California, 2024 (3 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.