Eastern Sierra: August 18,19, 2007

I just had to get out of the city and so I took a little mini-vacation to Mono Lake, Inyo National Forest, and Yosemite National Park over the weekend. I got off work early but still got caught in some pretty nasty traffic on I-580. I stopped in Groveland, CA and had dinner. Then it was so late by the time I got to the turn off for Tioga Road that I decided to stop and take a walk in Crane Flat Meadow to look for Great Gray Owl. I couldn't find one or hear one so I continued on to Mono Craters where I camped for the night.
I got up so early Saturday morning that not even the Pinyon Jays were calling yet. I drove up Highway 395 to Lundy Canyon. On the drive into the canyon I stopped at the first pond and saw a beaver. Lundy Canyon was reflected in the pond. I didn't see anyone on the trail at all until my return trip. Most of the wildflowers that were blooming in July had already died but there were still a few lingering things blooming including lots of Yampah, Yarrow, a few Monkshood and Tall Larkspur, and a little bit of paintbrush and Broad-leaved lupine. Grass of Parnassus was blooming all along Lundy Creek. A Baneberry had dropped its flowers and developed bright red berries. There weren't nearly as many birds as I was hoping. though I did get a very good look at a female MacGillivray's Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler. A Pine Siskin perched in a tree near me as I headed past the first waterfall. A Belted Kingfisher was working the pond. The only other interesting bird was a Dusky Flycatcher that wouldn't wait for a photo. The sole butterfly was a Mourning Cloak. I went as far as the waterfall at the scree and then turned back. I next drove to Mono County Park and walked out onto the boardwalk. There were many Red-necked Phalaropes and Wilson's Phalaropes, a few Eared Grebes, and three Yellow-headed Blackbirds (for some reason all the ones at Mono Lake have orange heads) in the lake. In the willows were some Yellow Warblers and one Lazuli Bunting. A flock of Pinyon Jays flew past. There were a couple of fritillary butterflies and one white but they never landed so I'm not sure what kind. I wanted to check a pond Dave Shuford showed us one time on a Pt. Reyes Field Seminar but I could not find it. So I ended up driving to Black Point, the remnants of an underwater volcano on Mono Lake. I walked out to the edge of the lake. There were several Blazing Stars blooming but the blooms were all closed. I accidentally flushed a Wilson's Snipe near the water's edge. There was a flock of American Avocets, a couple of Willets, and a few other things. As I drove back toward the park about fourteen Common Nighthawks flew overhead. I got out of the car to get a better look and spotted a Sage Sparrow perched on a sage brush. Back at the County Park a giant outdoor party was about to commence and there were hundreds of cars parked all along the entrance road so I had to get out of there. Some blackguard, baseborn, miscreant was taking his dog into the park right past the "no dogs" sign. My experience has been that the majority of people who own dogs are completely selfish people with a complete disregard for the rules and for nature.
Next I drove south on Highway 395 to Crowley Lake, a very popular fishing lake but also a magnet for birds during migration. I parked near the water's edge and there was a White-faced Ibis there along the shore. As I walked toward a flock of birds further along the shore I noticed about 10 more plus a flock of American Avocets and several Eared Grebes. Mono Basin hosts the largest gathering of Eared Grebes in the fall anywhere in the US. A few Eared Grebes had chicks trying to ride on their backs which is so cute to watch. A small flock of American White Pelicans were on the lake and a group of shorebirds huddled on the shoreline trying to avoid the speed boats. I saw a dead White Pelican on the shore I'm sure a victim of villianous boaters who share with dog owners a disregard for rules and nature. In the shorebird flock were Long-billed Dowitchers, Willets, Least Sandpipers, Marbled Godwits, Wilson's Phalaropes, and Red-necked Phalaropes. There were two Western Grebes bravely swimming further out. Some Caspian Terns and Forster's Terns were working the lake for fish. While studying a flock of ducks which turned out to be Cinnamon Teals I turned around and noticed a Bullock's Oriole in a willow. There were also a couple of Horned Larks on the ground. After assuring myself I was not overlooking any rarities which turn up regularly at Crowley Lake in late August, I left for Glass Creek Meadow. The wind was becoming pretty stiff and I saw no butterflies at all. There were a few Red Crossbills in the conifers; they enjoy this area it seems as I saw them there last time as well. I heard a strange bird calling and looked and looked up thinking maybe it was one of the many Clark's Nutcrackers around or a Steller's Jay. I only looked down at the ground at the last moment, just in time to see the last of a Mountain Quail before it ducked into some thick brush. Damn, I wanted a picture: I have seen so many but never gotten a picture. There was the usual assortment of mountain birds, White-breased Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, and Cassin's Finch. However, the meadow was practically devoid of the outstanding wildflower display it held in July. The only things left blooming were a few Brewer's Lupines, one Meadow Penstemon, and a lone Lewis's Monkeyflower. At the end of my hike I found a private place for a solar shower, had my dinner at a picnic area near Obsidian Dome, and then headed back to my campsite. The stars were magnificent. The crescent moon soon set leaving the sky ultra-dark for star gazing. As I stared up at the starry sky it was as though it were a cloudy night but actually it was just the thick band of the milky way strewn across the sky. Our English word galaxy comes from the Greek word for milk. I turned into bed and fell asleep. During the night the wind picked up considerably even rocking the car at times.
Sunday morning I again got up before the first bird sang and after breakfast headed over to South Tufa Reserve. I was the first person there. Yeah, solitude! I walked down to the Mono Lake shore and there were several Sage Thrashers and Brewer's Sparrows there eating the brine flies. I watched an awesome sight as the sun came up and put the tufas in an orange glow. After walking the loop trail I drove back over to Mono County Park where mercifully the party was over. A crew had arrived to remove the trash from the party the day before. They had put a cardboard box over the "no dogs" sign and had an off-leash dog roaming around while they cleaned up their mess while a worthless reprobate state park employee stood on doing nothing. I was the first person out on the boardwalk and that turned out to be very lucky for me. As I stood at the end of the boardwalk looking at the phalaropes something ran across the boardwalk catching my eye. It popped up again between the slats pretty close to me and I could see that it was a Long-tailed Weasel! I have never seen one before. It ran fast between the slats like Pop goes the weasel. I barely got this blurry photo before it ran off. What a special treat that was. After the boardwalk I was heading back toward the car when I came upon a group of birders. Some lady told me they were looking at an American Redstart in the willow tree. I got my binoculars on it and it was a first year male or female. I left them and walked across the road to the trees there hoping for Lewis's Woodpecker. I had no luck with that species but found a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hairy Woodpecker, and Downy Woodpecker. Two Calliope Hummingbirds nearly flew into me. There was also a Spotted Towhee, House Wren, Black-billed Magpie, and Western Wood Pewee. Three Black-crowned Night-herons flew over. Then I decided I better start my planned hike. So I drove from Mono Lake into Yosemite National Park and parked at the Mono Pass Trailhead. I only saw about five peole the entire 12 mile hike. There were many fritillary butterflies and a few sulphurs. The trail starts out at 9000 feet and goes as high as 11,100 feet at Parker Pass which I took after Mono Pass. On the trail up to Mono Pass a White-headed Woodpecker flew into a tree right in front of me. I was surprised to see a Savannah Sparrow on the trail. There were the usual Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos but I don't know what a Savannah Sparrow was doing there. There were some more Clark's Nutcrackers, nuthatches, one Hammond's Flycatcher, and one Brown Creeper. At Mono Pass, 10,599 feet, I spotted a Sandhill Skipper. It was extremely windy at the pass so I dropped down to Sardine Lake and had my lunch there. Nearly all the great wildflowers from 4th of July were gone. Near Sardine Lake an odd flycatcher flew into a tree. I didn't get a great look but I am pretty sure it was a Gray Flycatcher. After lunch I also took the trail to Parker Pass where I was surprised to see a Northern Harrier scanning the ridge. I also saw a few sulphur butterflies. Not much flies at that elevation which is timberline but the butterflies would never land so I was unable to get a picture or identify them to species. The view from Parker Pass was not nearly as inspiring as I thought it would be so I dropped down a bit futher into the Ansel Adams Wilderness which is in Inyo National Forest and not Yosemite but it was getting late and I still had to drive back to the city so I turned back there. A flock of American Pipits flew across the barren pass. On the way back down I passed more fritillaries and another sulphur. This one I was able to photograph but it turned out to be an ordinary Orange Sulphur. Most likely the fritillaries at timberline were Mormon Fritillaries but the ones lower down I think were Great Basin Fritillaries. Who knows; those darn things are so hard to tell apart. As I dropped back down in elevation I came across some blooming groundsel, American Bistort, and Nude buckwheat but not much else but a few lupines. I got back to the car around 4:00 PM and then it was time to head back home. Heavy sigh.
Michelle Brodie
August 22, 2007