Sierras to the Salton Sea
1-10 Oct 2010
by Henry Detwiler

Ten fine days of wild weather, fantastic scenery, birding, and visiting old friends in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Owen's Valley, and at the Salton Sea.

139 species seen  Click here for bird checklist
Click on thumbnail pictures for full-sized photos. border  

   Early on the first day of October, accompanied by a gorgeous sunrise, I ventured east of Parker in search of the old Planet Mine and town site. A stop at the Bill Williams NWR turned up a few swallows and sparrows, and in the nearby canyons both Canyon and Rock Wrens were calling. Later that afternoon I stopped at the Bill Williams River delta and the shoreline of the Lake Havasu, adding many common birds, but none of the jaegers or rare gulls spotted several weeks earlier.
   Saturday morning started off with another beautiful sunrise over the Mohave Desert. As I drove into the old mining town of Randsburg,

chukar
Chukar

I was greeted by several flocks of portly Chukars--probably one of the easiest spots in California to see these naturalized gamebirds.

Parker, AZ Sunrise
Sunrise close to Parker, AZ

   A run past Swansea and up to the ghost town of Cerro Gordo in the mist and rain was exciting, and a Red-naped Sapsucker up at the top was a nice find. I camped in the foothills of these mountains that night, hearing the screech of a Barn Owl as the myriad stars blinked on.

Swansea, CA Ghost Town
Swansea, CA

   On Sunday morning Western Scrub-Jays, White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and Gambel's Quail were all singing or calling in the sagebrush around Independence, once more against the backdrop of an absolutely spectacular sunrise. I visited the geothermal activity at Hot Creek in the afternoon, but didn't do any birding for the rest of the day. By the time I reached Bridgeport that evening, some serious rains had set it in for the duration.
   On Monday morning I paid my first visit to Topaz Lake, where several

Hot Creek
Hot Creek

waterfowl and shorebird species added to the trip list. Monitor Pass (CA 89) provided striking winter scenery and glowing amber aspens.

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
white-crowned sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow


   At the ski resort of Kirkwood, I did some wintry birding in the chilly intermittent rains. But the birds didn't mind, and chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, and others came quite readily to my pishing and owl imitations.

Chipping Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow

   I spent the next few days with Nick and his family in the western foothills of the Sierras, visiting, relic hunting, and fishing. Good birds spotted here included the comical Acorn Woodpecker, flashy Yellow-billed Magpies, and the secretive California Quail.

Turkey Vultures
Kettling Turkey Vultures

Henry Detwiler in the snow at Carson Pass
Henry at Carson Pass

   Tuesday afternoon found us up at Kit Carson Pass, enjoying a wild blizzard which soon shut down the highway. Late Wednesday and again early on Thursday morning hundreds of Turkey Vultures were kettling over Nick's place and moving south.


Kitt Carson Pass
Carson Pass Blizzard

Sabine's Gull
Sabine's Gull

Sabine's Gull
Sabine's Gull

Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier

   By noon on Thursday I was back at Topaz Lake, where I found the bad weather had held up all manner of bird life. The best finds were a pair of juvenile Sabine's Gulls and a single Baird's Sandpiper. Farther south, the big lake close to Bridgeport was packed to the gills with pelicans, waterfowl, waders, and shorebirds. A Peregrine Falcon and several Northern Harriers would flush and scatter small flocks of birds as they made their rounds.

Mono Lake
Mono Lake

   Mono Lake was gorgeous in the setting sun, but I'd left the large flocks of birds behind me at Bridgeport. Some pishing did produce this pretty Sage Sparrow, though.

Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpie

Sage Sparrow
Sage Sparrow

 

American White Pelican
American White Pelican

 

   My final day on the road was Saturday, and I spent most of it along the east side of the Salton Sea. At Bombay Beach the receding sea had left lots of exposed shoreline and pilings--excellent habitat for American and Brown Pelicans, gulls, shorebirds, and both Caspian and Black Terns.

Brown Pelican
Brown Pelicans at Bombay Bay

Barn Owl
Barn Owl

   At the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge headquarters the Barn Owl was in his customary palm roost, directly in front of the office. The Sea wall at the end of Young Road still had a few remaining Brant, and farther north at Lack & Lindsey one of the few Yellow-footed Gulls was hanging out with it brethren. This time of year it can be hard to find flooded fields on any given day, so I was happy to find a sizable collection of Cattle Egrets and White-faced Ibis putting on an aerial show for me as I drove home by way of CA 115.

Brant as Salton Sea
Brant

Yellow-footed Gull at Salton Sea
Yellow-footed Gull

Cattle Egrets
Cattle Egrets & White-faced Ibis

I made it back to Yuma by suppertime, with great memories of beautiful scenery, spectacular sunrises, wild and woolly weather, catching up with friends, and fine birding.

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