On our third full day of the Winter Wings Birding Festival, we headed out to the Lava Beds National Monument on our own, just as we did a year before. It was a beautiful morning drive, with snowy Mt. Shasta glowing in the distance. It wasn’t super foggy like it was the last time we were here a year ago, so we were able to pull over onto the narrow shoulder of Hwy 161 running along the Oregon-California border to check out the waterfowl hanging out in Lower Klamath Lake.
Mount Shasta as the sun rises
Lower Klamath Lake
Bald Eagle
The serene waters were dotted with black, white, and gray with pops of red from lovely Redheads. The clear blue skies were happily interrupted with flocks of Tundra Swans flying by the mountainous backdrops. It was just a really fantastic scene with a somewhat busy freeway cutting right between it.
We hit up Captain Jack’s Stronghold, a fun rocky hike with lots of nooks and crannies perfect for hiding and imagining what it may have been like when it was used as a natural fortress in battles in the Modoc War. We had great views of Mt. Shasta, but unfortunately, we only had a handful of birds, and none of the wrens (Rock or Canyon) we had expected.
Walking around Captain Jack's Stronghold
Cool, colorful lichen
Mt. Shasta
On the drive along Tule Lake, we stopped at a couple of pullouts, getting nice views of a juvenile White-Crowned Sparrow and juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk. We also got to admire the mightiness that are Canvasbacks. These big ducks are some of my favorites with their striking red heads and big, sloped bills.
Juvenile White-Crowned Sparrow
Juv. White-Crowned Sparrow
Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk
Canvasbacks
Our next main stop was Petroglyph Point. As expected, we saw Prairie Falcons circling the large rock island. Nick and I were able to get a few nice shots, including some with a little morsel of what was likely a Belding’s Ground Squirrel. I didn’t quite get the awesome shot of tandem ones in flight like before, but still very happy with this sighting.
Prairie Falcon
No, not an extra set of furry legs - the legs and tail of its prey!
Belding's Ground Squirrel - likely prey item
We also got a few other surprises here, like TWO different nesting owls. A Great Horned Owl was nicely poised on its nest, giving us a stare down. It didn’t seem too bothered by us or the van-load of photographers who stopped here on one of the Winter Wings Festival guided photography tours. The Barn Owl, on the other hand, was content to keeps its back turned towards us. How I found it in this tiny crevice, I don’t know. But once I saw it, I knew for sure it was a beloved Tyto.
Great-Horned Owl
Barn Owl
We got a quick glance at a Rock Wren before it darted out of sight. But we did get good looks at some other critters at Petroglyph Point, including this strapping Yellow-Bellied Marmot and this tiny wolf spider of some sort. Arachniphobes - beware of awesome up-close photos!
Yellow-Bellied Marmot
Wolf Spider
Wolf Spider
Time restraints prevented us from exploring the lava tube caves last time, but this time we were able to check them out. I discovered that I’m a bit freaked out by caves. Pure darkness without knowing how deep the cave is and not knowing if some dangerous critter is just around the corner was a bit unnerving. But it was totally cool and fascinating to walk around and see the super cool textures remaining from ancient lava flow (from 10,500 to 65,000 years ago).
Entering a cave
Cave Ceiling
I call this my "X-Files" Photo
Exploring the cave
More cool lava tube cave textures
This trip was filled with Townsend’s Solitaires. We saw them at just about every stop, and quite a few at a time around the caves. We got great looks at one in particular – such great looks that one even came down within a few feet from me on the ground, but it was too close for my telephoto lens to capture it! I cursed like a sailor about this missed opportunity, as I knew it would NEVER happen again. But I have since mostly calmed down about the whole thing (haha) and enjoy the memory and these pics.
Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend's Solitaire
Our day ended at Big Painted Cave where we expected to see some pictographs. We did not find them, but we found something even better – a PIKA!!! It was super cooperative, and I think we must have watched it run back and forth from its hay pile to its feeding spot for at least half an hour. We knew they could be around, but we did not know that we’d be lucky enough to find one, and such a cooperative one at that. I don’t even need to tell you how adorable these guys are. Just look at this one and see for yourself why this has got to be one of the top cutest animals on the planet!
(For best quality and full Pika effectivness, select to watch in 1080p HD)
It was such an amazing way to end the day. Oh how I just love this beautiful desert!
Crater Lake is among the most scenic spots in Oregon, the views from every square inch of it were spectacular. Besides the waterfall where we found numerous butterfly puddle parties, we made an effort to see the Phantom Ship, and then hiked a trail along the Pinnacles - volcanic vents where the release of hot gases hardened the igneous rock, after which the surrounding softer minerals eroded much more quickly, leaving only the vents.
"The Phantom Ship"
"The Pinnacles"
Also at the Pinnacles Overlook, Maureen and I both thought we glimpsed a Pine Grosbeak, but it was gone in a flash, and we were both left wondering, "wait, was that…?" But when we eventually list Pine Grosbeak, we want to make damn sure, and this certainly wasn't the sighting for that.
The next day, July 4, we decided the hike the Watchman Trail, a 0.8 mile trail to an old fire lookout. We expected birds, but instead got great looks at some much desired mammals. On the drive to the trail, Maureen spied a Yellow-bellied Marmot quite far off, sunning on a boulder. Neat, but hopefully we could do better. The hillside along the trail was strewn with rocks of all sizes, piled up in places, and creating perfect marmot habitat. We'd barely left the parking lot when we noticed the huge ground squirrel directly below us, only 20 feet down. From the looks of it, he was sharpening his teeth by scraping them against the rocks.
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Sharpening those chompers
Of course, this wasn't only perfect habitat for marmots. The top of our mammal wishlist up to that point had been the diminutive and adorable Pika. We were so determined to see one that we had a field trip booked for the following week just to get us out to a prime spot in the Columbia River gorge. You can imagine our delight, then, when we were able to find our lifer Pika all on our own, collecting wildflowers for turning into hay for the winter.
Pika with its bouquet of wildflowers
At the top of the hill, at the lookout, we had a Rock Wren pose against the deep blue of the lake. On the hike back down the Clark's Nutcrackers started getting boisterous. Our campsite brochure specifically warned against feeding Nutcrackers, so I had high hopes that they'd gang up on us at some point (thus living up to their "camp robber" reputation), and give us good looks. Unfortunately, they were better heard than seen at camp. But we did manage to see one up close at a random parking lot around the lake that morning. Yes, the Nutcracker in the photo is eating people food, and no, it didn't come from us.
Rock Wren
Clark's Nutcracker
After noon, we stopped at the Castle Crest Wildflower Garden, hoping to see huge numbers of butterflies, like we had a day earlier. Even though gardens here had an entire half-mile loop bordered on either side with wildflowers, it wasn't nearly as active as the falls had been. Even so, we got our lifer Clodius Parnassian right off the bat. A beautiful black and white moth called a Sierra Pericopid also made a new Lep for the trip.
Clodius Parnassian
Western White
Fritillary sp.
Sierra Pericopid
A couple of Gray Jays who must be used to getting fed stopped just above the trail, expectantly, and I'm afraid we rather disappointed them. With so many thousands of flowers in bloom, the Rufous Hummingbirds needed no handouts, and paid no attention to us as they lapped up nectar beside the trail.
Gray Jay
Rufous Hummingbird
Black Petaltail
For all the time we spend outdoors, we've never seen a bear in the wild. Every campsite had it's own bear locker, and signs stressed that there ARE bears in the campground. Well, it seems we missed out on a prime opportunity, but a curious Black-tailed Deer did pass through our site while we ate lunch that afternoon. Crater Lake: come for the birds, stay for the mammals.
