A Day at Black Mountain Lookout Tower

Black Mountain Fire Lookout Tower

 Volunteering is an extremely rewarding experience especially when you are a part of something that is meaningful to you.  Since we live in a fire-prone area, we are extremely motivated to be fire lookout volunteers. Besides volunteering at the Tahquitz Fire Lookout tower, we have joined the Black Mountain team as well.

Historical Photos

 I love being part of history. The original wooden tower on Black Mountain was built in 1926. The new metal tower replaced the older structure in 1962. That is almost 100 years of people dedicated to searching for smoke and fire in a 20-mile radius circle in all directions of the tower.

Folly and San Jacinto Peak

 Views from the tower are stunning. Besides looking for fire or smoke, one of our responsibilities while up at the tower is to learn our geographic landmarks. It's been challenging and quite interesting to expand our ability to identify places from different places in the wilderness. If we were birds, we would have a much easier time at this since they are used to flying over different terrain and knowing exactly where they want to land.

Cassin's Finch (female) (Haemorhous cassinii)

Speaking of birds....when life is good and there are no emergencies going on, it's a great time to admire the birds and other wildlife from the perch of the tower. Black Mountain tower invites feathered friends with their railing birdfeeders. It's not often you can see a Cassin's Finch unless you go to the higher elevations.

 I've seen a few male/female Cassin's finches with quite messy-looking beaks. I've decided that the nearby sap-covered cones of the Limber Pine and Sugar Pine trees are the culprit. This female looks like she has bugs stuck on sticky sap on her beak.

This male cleaned his bill on the branch before having his photo taken.

Boulder Basin campground, located within a mile of the tower, is appropriately named. Huge, interesting-shaped boulders are scattered throughout. We camped here and loved it. However, it's a bit challenging driving up the 5-mile USFS dirt road. A 4WD, high clearance vehicle is the best option. Despite the challenges, it is a popular place in the summer with "boulderers". In fact, many of the boulders have been named and special routes for ease in climbing have been written in a guide to bouldering.

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

After our tower shift was over, I wandered between the boulders following the descending call of a Canyon Wren in hopes of getting a photo. While I was looking at the wren and other birds, this bird-hunter landed on a snag behind me sending all the birds into hiding. One of those unexpected but exciting moments.

 Sometimes, restless, sleepless nights are worth it!

Happy Summer!

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

Click on Photos to Enlarge

 

 

Birding in Long Valley- Mt San Jacinto State Park

 

There are plenty of reasons why birding in the high country is a special experience. First, during the summer months, it is incredibly hot in the desert and the temperature is 20-30 degrees cooler in the mountains. Last weekend, I led a bird walk in Long Valley in Mt San Jacinto State Park and while it was an unbearable 108 degrees in the desert, it was a near-perfect 75 degrees atop the mountain.

Usually, I hike up into the high country but for this bird walk, we all met at the top after a dramatic 2 1/2 miles up on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The views from the tram are spectacular!  We were surrounded by people from various places in the world who all had different plans for the day - backpacking, hiking, bouldering, etc. Since it was a weekend and others had the same idea of escaping the heat for some outdoor fun, I was apprehensive that the trails would be filled to capacity. Fortunately, there are plenty of trails for everyone to spread out and enjoy some solitude especially when you enter the wilderness area. 

Since we were a group with differing hiking abilities, we chose to go on the Nature Loop along with the scenic Desert View trail - We covered about 2 miles. I always feel lucky when I can find an active bird nest. Today, we found a nest cavity and two attentive parents delivering yummy morsels to their young chicks.

Violet-green Swallows

Violet-green swallows were with us everywhere we walked. Except for a few moments when a couple of them landed on a branch, they were in constant motion flying between us and over our heads. Occasionally, the sunlight would illuminate their colorful green and violet feathers. 

Red-tailed Hawk

A couple of Red-tailed Hawks also kept reappearing unexpectedly in shadows on tree branches.

Clark's Nutcracker (2015 Photo)

An advantage to hiking and birding in the high country is to see birds that you won't see otherwise like the Clark's Nutcracker. Unfortunately, the bird walk had ended when my co-leader and myself finally heard and saw this expert forest builder. In a season, they will store 80-90,000 pine seeds and remember where most of them were buried for winter consumption. What's forgotten has a chance of becoming a young sapling.

No matter how many birds you see, it's still great going for a hike in the mountains.

The San Jacinto Natural History Association sponsors free walks in the summer. There are a few more bird walks, geology walks, map and compass, nature hikes, etc. Go to their website to sign up.

Enjoy! Happy exploring!

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

Click on photos to enlarge.

Searching for Winter Dazzlers

Allen's Hummingbird

Searching for birds in the winter takes a bit more effort. Many have left the area for warmer climates and they are harder to find since they are much quieter. If you have a backyard feeder and/or water dish, you will easily be able to watch birds from the warmth of your home. However, if you want to find some birds that don't frequent your yard, you will definitely need to put on some layers and go searching.

In the San Jacinto Mountains, there are still some Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) visiting hummingbird feeders but this dazzler won't be seen in our mountains. It is a coastal bird. We found this one close to the Tijuana border at the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park - Bird and Butterfly Garden. It is listed as the 4th top birding hotspot in San Diego county. Lots of rare birds find their way to this place. Although this hummingbird isn't a rare one, it was fun for me to see the sun capture his shimmering golden gorget.

Orange-crowned Warbler

An Orange-crowned Warbler was also enjoying this flowering bush. These warblers forage on insects and berries. However, they are also known to visit sap wells created by Red-naped Sapsuckers (Gilbert, Sogge & Riper. 2020).  I watched this warbler pierce the base of several flowers. Perhaps, it has figured out how to get nectar from the base of the blooms like Verdins (Auriparus flaviceps) (Webster, 2020). A brilliant technique if you don't have a long tongue like a hummingbird.

Checking out watering holes is another great place to find birds especially wintering ducks. On this quest, I went to a small pond in a local golfing community in Borrego Springs. Last year, I saw lots of ducks including Hooded Mergansers (Lophodyes cucullatus) and Northern Pintails (Anus acuta).

Green Heron

This year, I saw a few Ring-necked Ducks and a statuesque Green Heron patiently waiting for the opportunity to spear its next meal.

Vermilion Flycatcher

In contrast to the Green Heron, this flycatcher gave me about 10 seconds before flying to its next perch in search of insects. This pattern continued over and over. I'm sure I provided plenty of head wagging to any non-birder who happened to observe me zigzag back and forth, back and forth, following this beauty around until I could get a photo.

This is the sycamore tree at Rancho Penasquitos in San Diego where a Lewis's Woodpecker is hanging out for the winter. I've mentioned before that it is one of my favorite woodpeckers. It's definitely a dazzler especially when the sun hits its feathers just right.

Lewis's Woodpecker

I had a chance to go back to this local park to see if it was still hanging out. Large numbers of them were at Lake Hemet and the surrounding area in 2017 and 2018. In 2020, we spotted one in Garner Valley. It's been a couple of years of waiting to see another one. It definitely was worth the effort for me to see this rare beauty once again. It will depart in the Spring and who knows when I'll see another one.

Grey-crowned Crane

One day perhaps we will see one of these cranes in the wild with my cousin, Bud, and his wife, Juliette in Kenya. I absolutely love cranes! Fortunately, we don't have to travel to Africa; we can visit our local zoos like the Living Desert in Palm Springs to see these magnificent birds. If you want to see all of the cranes of the world with only one destination, go to International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It's definitely an inspiring place to visit and a great organization to support as they help communities around the world come up with solutions to help protect these endangered birds.

Enjoy your wintering birds! Photos and content by Robin Roberts

 Click on photos to enlarge.

References

Gilbert, W. M., M. K. Sogge, and C. van Riper (2020). Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.

International Crane Foundation https://icfdn.org/

Living Desert https://www.livingdesert.org/

Webster, M. D. (2020). Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.

The Countdown Begins

Great Egret

 This time of year is full of countdowns...the arrival of the first snow, Christmas morning, New Year's Eve, and the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

As I started writing this blog entry, one of the countdowns has begun. We are finally getting our first snow of the year (not counting last week's high country event). Yahoo! Soon I won't be able to see outside since nightfall is coming soon but we will awaken to snow on the ground tomorrow!

Snowy Egret

In a few days, another countdown will be here - the Idyllwild Christmas Bird Count. Fortunately, Frank Chapman with the newly formed Audubon Society suggested that instead of trying to hunt as many birds as possible on Christmas, let's count the birds. In 1900, this wonderful new tradition began. Before laws were passed around this time, egrets like the ones above would end up decorating ladies' hats.

White-headed Woodpecker

 Throughout the country, 15-mile diameter circles designate the area where volunteers grab their binoculars, start searching for birds, and record what they find. The results go back to the National Audubon Society. Here in Idyllwild, we will be looking for our yearlong resident birds like this handsome woodpecker but we also search for birds that have migrated to our area for the winter- the "snowbirds".

White-crowned Sparrow

This  "snowbird" is ubiquitous in the winter. They also are one of the few birds that add a bit of music to the mountains with their long whistle.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Wintering songbirds tend to flock together. When you look at a group of birds, try to look at each one because you might find one unique bird in the group. There are far fewer golden-crowned sparrows in our area and they tend to hang out with the White-crowned sparrows.

Western Bluebird

The beautiful Western Bluebird is a year-round resident. If you see a tree covered in mistletoe, look for these birds.

Mountain Bluebird

If you are birding in Garner Valley, you might get lucky and see a few Mountain Bluebirds that have left the Sierra mountains for the winter.

Lewis's Woodpecker

I love all woodpeckers but I must admit, this one is the most exciting for me to see! They are an irruptive species. Sometimes they show up in large numbers in the winter and in other years, none show up. A few days ago, I found this one in a park in San Diego. In 2018 and 2019, we had lots of these pink-bellied beauties in our forest but I haven't seen one this year.

White-tailed Kite

 Finally, these are two of my very favorite winter birds that I look for every year! The White-tailed Kite and Ferruginous Hawk can only be seen in Garner Valley with large open landscapes to hunt.

Ferruginous Hawk

 They are both inspiring to see! I have seen both of them this winter but I am hoping to get a closer look and another photograph!

Spring is typically the time people think of birding since the birds are singing and more noticeable. However, I highly recommend that you get out during these cold, wintry days and look for some of the birds that only live here at this time of year. Consider joining a Christmas Bird Count. They are lots of fun!

Happy Winter Birding!

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

Click on photos to enlarge

For more information about Audubon Christmas Bird Counts, go to https://www.audubon.org/conservation/history-christmas-bird-count

 

 

 

The Cutest Critter of the Sea

 

Down the road from Cambria is beautiful Morro Bay. Besides being a great spot for resident and wintering birds, it's home to one of the most adorable sea animals. A trip to this part of the coast would not be complete without stopping to admire them.

To be able to watch these special animals in person is magical. Whatever worries or stress you may have disappears while they do what sea otters do...

Mother sea otters are extremely attentive to their pups. Besides being fed and held, they are in top-notch condition due to hours of grooming.

They roll, they groom themselves...

They love kelp. Whether it be a place to find food like sea urchins or to use it to anchor themselves to one another or....

to the ocean floor so they can nap. 

Cheers to these gentle creatures of the sea!

This vacation just like most ended too quickly.

Happy Exploring!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.