Stories from the Lookout

"Stories from the Lookout" was inspired by the people we met while we volunteered in the tower this weekend.

Along with a huge number of visitors to the tower, this weekend was different than others because we saw white smoke billowing above the trees each day. Fortunately, the smoke flareups were in the burned area from the Mountain fire. They subsided each day without spreading outside that area.

Usually, the peak is a place of solitude but on Saturday, we had 120 visitors/hikers to the tower.

Two people I met had great fears of heights so reaching the summit was a huge accomplishment for them.

 Another man knew the geography of the surrounding mountains and all the hiking trails because he led Boy Scouts on backpacking trips in this wilderness every summer.

One visitor ran over 4 miles on the moderate/strenuous trail while another hiked up barefoot.

What struck me most was unexpected acts of kindness. It started with two of our new friends bringing us 6 liters of water and apples from their apple trees. When you backpack, water is gold. It is essential to carry but quite heavy. We were most appreciative of their generosity!

Later in the day, we met 5 members of the California Conservation Corp who were living and working on trail maintenance for months on the mt. We gave them one of our bottles of water. Then they offered us some coffee which we gladly accepted since our "instant coffee" didn't taste like coffee.

Another act of kindness came from a couple who offered to pack our trash out for us. They regularly pick up trash they find on the trails and they wanted to lighten the load for us when we departed. Wow!

On our last day, we met a very enthusiastic hiker who volunteered to carry items we might need to do maintenance on the tower and he offered to bring extra bottles of water for us when he comes up again.

When your backpack is heavy and you have a strenuous hike, all of these offers that may sound small are actually huge acts of kindness! These people were inspiring to us.

Hunting for "Life Birds"

Since arriving on the West coast, I have been filling my nature journal with new sightings of birds (and lizards,snakes,insects, mammals) adding to my "life list". Birders use that term when they see a new bird for the first time.

During migration, whether it is Spring or Fall, birds will pass through an area temporarily on their way to their wintering ground. This gives birders like me a chance to go on a treasure "bird hunt" looking for new birds.

It is truly exciting when you look in a tree or bush and see a bird that you've never seen before like this Orange-crowned warbler. For me, getting photos of birds is a huge accomplishment.

Most warblers like this Hermit's warbler are Neotropical birds meaning they migrate to Central and South America for the winter returning to North America to breed each year. Some birds travel thousands of miles each year during migration.

The Black-throated Grey warbler is another migrant. Most songbirds will migrate at night for 8-10 hours. Then they seek food, rest and shelter for a day or more along the way giving us a chance to see them.

Seeds,insects and berries like this Chaparral Honeysuckle are a welcome sight. Many times you can find migrants mixed in with local birds. Most of the warblers that I have seen were mingled in the tree or bush with a flock of Mountain Chickadees or other resident birds like the Pygmy Nuthatches.

Many birds are residents year round but if they are elusive and don't visit bird feeders, it is hard to see them.

This Red-breasted Sapsucker is one of those birds. When I was least expecting it, this woodpecker came into the open on a nearby branch. Wow!

When birdwatching isn't going so well, there's always other cool stuff to see like this dragonfly. I was watching about 10 green and blue Common Green Darner dragonflies which are migratory zooming back and forth over this meadow near the lake. (They are worse than warblers to photograph.) Then I saw this golden winged dragonfly land. I'm not sure what it is called but the wings sparkled in the sunlight. Time to write in my journal. Enjoy the treasures that surround you.

 

 Autumn is a beautiful season full of changes. If you would like to share a nature photo taken from Sept - November 10, please send it to me with a description so I can post an entry in November from various places where we live and visit. We are looking forward to seeing photos from your "patch" in the world!

The Tower Smiles

There are many ways to spend your weekend. For us, serving as volunteers in the lookout tower on Tahquitz Peak is one of our favorite things to do on the weekend.

 

   There are seven lookout towers in Southern California that are maintained by volunteers. However, Tahquitz Peak Lookout tower is the only one in the wilderness requiring a 4 1/2 mile hike to reach it. This trip was more strenuous since extra tools and water were brought up so maintenance could be done.

 This trip we were reminded of how close the tower came to being destroyed in the Mountain Fire this summer. Many of the intersecting trails are closed because of the potential dangers to hikers where the forest burned.

 

 

 The tower endures tough winters every year with snow, ice and 50-60 mph winds. The goal this weekend was to replace the beams which hold the north facing shutter and to begin painting.

Of course, looking out for fires and checking weather conditions are always a priority.

When we completed our work at the end of the weekend, one of the volunteers said, "The tower is smiling!" We agreed! There is more work to be done but it is stronger than when we began.

Perched in a Tree

Whenever I go for a hike, I bring binoculars and a camera. Well, almost all the time. I missed "capturing" a majestic Bald Eagle soaring over this lake because I had put my camera in the car minutes before the show.

Since that day, I have remembered both binoculars and camera and one of my surprises was to see this Great Blue Heron in a tree rather than along the shoreline where it is usually seen.

The Turkey Vulture is another bird that isn't usually in the tree. It is usually seen soaring in the sky.

The Ground Squirrel is unlike most squirrels because it burrows in the ground and is usually seen scurrying about on the ground. Today it was in this tree eating berries.Yum!

Migration is going on now. One of the groups of birds that migrate are warblers. They are incredibly frustrating for birders because they all look similar in the Fall and they flit about on branches constantly. I was quite lucky to get a photo of this Orange-crowned warbler enjoying berries.

Thankfully, there are birds like this Western Bluebird who are oblivious to birders. He was more interested in catching his next meal and sat patiently while I focused and refocused my camera.

 Back to the trees...this Sugar Pine is one of the trees that stands out in Idyllwild. The Sugar Pine is the tallest pine tree in the world with the longest pine cones between 12 - 18 inches long. This was one of John Muir's favorite trees. He wrote the Sugar Pine was "the noblest pine yet discovered,surpassing all others not merely in size but also in kingly beauty and majesty."

The Mountain Chickadee enjoyed feasting on pine nuts from this cone.

Keep your eye on the trees. You may be surprised at what you see.

Surrounded by Rivers and Mud

 

 

After a summer with only a few days of rain, it was a welcome change this past week to see rain clouds and to actually have light rain showers. The rain dances were working!

Today was different. After another light shower, it became heavier like the ones we are used to in the south. No big deal, we thought. We were wrong. This was the start of a flash flood that we have been warned about.The rain changed to hail.

 

 Rivers began flowing on either side of the house.

 

 Fortunately, this one didn't wash our Jeep down the driveway.

It looked like Winter had arrived early in the backyard.

 When the rains stopped, we ventured out with our marsh wading boots and found the road to our house covered in mud, new waterfalls and puddles knee deep. Blue skies have returned and we are left with some shoveling to do. Call off the Rain Dances.