Reflective Water and Bubbling Mudpots

When Winter arrives, it's time to experience the Salton Sea. Last January, we came for the first time and learned that over 400 bird species migrate and winter at this amazing place.

 It's hard to describe a sky filled with hundreds and hundreds of birds in flight...

or fields filled with thousands more.

It's also hard to envision the journey that many of the birds travel each year between the Salton Sea and their breeding grounds in Canada or the Arctic tundra.

Nearby ponds as well as the sea are filled temporarily with ducks I've never seen before like these Northern Shovelers. Perfect name! Look at their beaks.

 

 

Without a breeze, the water was still and reflective as these shorebirds fished.

We all have our own encounters with wildlife that hold a special place in our memories. For me, migrating Sandhill Cranes flying overhead calling to each other is totally inspiring. In some Asian cultures, they symbolize long life and good fortune.

A new memory was created when this Burrowing Owl stood prominently outside his burrow while I captured the moment.

Numerous agricultural fields including one full of sheep surround the land near the sea.

Between the north and south end of the sea is a totally unique place to visit - the mudpots and volcanoes.

Basically, the earth's crust is thin along this section of  the San Andreas fault resulting in carbon dioxide and hot water bubbling out of the surface creating these mudpots and volcanoes.

 Here is a short clip of the mudpots in action.

Geothermal plants harness the energy from the naturally occurring hot water/steam deep in the ground.

 

When you reach the south end of the lake, you enter Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge where numerous fields are protected for the migrating and wintering birds that land here. If you hike along the path near the water, these are some of the views you will see.

 

  The Salton Sea is an extraordinary place to visit and to protect!

A Trail in Need of Snow

Hundreds of people are now training, planning and dreaming about one of the most challenging adventures of a lifetime that will begin in a couple of months - A 2,650 mile hike on the PCT, Pacific Crest Trail.

The trail travels through California, Oregon and Washington. Seven hundred miles pass through southern California . A portion of the trail will be rerouted due to the Mountain Fire last summer. Fourteen miles of the PCT along the Desert Divide mountains overlooking Garner Valley in the San Jacinto Wilderness no longer exist.

 The highest point of the PCT in southern California is along the San Jacinto Mountains overlooking the town of Idyllwild. 

Normally, this time of year, the trail is impassable because of the snow. Because of its absence, I was able to hike along this trail for the first time last week.

 

 

The vanilla scent of the Jeffrey Pine trees fills the air as you hike up to 9,030 feet on the PCT. The views are spectacular. The small speck at the top of this ridge is Tahquitz Fire Lookout tower.

A portion of the PCT trail crosses Strawberry Cienega, the mountain source for water that fills Strawberry Creek in the center of town. There is great concern this year because the amount of snow that has fallen this winter is at a historic low - Only 17% of what normally accumulates in the winter months has been recorded.

The PCT thru-hikers rely on their ability to refill their water bottles along the journey. It is not only them that count on the life sustaining water that fills the creeks each year.

We all are hoping for a change in the weather soon. May the snowflakes fall!

Majestic Birds in the Skies

 

Antelope Valley, a couple of hours northwest of Idyllwild, is an area filled with small towns in the Mojave Desert. It is also a place where resident and migratory raptors and other birds seek shelter, food and water.

A Red-tailed Hawk is amazing to see up close. Usually they are seen at a great distance soaring overhead or perched on a post or wire overlooking a field. Audubon Chapters across the US have unique opportunities to see and learn more about the birds that surround us. Sea and Sage Audubon recently sponsored a trip to Antelope Valley for a chance to see some of these majestic birds with professional experts.

Scott Thomas is an expert Field Biologist who has studied birds of all kinds for 20 years. On this day, he temporarily caught this bird so it could be assessed and banded before being released back into the skies.

When a bird is "banded", a small lightweight bracelet is attached to one of their legs. The information on the band is linked to the bird researcher. If the bird is found in the future, a central registry will link the researcher to the new location of where the bird has been discovered. This is only one of the techniques for studying bird behavior. 

The American Kestral is the smallest member of the Falcon family. It perches or hovers over fields looking for its next meal.  After recently seeing them on our desert camping trip, it was great to see this beautiful bird up close.

Pete Bloom, a highly experienced raptor expert, conservationist and consultant, seeks to minimize negative impact that development may have not only on these impressive birds but also on endangered species such as the Golden Eagles and California Condors.

 Quite a precarious perch for this Prairie Falcon.

This was the first time for me to see a Prairie Falcon. This uncommon bird managed to not be banded.

It kept a vigilant eye on the numerous birds in the nearby field.

A huge flock of Mountain bluebirds were in one of those nearby fields. If you happen to discover a banded bird, contact the national registry. You'll be helping researchers when you report your discovery. Another way to help is to report your bird sightings on  Ebird sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Drinking from a Mud Puddle

Colorful birds like this Western Scrub-Jay catch the attention of admirers more than the dull brown or grey birds that hide in the brush.

This entry is for the elusive birds of grey and brown. I caught a glimpse of them as they came out of the tangled vines to drink from a small mud puddle at Lake Hemet.

 

First sighting was the Wrentit. This bird lives in dense coastal shrub or montane chaparral. You may hear their rapid pingpong ball like song but it is tough to see them. They are the least traveled birds. This ultimate homebody travels about 1300 feet.

To the extreme, this Golden-crowned sparrow nests in Northern Alaska and western Canada...about 4,000 miles from this mud puddle.

The Hermit Thrush is another bird that is usually heard but not seen. It has a beautiful flute like song that fills the forest in the Spring where it nests far from this spot in the brush.

Unlike the others, the White-crowned sparrow isn't elusive. It is a more common bird to see in the winter.

After watching all of these various birds drinking from the same small mud puddle before returning to their hiding places in the brush, I was reminded how critical it is to protect their habitat. It doesn't take much for these birds to survive but what they need is essential!

A Path to Smuggler's Canyon- Part 2

Thanks to a recommendation by a chance encounter with a friend on the Palm Oasis Trail, we discovered another beautiful hike near Ghost Mountain. The names of these places are enough to entice you to visit them...Lizard Canyon, Chuckwalla Wash, Bighorn Canyon...

The 5 mile narrow, sandy road begins by following an open field in the shadow of Ghost Mountain.

Perfect habitat for birds of prey. Once again, we saw an American Kestrel. This time it was hovering over the field searching for prey. When it spotted something of interest, it dived to the ground. It was so fascinating to us. We pulled our car over on the side of the road to watch it perform over and over again. Birds on the move are quite difficult to photograph. I barely got the Kestrel as it flew from its perch.

 The Loggerhead Shrike has a nickname of the "Butcher bird" because it impales its prey before eating it. Looks are deceiving....

This area was inhabited by the Kumeyaay Native Americans. Their presence comes to life when you see evidence of their previous existence here in this "lush" desert hideaway.

 The trail leads to a boulder covered in pictographs. 

We also discovered these morteros where the women ground nuts and seeds with a small rounded rock.

Unlike the extremely desolate trail leading to Elephant Knees, this place was full of vegetation. The most abundant were the Cholla cactus, Creosote bush and the tall Agave plants.

Always on the look out for wildlife, I saw these two ravens perched inconspicuously on a high, rocky ledge at the end of the trail. They patiently sat watching us while I took photos of them.

 A few more steps and the path abruptly ends at a precipitous drop overlooking Smuggler's Canyon. It's hard to capture the beauty in a photo! Best to see for yourself!

 The ravens that I photographed flew ahead of us as we began our return trip. Eventually, we spotted them once again on another rocky ledge overlooking the trail head where we began. It seems they were curious about us as well. Farewell for now.