The main event of our trip was a family backpack trip. Bill and Becca flew out from New York, so with Mom and Dad along, it was the whole nuclear bunch planning on hitting the trail together on a Tuesday. Still, Libby and I wanted to spend a little time up at the cabin itself, too, so we took off early on the Saturday morning beforehand.
We were looking forward to spending time with more of the family, there - Uncle John, Aunt Carol, Cousin Sydney and her boyfriend Jonathan were all planning on arriving that Saturday, also. I was hoping to get a little birding done before we arrived, so we actually left especially early that Saturday in order to arrive in the sage flats around Crowley Lake while the birds were still active. It worked - we got there around 11:00, turning right onto the road to Benton Crossing off Highway 395 at the Green Church, and then off we went toward the lake on a dirt road.
This is the closest spot we know to find birds of the Great Basin sage community. That means Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Vesper's Sparrows, and Greater Sage-Grouse are common. We trundled down to the lake shore itself, where we found Phaloropes, Eared and Western Grebes, and American White Pelicans floating about in the water. In years past, we've seen Yellow-headed Blackbirds pretty easily here, and I was hoping to get some pictures, but there weren't any around. I'm not sure where they were.
After getting our fill of gray birds, we got back onto the pavement and headed north toward Mono Lake. Our object was a bird that would be new for us - the Black-backed Woodpecker. Black-backed Woodpeckers are a mostly boreal bird that has a disjunct population in the Sierras. It's a bit difficult to find, but is most common in areas that have recently burned. We'd been tipped off to a new colony when we met Jon Dunn in Arizona - there's a small burned area near June Lake that was hosting a few pairs. We got there - after a detour to check out the Aspen Grove where we got engaged four years ago, and ice cream at the Mono Cone - and saw a black woodpecker fly by as we drove in. Getting out of the car, it took a little more walking before we found one again. But we got great looks at at least three individuals. We even got pictures of one.
A Black-backed Woodpecker on a burned Jeffrey Pine.By now it was getting to be mid-afternoon, so we made our way back to the Cabin. We were still ahead of the Hirts, so we took a trip down to the Lowe's cabin to stow our stuff with Grandma and Grandpa, and then settled down to relax a little back up at the cabin. A little bit of comfort makes me itchy when there's so much to see and do, so we popped back outside for a short walk along the old uranium mine road. Best sighting of that little walk was a real live Pine Marten! This cute weasel-like animal had golden fur and the cutest face you could hope for, bounding slinkily along the ground for a few yards, sitting, and then hopping on again. I was shocked, it's quite unusual to sight one. I'd never seen one before, and hadn't really ever hoped to have seen one.
Anyway, when we got back to the cabin, the Hirts had arrived, and we all had dinner together. That night Libby and I went fishing with Grandpa, and then we all sat around and talked until it was time for bed, and Libby and I drove back down the mountain to the Lowe's cabin.
The next morning, before church, we took a short walk around the Lowe's cabin area. We had a bit of an adventure finding our way through a dense aspen thicket along a creek, but we still saw some neat birds, including a MacGillivray's Warbler and even a Hermit Warbler just outside the cabin itself.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the cabin - fishing, games, family, etc. It was quite nice.
The next day the rest of the family had arrived, and we had to spend time getting ready for the backpack trip. We did find time to go for a little walk up behind the cabin, though, which was fun. There were a lot of beautiful flowers blooming, and everything was quite green.
I put up a set of pictures from the pre-backpack trip activities: Mammoth Trip.
Anyway, when we got back to the cabin, the Hirts had arrived, and we all had dinner together. That night Libby and I went fishing with Grandpa, and then we all sat around and talked until it was time for bed, and Libby and I drove back down the mountain to the Lowe's cabin.
The next morning, before church, we took a short walk around the Lowe's cabin area. We had a bit of an adventure finding our way through a dense aspen thicket along a creek, but we still saw some neat birds, including a MacGillivray's Warbler and even a Hermit Warbler just outside the cabin itself.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the cabin - fishing, games, family, etc. It was quite nice.
The next day the rest of the family had arrived, and we had to spend time getting ready for the backpack trip. We did find time to go for a little walk up behind the cabin, though, which was fun. There were a lot of beautiful flowers blooming, and everything was quite green.
I put up a set of pictures from the pre-backpack trip activities: Mammoth Trip.
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