have the stupid 11 p.m. - 5 a.m. curfew on my driver's license. We ended up getting up ridiculously early Sunday morning; we were packed up and out of the campground by six thirty. After the mandatory coffee stop, we took Highway 74 down through the Garner Valley to Santa Rosa Mountain. On the way, we saw a Bobcat dead in the road (and yes, we did actually stop so I could get a photo!)



We also stopped for a colony of Tricolored Blackbirds in a little swampy area near Lake Hemet. There were dozens of them in this tiny marsh right next to the highway, and many more in the surrounding fields. They look just like Red-winged Blackbirds, save for the white stripe below the red instead of a pale yellow stripe. Their call notes are also noticeably different - more of a choking sound than anything else.



Our trip up Santa Rosa Mountain turned out to be a bust, since the road was way to rough for our minivan to handle. Gr. I can't wait to get a Jeep or something that is actually capable of going up dirt roads. In the half-mile or so we went up the road we saw Black-chinned Sparrow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Black-headed Grosbeak. After our failed excursion, we headed back through the Garner Valley and drove random roads until we came across a flock of Pinyon Jays. After finally finding them we couldn't seem to get away from them, as we heard several other flocks. We took a drive up a not-so-rough dirt road, and, in some hills above the valley, I picked out an unfamiliar sparrow song. I had a hunch that it was a Sage Sparrow, and after listening to it on my iPod I was sure that's what it was. I eventually spotted it singing from the top of a bush close to the road and obtained some crummy photos.



At this point there wasn't much left to do in the mountains, so we cruised down Highway 74, past Hemet (another coffee stop was in order), and on to San Jacinto Wildlife Area. On our way there we came across a field filled with White-faced Ibis, along with four Cattle Egrets. I've never seen so many Ibis in one place before!



We took a quick spin through the auto tour loop at San Jacinto Wildlife Area. As I expected, there wasn't too much there, since most of the ducks and shorebirds have departed. However, I was surprised to find at least twenty Yellow-headed Blackbirds in one pond, the males displaying and giving their raucous calls. I also heard a Virginia Rail here.



We birded for a few more minutes at San Jacinto Wildlife Area before heading home. In a few days of camping we had accumulated a truly incredible amount of dust and muck on the car, inside and out. We quickly got the car unloaded and washed, much to my mom's relief (the van technically is her car, after all.) We saw some great birds (no lifers, but seven new species for Riverside County) and had a fun time hiking, grilling, birding, and adventuring. I can't wait to do it again.

More Mountains

I am a relative newcomer to southern California, but I've learned one thing very well. Birding in the mountains in the summer is a blast. Last weekend I had the opportunity to slip back up to the San Jacinto Mountains with my dad and Chris West, a young birder visiting from Wisconsin.

After battling rush-hour traffic on Friday evening, we finally arrived at Boulder Basin Campground at the north end of the San Jacinto Mountains after dark. Instead of looking for owls as we should have done, we set up camp and collapsed in our sleeping bags.

Morning came, and the birds woke us up early. After gobbling up some muffins and doughnut holes, Chris and I climbed up on top of a nearby hill, scrambling over the immense boulders. We quickly found typical mountain birds such as Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Stellar's Jay, Brown Creeper, and Violet-green Swallow. I also spotted Chris's first White-headed Woodpeckers, a family going about their business in the crown of a tall pine tree. Some of the boulders we climbed offered commanding views.



After we broke camp, we explored Forest Service Road 4S01 for several miles past Boulder Basin. In the Fuller Ridge area we found exciting birds such as Rock Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Cassin's Finch. The road also gave spectacular views of the desert over a mile below. After wandering around a little bit more (and finding Chris's life Green-tailed Towhees in the process) we descended the mountain back to Highway 243. On the way down, a flock of Mountain Quail scurried across the road. We managed to track them down as they ran off into the brush. Another lifer for Chris, and always a fun bird to see.

In the early afternoon, we set up camp at Idyllwild County Park. We sought shade under the towering pine trees; the sun was warm. We spent most of the afternoon resting in the shade, chasing butterflies, and showering. Chris managed to catch this California Dogface, a life butterfly for me. If you have a vivid imagination, perhaps you can see the profile of a poodle head on its wing. The tops of the wings are gaudily colored.



We befriended a couple Stellar's Jays around the campsite, bribing them with tasty peanut snacks. The jays were very tame, and would eat peanuts on a stump five feet away as we watched and clicked away with our cameras.



As the temperatures cooled in the evening, we drove to the Garner Valley area to search for other birds. Lake Hemet produced a lone Western Grebe and a few Caspian Terns. We found a flock of Tricolored Blackbirds in the small marshy creek on Highway 74 past Lake Hemet. This interesting little wetland produced not only the Tricolored Blackbirds but also Black-crowned Night-Herons, American Coots, Lawrence's Goldfinches, and Great-tailed Grackles. The Tricolored Blackbirds and Lawrence's Goldfinches were both lifers for Chris.



Here is a view of the creek, with the hills in the background.



We raced around the Garner Valley as the light faded, hoping for Pinyon Jays. The jays outwitted us, and we returned to our campground disappointed. Chris and I vowed to look for owls that night, but weariness won again. However, I did hear a Western Screech-Owl calling above our tent, so the night wasn't completely owl-less.

We were in for a surprise on Sunday morning. Rain! I had assured Chris that it never rained in the summer in southern California and that we didn't need rain fly; Chris reminded me of this as we frantically tore down our tents and shoved them in the car as the rain pelted our backs. The rain tapered off, and we decided to try hiking up the Devil's Slide Trail. Everything was fine at first; we hiked up, trying to ignore the ominous gray clouds hanging over the mountain.



The weather finally defeated us. Rain began dripping out of the sky, and thunder clapped in the distance. The clouds seemed to get darker, and much of the forest was concealed by mist. We turned around and headed back for the car. I paused on the way down to photograph the misty forest below.



What to do? I had planned to spent the whole morning hiking up the Devil's Slide Trail, and we were supposed to pick up John Garret (fellow young birder) in Idyllwild early in the afternoon. We spent the rest of the morning birding the Garner Valley. We still couldn't find any Pinyon Jays, but we located a cluster of at least thirty Lawrence's Goldfinches foraging by the roadside. We ended up seeing over fifty that morning. This photo shows ten Lawrence's Goldfinches.



Some two hours of cruising random roads in hopes of Pinyon Jays later, I spotted a few large blue birds walking around on the side of the road. Pinyon Jays! We were greeted by their nasal calls as we leaped from the van. It was quite a large flock, perhaps twenty strong. It included many begging juveniles. They were utterly uncooperative for photos, but I couldn't help including a photo here because they are such neat birds.



We celebrated our success by feasting on sandwiches (I discovered that grape sandwiches are delicious) at Lake Hemet. I tossed a few peanuts to a loitering Western Scrub-Jay; soon we were surrounded by nearly ten scrub-jays screaming for food.



After picking John Garrett up in Idyllwild early in the afternoon, we headed for home. It was a fun jaunt - I didn't pick up any lifers, but I found quite a few for Chris. I also managed to find several county birds. And, of course, mountain birding is always fun. It makes a nice break from all those California Gnatcatchers...

Somewhat Artistic Photography

Well, I am done writing about my recent adventures in the San Jacinto Mountains. I am, however, still sorting through and editing my photos. I took hundreds of photos, and it was difficult to choose which ones to include here on my blog. I ended up with many photos that I wanted to post, but just didn't fit in. So, here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend.

Suicide Rock:


Oak leaves:


Forest floor:


Pine bark:


Yucca in bloom:


Pine cone (Ponderosa, I think):


Lily Rock and Tahquitz Peak:


Pine needles:


Fern:


Explanation unnecessary:

Montane Adventures - Part III

It was a beautiful day... the sun beat down. I had the radio on, I was drivin'. The trees went by... me and Del were singin'. Little runaway, I was flyin'.

Well, it was a beautiful day, the sun was beating down, and the trees were going by. Tom Petty, however, never said anything about birding, or, more specifically, searching for Pinyon Jays. My dad and I were drivin' along Highway 74, when a pale blue bird flew up from the side of the road. We stopped, and sure enough, there was a Pinyon Jay walking around in the road. Several others called from the pine trees along the road. We had nice looks at them, and heard Western Meadowlarks and a Black-chinned Sparrow while we were stopped.

Sunday was our last day of birding the San Jacinto Mountains. Per usual, we arose early (fortunately, the swallows did not disturb us during the night; either they weren't calling or they didn't wake us up) and quickly packed up and left. While driving through the Garner Valley, we spotted several Pinyon Jays. Our main target, however, lay some miles up the road. We were headed for some desert areas to search for birds of the desert. We reached the Cahuilla Tewana Overlook, located along Highway 74, around 7:30 a.m. As soon as we exited the car, we were hit by a wall of heat. Phew! The sun was really beating down now!



At first, all was quiet apart from some buzzing cicadas. Then a very sharp-looking Black-throated Sparrow popped up atop a yucca and serenaded us for several minutes. It stayed there long enough for me to find in in my scope and digiscope several shots.



After a short time, we decided to get out of there and leave the hot desert to the lizards (there were many, including California Whiptail), Black-throated Sparrows, and antelope squirrels (at least, I'm pretty sure that's what they were). We took a spin through Pinyon Flats Campground, which produced nothing other than a couple Western Scrub-Jays. On a whim, I decided to stop at the intersection of Highway 74 and Santa Rose Mountain Road to search for Gray Vireos. A long shot, but it can't hurt to look, I thought as we pulled over and stepped out into the heat. We were greeted by the song of a Gray Vireo drifting up out of the chaparral-clad canyon! I quickly whipped out my iPod and played Gray Vireo a couple times. A small gray bird popped up in a bush in front of us - there it was! It sat there and sang a few times, looking for what it thought was an intruder, before flitting back down into the canyon. Another life bird for me, and an exciting one at that; it is rare here and difficult to find.

By now, it was very hot and the birds were difficult to find, so we hit the road for home. It was a really fun trip; I saw five life birds, sixteen year birds, and nine state birds. Of course, the scenery was nothing short of incredible. I can't wait to go again!

Montane Adventures - Part II

Saturday morning was much like Friday morning, except that the Violet-green Swallows began calling at three-thirty instead of four-ten. As I lay there attempting to drift back to sleep, I heard a new voice. Who-who-who, whoooo-who! An owl! "Only" a Great Horned Owl, but I enjoyed lying there listening to it hoot. Another one answered back, and those two owls hooted back and forth the rest of the night. A Western Screech-Owl also called briefly from nearby.

My dad and I pried ourselves out of our sleeping bags at five-fifteen, enjoyed a quick breakfast, and then went out foraging for coffee. We quickly succeeded, and headed up to the trail head for the Devil's Slide Trail. The trail, starting from Humber Park a couple miles above Idyllwild, snakes up high into the mountains and even reaches Mt. San Jacinto (elevation 10,786 feet). That was too long of a hike for us, but we were determined to climb as high as possible on the trail. We started our ascent up the steep and rocky trail just as the sun was starting to peep over the high ridges. The trail is remarkably scenic. However, it is easy to get distracted from the scenery by the birds. We hadn't gone far before we began seeing higher-elevation species such as Yellow-rumped Warbler (looking very fine in alternate plumage), Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Brown Creeper.

Birds weren't the only animals out and about along the trail. Cliff Chipmunks and Western Gray Squirrels scampered over the rocks and scolded us from the tree branches as we passed by. This Cliff Chipmunk scurried up a log to check me out while I was trying to pish in some birds. I can't say I've ever pished in a chipmunk before...



As the temperature rose, lizards emerged from their lairs and basked on sunny rocks. There were quite a few similar to this one. My lizard identification skills leave something to be desired (if they even exist), and I'm not sure what it is. My best guess is Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus), but I am probably wrong. Thoughts?



After a long hike, we reached Saddle Junction, two and a half miles above the trail head. The idyllic pine forests and stunted vegetation here produced Pine Siskin, Cassin's Vireo, Dusky Flycatcher, Fox Sparrow, and Green-tailed Towhee. We decided to take a "quick look" up the Pacific Crest Trail toward the peak. We ended up hiking over a mile up the steep trail, hoping to find a Clark's Nutcracker or Williamson's Sapsucker. No luck. We had nary a sniff of a Clark's Nutcracker, and every sapsucker call note or drum I tracked down turned out to be a Red-breasted Sapsucker. The views, however, were spectacular. Lily Rock (pictured at the top of this post) loomed overhead when we began our hike, and now we were high above it.



After a pause for lunch, we began the descent back to the trail head. By now, the sun was high overhead and birds were not nearly as active. The walk down was much less strenuous than the hike up. I got lucky and spotted a Townsend's Solitaire, a gray bird that blended in well with the gray shadows of the sky-high pine trees. A state bird for me, and only the third I've ever seen (I've seen singles in Ontario and Michigan!).

We continued our way down, gulping gatorade and trying to stay in the shade as much as possible. We stared in horror at the crazy backpackers sweating their way up the trail, stooped under the weight of their enormous packs. We reached the trail head around 12:30 p.m., six hours after we started. It had taken us four hours to climb up and only two to come back down. It was roughly seven miles round trip. An awesome hike filled with amazing scenery and birds!

The rest of the afternoon we spent relaxing in the shade at our campsite. The Stellar's Jay was still hanging around, hoping for handouts, and he had brought some of his friends. We ended up with four Stellar's Jays squawking at us! As soon as I would toss a peanut, one would drop down, snatch the peanut, and go stash it somewhere. Repeat. Those jays certainly won't be going hungry any time soon.



Later in the afternoon, as it cooled down, I took a walk around the park. The large ponderosa pines sprinkled liberally throughout the park provide good habitat for species such as White-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Dark-eyed Junco. A small riparian area lines the tiny trickle of a creek that runs through the park. Here I found Black-headed Grosbeaks, Spotted Towhees, and others. A couple of very inquisitive Dark-eyed Juncos were very curious about my pishing and flew in very close.



That evening, after a nice dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, we attempted to find Flammulated Owls around the parking lot at Humber Park near Idyllwild. It was in vain. The only night creatures we could find were the bats swooping around over the parking lot, the mosquitoes that whined in our ears, and the ants that crawled up our legs. It may take a while, but I will find a Flammulated Owl. Eventually.

Montane Adventures - Part I

I was suddenly jerked out of my restless sleep. I yawned, and burrowed deeper in my sleeping bag. Then I heard the sound again - the sound that had woken me up, a twittery chatter. I groggily sifted through the possibilities in my sleep-deprived head. No, it wasn't an owl... or a nightjar. Then it clicked - Violet-Green Swallow. But why was it calling in the middle of the night, when the only light came from the soft silver glow of the moon? I sat up, confused, and groped for the alarm clock. Four-ten. I groaned and fell back on my pillow. Sleep, however, was elusive. The combination of the incessant twittering of the swallows, the squeaks of bats fluttering around the tent, and my building excitement simply made sleep impossible. I laid there, listening my dad snoring next to me and also waiting for other birds to wake up. As the darkness gradually changed to pre-dawn gray, birds other than those crazy swallows started calling. Western Bluebird. Mountain Chickadee. Stellar's Jay. Western Wood-Pewee.

This was how my Friday morning started. My dad and I were camping at Boulder Basin Campground, a remote campground located high in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County. After a spartan breakfast, we immediately set about the business of finding birds. One of the first birds I laid my eyes on was a beautiful male Cassin's Finch singing from the top of a dead pine tree. A lifer, and a promising start the the trip. As we wandered around the campground (which was deserted except for a handful of other campers), we encountered a variety of other mountain birds, such as Pygmy Nuthatch, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Brown Creeper. I was excited to see a pair of Red Crossbills fly over. Another lifer. Red Crossbill has always been something of a nemesis bird for me, so I was happy to pin it down.

My dad's urgent need for coffee forced us to depart early (remote campgrounds on top of mountains generally aren't good habitat for coffee shops). On the way down the dirt road from the campground to the highway, we found birds such as Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. Incidentally, the road (4S01) was rather rough and dusty; it wasn't until the next day that I read "Low-clearance vehicles are not recommended on Forest Road 4S01." We were driving a Ford Taurus.

After the mandatory coffee stop, we took a short hike along the North Fork of the San Jacinto Creek. We were greeted by makeshift signs warning us to stay away from the creek because of the endangered Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs that reside there. We had to keep at least ten feet away from the water so as not to disturb the frogs. After a short stroll, a male Mountain Quail scurried across the path ahead of me. Instead of disappearing into the brush as I expected it to do, the bird climbed up on a large rock above the trail, peered down at us, and gave churring calls. We had excellent looks and I snapped a few decent photos. Another lifer! While concentrating on the quail, I did not notice the numerous mosquitoes until I glanced down and saw about a dozen merrily sucking the blood out of my legs. We quickly bade good-bye to the quail and got out of there.



We headed towards the town of Idyllwild on the ridiculously scenic Highway 243. Our next stop was Idyllwild County Park, a delightful natural park filled with massive pines. The nature center boasts a large array of feeders, which attract lots of birds. Band-tailed Pigeons squabbled and waddled all over the place. I spotted a White-headed Woodpecker working a pine trunk right off the deck. A cracking bird!



By now we were nearly hungry enough to chase the birds off the feeders and gobble up the seed, so we paused for lunch. Like our camping breakfasts, our camping lunches border on barbaric. A few hastily made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, perhaps with some granola bars or an apple on the side, serve for lunch. Can't beat it!



Satisfied, we wandered around the Garner Valley for some time. A scenic area of meadows and pinyon pine forest, the Garner Valley is home to the highly sought-after Pinyon Jays, among other birds. We cruised around, windows rolled down, listening for birds. The birds were smarter than we were - it was hot, and the birds seemed to be taking a siesta. Suddenly, I spotted a feeder covered with birds. We stopped, hoping the people who lived there didn't mind two rather suspicious characters peering into their yard with binoculars. Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, and a black-faced finch with yellow wing bars munched seed out of the feeders. Wait - black face?! Yellow wing bars?! Lawrence's Goldfinch! We enjoyed fine looks of this stunning bird as it fed and battled the masses of Lesser Goldfinches on the feeder. Another life bird, and one I'm very happy about; I was rather embarrassed not to find any this spring. I couldn't get any good photos, but here's a horrible one just to show certain people (*ahem* Mr. Garrett) that I did actually manage to find one.



With that, we headed to the campground at Idyllwild County Park to set up camp. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the shade. Birds were not particularly plentiful, but a very brash Stellar's Jay demanded handouts of peanuts from me. I was happy to oblige. A few American Robins were hanging around as well. This species is not nearly as common in California as back east.



Later in the afternoon, as it cooled down, we took a short walk around the park to look for other birds. There were lots of Black-headed Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees, Stellar's Jays, and Pygmy Nuthatches along the small creek that runs through the park. I at last managed to get a shot of a Pygmy Nuthatch - these guys are tiny, hyperactive, and very difficult to photograph.



Ah, dinner. No going out to fancy restaurants for us. Instead, we cooked up a delicious and elegant supper of beans, potatoes, and hot dogs. Mmmmmmmmmm.