California, 2024 (2 Viewers)

[rkj]

4 May 2024

I had not planned to do any birding today. It was raining – unusual here in May – and I needed to get ready for a trip to southern California. But yesterday there was an ebird post reporting a Mute Swan in a little lake in the middle of a mobile home park in Scott’s Valley. The post had several very good photos of the bird, and it was clearly a swan, but not a Mute Swan. Just what kind of a swan it was, was less clear. The two possibilities were Tunda Swan and less likely, if a wild bird, Trumpeter Swan. The two can be very hard to distinguish. Tundras are said to have a slightly concave culmen while the culmen of Trumpeters is said to be straighter. The feathers of the forehead are said to meet the top of the bill in a gentle curve in Tundras, but in a sharp point in Trumpeters. The eyes, on Tundras, if you believe, are separated almost completely by feathering from the black skin around the bill, but Trumpeters have the black skin broadly connecting to the eye. Tundras, it is claimed, usually have a yellow spot on the bill; Trumpeters almost never have such a spot. The photos posted showed a bird with a straight culmen (+ Trumpeter), curved forehead feathering (+ Tundra), broad connection of eye to bill (+ Trumpeter) and a small, faint, diffuse yellow spot on the bill (+ Tundra, maybe). Voice is said to be the most reliable distinguishing trait, but there was no recording with the post. I went down to see for myself. The bird was easily found and more tame than I would expect for a wild bird. Seeing it live, I learned nothing about its appearance that I had not seen in the photos, except that the base of the neck sometimes seemed completely submerged under the water as the bird was swimming with its head up, which has been claimed as a Trumpeter trait. Then it called, a loud tinny toot, the voice of a Trumpeter Swan. Some discussion on the local birders listserver led me to learn that it is a bird that was bought by the owners and released at the site years ago. I probably shouldn’t count it, but I did get some nice photos.

No new birds today, the total is still 279.

 

[rkj]

Cinco de Mayo

When I was young I was taught that there were three kinds of desert in California: the Great Basin Desert, dominated by sagebrush and found in a strip east of the Sierra Nevada mountains; the Mojave Desert, characterized by Joshua trees and found east of the high southern California mountains; and the Colorado Desert (usually recognized now as a low elevation manifestation of the Sonoran Desert) in low lands near the Colorado River. Really, though, there is a fourth desert in California, which we might call the San Joaquin Desert, found in the southwestern part of the San Joaquin Valley. There is a large area there that gets less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain per year. Much of it looks like much of the Great Basin Desert, though the dominant shrubs are saltbush rather than sagebrush. The diversity of plants and animals is probably as low as in any other of California’s deserts. It is there that I began my trip to southern California.

The drive down, on a Sunday morning, was really rather pleasant. That is something I have rarely said about driving from northern to southern California. Traffic was light and there were no construction delays. I came down US 101 to Paso Robles, then east on CA 46 and south on CA 33 to Taft. After extensive rain the previous day, the vegetation looked its best and there were fog and clouds enough to be picturesque without slowing the journey. (I was very happy to see the rain; it meant a cold front moved across the state and temperatures should be below normal for at least a few days – very welcome in the desert in May.) Why come to Taft? Among the few birds in the desert there is LeConte’s Thrasher. It does occur in other deserts too, but it is easiest to find here. Another of the birds there is Bell’s Sparrow. I have that on my year list already, but the species is much more common and easily seen in this area and I hoped to see many more. There was also a decent chance of finding Lesser Nighthawks, a species that is not always easy to locate.

I don’t know how land ownership breaks down in this area, but there is an extensive oil industry and lots of dirt roads that fan out from CA 33 to service the pumpjacks or for other reasons. Most of these have no signs indicating that trespassing is restricted. About 6 miles north of Taft I turned off onto a likely looking road and quickly spotted LeConte’s Thrashers and Bell’s Sparrows. After two years of good to excessive rainfall the ground was covered with dense grass, already dried up. I do not really know how this may have affected the populations of these birds, but they seemed to be doing okay for now. Later I stopped at a few more sites and found two more of the thrashers and several more of the sparrows. Checklists: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172330069, https://ebird.org/checklist/S172330334, https://ebird.org/checklist/S172330577.

Nighthawks have been reported over the desert in the area, but driving around town I found where the output of the local water treatment plant was used to irrigate some hay fields. It seemed to me that if I were a nighthawk this would make a much more attractive foraging site than any desert. I can’t say what happened in the evening over the deserts, but I did see two Lesser Nighthawks over the irrigated fields.

In Taft I stayed at the Holland Inn and Suites. Don’t ask me where they got the name; this area looks about as little like Holland as imaginable. For $80, including all taxes and fees, the room was clean, large and well furnished. The matrass was very firm. The tv was big, the channel selection was basic. Small microwave and refrigerator; no clothes iron, ironing board, or hair drier.

Two new species today, Lesser Nighthawk and LeConte’s Thrasher, and I am up to 281.

 

[rkj]

6 May 2024

I drove today to Primm, Nevada, with stops at Afton Canyon and Zzyzx. Afton Canyon is a site in the Mojave Desert about 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Baker. Here the Mojave River (calling this a river is perhaps dubious), which mostly runs underground, is pushed up by the local geology and there is a trickle of water on the surface, the size of a small creek, much of the time. There are some small, scattered willows and some dense clumps of acacias and other shrubs. It can be a good place for birds associated with these habitats, such as Lucy’s Warbler, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Bell’s Vireo, and Verdin, and less restricted desert species. At this time of year it may also attract migrants passing through. Unfortunately I hit it during the midday slows. I did managed to bump into a pair of Vedin, a pair of Gambel’s Quails, and a few Phainopeplas and Mourning Doves. I am not sure if a female Scott’s Oriole was breeding here – it does not seem like the right habitat – or not. I could say the same about Green Herons, Killdeer, and Northern Rough Winged Swallows. Birds that were surely migrants included Western Tanagers, Wilson’s Warblers, and a Greater Yellowlegs. eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172740113.

Zzyzx is a little closer to Baker. The name was made-up by a promoter who built a spa at the site in the 1940s. Now it is the location of the Desert Studies Center, associated with the California State University system. There is limited public access, but that does include a trail around a permanent pond. The pond and the surrounding vegetation attract a variety of vagrants. Today that included a Red-breasted Merganser and some Spotted Sandpipers.

I stopped in Baker for a root-beer float, decided that I was still tired, and went on to my hotel for the next few nights. That was Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada. Primm is right on the California/Nevada border and the closest accommodation for exploring the Mojave National Reserve, which is in California. The cost is $81/night including “resort fees”. That does get me a large, clean, nicely furnished room, a big tv with a good channel selection, the usual bathroom amenities, a too soft matrass, and spotty wifi. It does not get you a refrigerator, microwave, or even coffee. I guess they do not want you to eat in your room. Which is unfortunate: the restaurant selection in Primm is grim. Primm is not really a town. It is three casinos and a few fast food places. Two of the casinos are closed. There are several eateries here at Buffalo Bill’s, but only a noodle place and a Dennys are actually open. I went to the Dennys – this is one of the national diner chain, located in the casino. For $20 I had salmon, broccoli, red potatoes, and cheesecake. It was all completely average.

Three new birds today: Gambel’s Quail, Verdin, and Scott’s Oriole, bringing the total to 284.

 

[rkj]

7 May 2024

It was into the Mojave National Preserve today. There are two species there that are hard or impossible to find elsewhere in California, Gilded Flicker and Bendire’s Thrasher. Both may be found in the Joshua tree woodlands in vicinity of Cima, but the best place for the flicker is on Cima Road and that was closed. I decided to head to the area and look for locations that might be promising. Morningstar Mine Road is on the route from Primm to Cima. It climbs in elevation and once I got into a good growth of Joshua trees I stopped and went for a walk. In 34 minutes I saw exactly one bird, a Wilson’s Warbler. Many birds migrate across the desert and may plop down almost anywhere, and the Wilson’s was one of these. One of the nice things about birding in the desert in migration is that you sometimes can see and photograph birds low down in open vegetation that are hiding in the tops of trees in dense vegetation the rest of the year. You probably do not have to look at this list to know what is on it: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172930361.

A few miles further along and I tried again. I started down a little wash and was serenaded by Northern Mockingbirds. It may come as a surprise to people familiar with Mockers in the wet eastern states that they are also common desert birds. I was starting to think that neither of my target birds was particularly associated with washes when a Gilded Flicker flew across in front of me and headed on into the Joshua trees. It was just a brief look, but it was certainly a flicker, it had yellow in the wings and tail, and it had a brown crown. That was enough for me to make the identification, but I wanted to try to get a photo and headed off in the direction it had gone. Some Black-throated Sparrows popped up. They are one of my favorites, but they would have to wait for my full attention. I did see lots more. A little further on and a couple of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers appeared. They are not so common as the sparrows; I diverted a bit to see if I could get a picture. Then a lovely male Scott’s Oriole caught my attention. And then a song, a way a way, but I was pretty sure it was a Bendire’s Thrasher. I began to feel like I could be a child in a fairy tale, chasing one pretty thing after another until I got completely lost in the woods. It would actually be hard to get lost in these woods; I could always see the hill below which I had parked my car. Eventually I did get a decent look at the Bedire’s Thrasher, mottled breast, short bill, yellow eye, and all. Working my way back toward the area where the flicker had disappeared, a Black-headed Grosbeak flew over, another migrant. Then there was another Wilson’s Warbler. I heard a Cactus Wren grumbling, and eventually saw two them. I wandered around, looking and listening and taking some photos of plants, but I did not find the Gilded Flicker again. Heading back to the car I went up the wash, and encountered more Wilson’s Warblers, an Empid that might have been a Hammond’s Flycatcher, and a White-crowned Sparrow. I saw the later only from the back and wished I had seen its front as it might have been a subspecies that we do not see on the coast. A more interesting eBird list than the last is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172931074.

With my two most wanted birds already logged, I went for two more in a different habitat. The two were Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay and Juniper Titmouse and the habitat to look for them is pinyon pine/juniper woodland. That could be found at the Midhills Campground, up on top of a ridge at a significantly higher elevation. As I approached the campground I noticed a nice bit of the habitat off to the left of the road. I stopped in the middle of the road and even bare-eyed from about 100m quickly saw a sillouette any birder from California knows: a scrub jay. At this location it had to be Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. I found a wide spot to park the car and headed off with binocular and camera in hand. I managed better looks, but only poor photos The migrants in that little bit of woodland turned out to be great, including Wilson’s, Townsend’s, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, and MacGillivray’s Warblers, a Warbling Vireo, a Black-headed Grosbeak, and a Western Tanager. Maybe the MacGillivray’s Warbler was on its way to Rancho del Oso. I went on to the almost empty campground and picked a table to eat my lunch. I could hardly get a bite in without a new little gray bird coming by. Since I was looking for a little gray bird, I had to check them all. Most were Empids. They included about three Dusky Flycatchers, a couple Western Flycatchers, a Hammond’s Flycatcher, and at least two or three that remained unidentified. Lunch finished, I walked around the campground. I found several more species, including first-of-the-year Western Wood-Pewees, but no Juniper Titmouse. Another fun list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172931579.

I wanted to find out about road and trail conditions for the preserve, so I drove to the Visitor Center at Hole-in-the-Wall. It was closed and would be for the rest of my visit. I felt less annoyed about that when, driving back, a Crissal Thrasher flew over the road. Great long bill, it could not be a Bendire’s; dark brown back, it could not be a Leconte’s. Further west one might have to consider California Thrasher and further east one might have to think about Curve-billed Thrasher, but here it had to be a Crissal. I stopped and found there were two chasing each other around. I managed some poor photographs.

Back at the casino, I went to the Denny’s again. Service was so slow I left without ordering. I drove to a Taco Bell. You had to order from a machine and pay by credit card. I left without ordering. I ended up at Carl’s Junior. If you are not familiar with the chain, think of McDonald’s, but pretentious. You do not want to know what I ate, but at least it came fairly quickly, from a human, and one could pay cash.

Ten new birds today! They were Gilded Flicker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Bendire’s Thrasher, Crissal Thrasher, Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow, and MacGillivray’s Warbler. The total is now 294.

 

[rkj]

8 May 2024

I still wanted to get some information about road and trail conditions in the Preserve, so I headed toward the main visitor center in Kelso. On the way I stopped at the Baker Sewage Ponds. If there is water in the desert, birds are not picky about where it comes from. There were a variety of water birds there. One was a new year bird: Wilson’s Phalarope. Most were males, but there were a few of the brighter females. It was very windy and only a few passerines showed themselves. eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S173091795.

At Kelso the visitor center was closed. They think it might reopen sometime in 2025. Seems like they could put in a trailer or something in the meantime. I went on to the Granite Mountains. These are beautiful. Much of them is part of the University of California Natural Reserve System and closed to the public. I walked a short distance up Cottonwood Basin, one of the open areas, and saw a transect where someone had set out insect traps. I assume that was a researcher from the UC Reserve. It was less windy here, in the protected basin, but there was still not a lot of bird activity. I saw a small flock of White-crowned Sparrows and they were one of the dark-lored subspecies that I do not often see. A male Costa’s Hummingbird – a new species that I am a bit surprised not to have seen earlier - shone purple. I did not keep a list.

The road that I most wanted information about was the New York Mountains Road. The New York Mountains have, by all reports, some nice pinyon-juniper woodland and a population of Juniper Titmice. There have also been reports of Pinyon Jays there, and that would be a real bonus. This is a nomadic species that has been in decline, and I would have liked to take the opportunity to look for them. But not enough to get stuck many miles from anywhere on a bad road. Both ends of New York Mountains Road intersect with good gravel roads, so I decided to drive those roads, see what I could of NYMR, and maybe try it the next day if all looked well. All did look well, but I decided to give the New York Mountains a skip between the one end of the road and the other. I was driving along through some scattered junipers, when I saw a jay fly into the top of one of them. It had a short tail – not a scrub jay. Stopping and looking with the binocular confirmed it was a Pinyon Jay. Getting out of the car and giving a brief pursuit confirmed that there were four or five of them and that they were not going to let me get anywhere near close enough for a decent photo. I might have tried an unknown road for the jay and the titmouse, but not for the titmouse alone.

On the way back to the casino there was a spectacular display of wildflowers on Ivenpah road. The orange flowers of desert mallow were everywhere, joined in places with bright yellow desert marigold and white and pink morning glory.

Three new species on this windy day: Wilson’s Phalarope, Costa’s Hummingbird, and Pinyon Jay. I am up to 297 species for the year.

 

[rkj]

9 May 2024

I went back to Midhills Campground again this morning. What a difference from two days ago. It was cold and windy and the migrants that had been here were almost all gone. I did, however, find a Juniper Titmouse. The last report of one had it near campsite #21. I parked nearby, gave it a fairly quick look since it was one of only two occupied campsites, and decided that the denser woodland behind the campsites looked more promising. After banging around there for about a half hour I came back to the campsites. The bird was about 10m from my car. Only a brief look and no pictures, but I have it on the list. The other thing of some note is that between the road in to the campground and the campground itself I saw eight Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays – in the last two years no one else has reported more than two. My ebird list can be found here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S173131651.

I wanted an early day, to catch-up on my photo finishing and reports, but I did stop again at the site where I found the Gilded Flicker on 7 May. As at Midhills, it was a much quieter time. At least it was much quieter bird-wise – the wind was a bit noisy. I did get another good look at a Bendire’s Thrasher. The short eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S173132208.

The Juniper Titmouse was the only new species; I am up to 298.

 

[rkj]

10 May 2024

Some thoughts about visiting the Mojave National Preserve. It is a beautiful place and has some excellent birding – depending, as anywhere, on the weather. I am quite glad I went. Many of the roads on the Preserve are dirt or gravel. Those I drove were all fine for an ordinary car, but if you mind dust or a bit of washboard, it would be a problem. If you can manage it, camping is probably your best bet for accommodation. Hotels are distant and, in my experience, not that great. I stayed at Buffalo Bill’s for four days and never had my room cleaned. Dining choices are minimal. Things might be better at the casino on weekends, when they are probably more busy and open things up more. At the Preserve, the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center would be open weekends too.

Today I drove to Joshua Tree, the town not the park. On the way I made a short stop at a good looking desert wash that was full of Phainopeplas – probably the highest density of them I have ever seen. This was on CA 247 about 5.2 miles (8.3 km) north of its junction with CA 62. My real goal was Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in Morongo Valley. This is a large oasis with a creek lined by cottonwoods and willows, mesquite surrounding that. It is rather astonishing that it was saved from development. Instead it has miles of trails going through natural vegetation and a well-supplied feeding station that attracts a great variety of birds. There were several species I hoped to find there, but I would have come even if there were not; it is just a fun place to bird.

In the parking lot, almost before I was out of the car, a vivid male Vermillion Flycatcher looked me over. A good start. I went down the Marsh Trail. This went by the Nature Education Center where the bird feeders are. Along the way Yellow Warblers were singing almost continually. Like those further north, they mostly kept to the tops of the trees and were hard to see. Several other birds were also species I see commonly much nearer my home, including Bewick’s and House Wrens, Bushtit, California Towhee, California Thrasher, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, and Bullock’s and Hooded Orioles. And here there were California Scrub-Jays, not the Woodhouse’s I saw at Midhills. At the feeders the Anna’s Hummingbirds I see daily at home were the most numerous hummer, but there were also Costa’s and Black-chinned. Both oriole species came in to the nectar and fruit feeders, as did both Western and Summer Tanagers. I am sure they have here the same dove species I see at home, but the one that came into the feeder was not one of those, it was a White-winged Dove. A woodpecker came repeatedly to the feeders. I think it was mostly a Nuttal’s Woodpecker, but Nuttal’s and Ladder-backed hybridize here and it, and others I saw later, seemed to show some features of both species. A Yellow Warbler came down out of the trees to bath in a little fountain. Walking the rest of the Marsh Trail (or as much as was open) I added Bell’s Vireo and Brown-crested Flycatcher to my year list. Not a bird I will count, but a local celebrity, was a hybrid between a Blue Grosbeak and either a Lazuli or an Indigo Bunting that has been seen here for eight years now. And even if I did see one back early in January, the Greater Roadrunner that dashed across the trail was as gladdening a sighting as any other bird today.

My hotel for this night and the next is the High Desert Motel in Joshua Tree, about 16 miles (25 km) from Big Morongo. The cost is $109 per night, including all taxes and fees. It is an older building, but the room has been recently renovated and is clean, well furnished, has a comfortable bed, small refrigerator, microwave, and all the usual bathroom stuff. The tv is small and situated so that it faces the bed; if you are in the bed with the very bright bed light on, the reflection makes it hard to see what is on the screen. There is a good channel selection. The internet connection is very good. The room comes with an actual metal key, which is not a problem itself, but the door lock does not lock automatically and you have to remember to lock it manually. For those who might enjoy it on a hot desert day, there is a small pool. There is a fair amount of noise from the highway.

I ate dinner at Sam’s Indian restaurant, almost next door to the motel. A small green salad was really rather large and rather good; the fish curry was good. About $28 for both.

Five new birds today: White-winged Dove, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Bell’s Vireo, and Summer Tanager. I have topped the 300 mark with 303 species for the year.

 

[foresttwitcher]

Nice to see what there was at Big Morongo - it was still completely closed when I had intended to visit in late August last year.

 

[Joe H]

Congratulations on getting 3/4s of the way to your goal with a full summer, fall and a bit of winter left in the year! I don't recall reading about any pelagic trips yet (I may have missed, I'll have to go back if so) so hopefully there are still some big hauls available. I'll be very interested to see how your project progresses. I lived in California before I became a bird watcher - pitty!

 

[rkj]

Big Morongo is mostly open, but the trails connecting one side of the creek with the other are still out so you cannot do a loop, you have to go up and back on each side. The birds seem unaffected and it is still one of my favorite places to bird.

My only pelagic so far was a whale watching trip from Monterey. I am booked for one (a real birding one) out of San Diego in about a week, and I will do at least one in northern California in the fall. These should bring in several species, but I still think it will be a challenge to make 400. Come back for a visit if you can, the birding resources keep getting better.

 

[rkj]

11 May 2024

I went back to Big Morongo again today. Just because. I walked up the Marsh Trail, Mesquite Trail, and Canyon Trail as far as its junction with the West Canyon Trail. I spent a lot of time at the feeders, trying to get better photos. Success was limited, but I did finally get an ok picture of a Yellow Warbler. I added a few new species from yesterday, but no new species for the year. The list is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174156734.

eBird list for yesterday: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174155418.

Dinner was at Castaneda’s Mexican Restaurant, a chicken chimichanga plate for $16. It was good.

Still at 303 species.

 

[rkj]

12 May 2024

To the sea, to the sea, down to the salty sea in ships. Actually to the hypersaline Salton Sea in a Honda hybrid. The Salton Sea and the area surrounding its southern end have several birds that are hard to find elsewhere in California. Today my goal was to get down there, hit some locations that I knew, and see what I could. I would take stock in the evening and the next day search out any remaining regional specialties. I made it to Unit 1 of the Sonny Bono - Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge by a couple minutes after 8:00 AM. And yes, that is Sonny of the Sonny and Cher singing duo, who was later elected to Congress representing this area. In Unit 1 there is access to an observation tower and a pond you can walk around. I stuck to the tower, which gave me a view over the pond and over marshes filled with cattails and reeds. There was nothing there to add to my year list, but it was nice to see a Burrowing Owl on one of the dikes. I would see several more driving around the area. At least there is one part of the state where they still can be found with some ease. My eBird list for the tower is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174394721.

One of the few places you can actually get to the shore of the sea in this area is at the corner of Lack Road and Grubel Road. Such nice birds can be found here that it makes you wonder about what is along the rest of the shoreline that nobody ever sees. Looking to the north I found Black-necked Stilts, Red Knots, Snowy Plovers, Killdeer, a Willet, a Black-belled Plover, and lots of Eared Grebes. Decorating some dead branches sticking up from the water were a group of Neotropic Cormorants, giving me my first year bird for the day. Turning to the west and I saw many of the same and, of all things, two Ruddy Turnstones. I looked for these unsuccessfully up and down the central California coast and here they were, bright against the white shore. Some Gull-billed Terns flew by, giving me a third new year bird. A surprise was a dark-hooded gull flying by. My first thought was that it was a Laughing Gull, but I had some doubts and gull experts at birdforum have set me straight that it was a Franklin’s Gull. The eBird list is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174396061.

My next stop was at the headquarters of the SBSSNWR. There are some trees and a little fountain at the headquarters and these bring in some birds. Today these included some migrants, Warbling Vireos, a Myrtle form Yellow-rumped Warbler, and, they seem to be everywhere, a Wilson’s Warbler. I was happier to see two breeders, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher and Abert’s Towhee, that I could put down on my year list. An eBird list is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174396886.

South of the town of Niland is a small farm where they grow algae in controlled pools. The last time I was here the pools were all full of water and of phalaropes and over them were hundreds of Black Terns. Today most of the pools were empty, there were no terns, but there were some Red-necked Phalaropes, giving me another bird for the year.

A couple more stops in Brawley looking for Gila Woodpecker were unproductive.

My hotel was the America’s Best Value Inn Westmoreland. Large, clean, comfortable room with a good bed, refirgerator, microwave, and all the normal bathroom stuff. Small tv with a good channel selection. $97 per night gets you that and a poor breakfast.

I got six new species today: Neotropic Cormorant, Ruddy Turnstone, Red-necked Phalarope, Gull-billed Tern, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, and Abert’s Towhee. They bring the total to 309.