This year has been an interesting year for birding as we have seen several rare birds in the Morongo area, including a Dickcissel, and an Ovenbird, (I didn't actually see this bird, but heard a lot about it). So it is possible we will see more new and different birds during the CBC's. One of the trips I hope to make will be to the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge, and I hope to see a Bald Eagle, and my nemesis bird, a Golden Eagle.
As exciting as the prospects are, it is always exciting and fun to have the boys come home, no matter what the reason. The holidays provide a terrific excuse and reason to get together. We eat, catch up on each others' lives, and hike. I think I have said before that when we go hiking, we never keep track of the miles, we go to see what is there. So, we will take off and soon my oldest son will detour and make some exclamation about a plant he has seen, step off the trail and rub a leaf, or snap off a flower and explain what the plant is known for, or can be made into. We spend some time looking at the plants nearby and discussing what Native peoples used the plant for, and the type of ground it grows in and more. Then we strike off again, and soon we see a bird or flock of birds and we are distracted again until the birds leave us. Then we will see animal tracks or some geological formation that we have to ask Nancy about if she has accompanied as we forget the geological terms. So, many of our hikes may not be very many miles long, but we have been out there for hours.
So, it was that Taylor and I decided to go to Whitewater for our Thanksgiving holiday hike. Austin had to work and Harrison decided to spend time with his girlfriend and other friends by going to lunch with them, (go figure!). Andi stayed home and took a walk of her own.
We chose Whitewater because we hadn't been there in a while, and it was close, which fit in the time frame we had. I have to tell you that I went with some reservations, as I remember being disappointed the last couple times I went there. The conservancy had made some terrific modifications and made great strides in improving the place, but there was relatively few birds and wildlife. We saw a few here and there, but nothing to get very excited about. So, I went with the idea that it would be nice to hike with my son. I took my camera and binoculars almost out of habit.
Boy was I wrong! We got there and Taylor, who puts together training and nature centers with walks and education centers and more, was excited from the get go about how many cars were in the parking lot. There were people milling about the ponds, picnic tables, and in the visitor center. This was good.
We parked and started off. We started on the well marked trail by the north pond, and Taylor immediately stopped and took photos on his phone of the pond, the markings of the trail, and the large rock they used as a signpost with names and mileage listed along the length of the boulder. Listed on the boulder were .5 miles to the Pacific Coast Trail which runs through the Whitewater area, and Anchorage, Alaska, and Mexico. There was an information board next to this as well, with information on the wildlife in the area, and that the area was the intrusion of the southern tip of the Chaparral area in California, very different from the Desert just a couple miles down the road.
For the uninitiated, Whitewater used to be a fish hatchery, and we used to take the boys there so they could fish for trout. It was a pleasant place then with a series of ponds and a fish ladder and more. It sits at the mouth of a very large valley that looks as if it has been a large river in times past. There is still water running down the large washday, but most of it is rock and sand surrounded on the sides by large hills of beautiful geology, showing many colors and formations that are different from the desert formations in the Coachella Valley where we live. You can see for miles. You can hike for miles as well, as it goes and goes and goes.
My impressions were that the place had really grown up. The small bushes and dead trees were now full grown thickets and the dead trees were surrounded by Laurel Sumac and shoots of younger trees and more. There was a goodly amount of water in the area. Water was running in a good sized stream, as well as smaller creeks branching off and flowing down through the rocks and sand of the river bed, and small ponds at various locations. For those of us from the desert, this was a lot of water. As a result there was a good amount of Typha, and Scirpus plants, (Taylor pointed these out to me, I saw Cattails).
We strolled along the well marked trail as Taylor pointed out certain plants and explained what to expect from their blossoms, and what their roots would do and more. He pointed out the "taco plant" or Laurel Sumac, that has leaves that fold up, giving the impression of a taco shell. The growth was head high and thick in parts, especially along the water ways.
It was a beautiful day and cool. There was gurgling water, whispering cattails and other bushes, bright sunshine, absolutely brilliant blue skies, and the calls of birds and ground squirrels. We found a canine footprint in the mud, and Taylor explained that you can tell the difference between canine and feline tracks by making an 'X' through the print. If you can mark an 'X' without touching the pad of the print, it is a canine print. Usually there are nail or claw impressions, (as we saw), as well.
As we strolled along we met other hikers, and one couple were walking while holding Starbuck's cups. Taylor sounded incredulous as he asked them, "Is there a coffee place up there?" indicating farther up the trail. They laughed and the man said there was, while the woman said no there wasn't, but it was a nice walk. We met with a group of three who asked if we were looking for birds, (I guess the bins and camera were clues), and when we said we were, told us of birds they had seen and where. So we left there looking for a California Thrasher, California Towhee, and Scrub Jays.
We turned the corner and while hearing the call of small frogs from the nearby pond, we saw a California Thrasher, (Toxostoma redivivum) dive into the thick brush along the hillside. We walked on and saw a pair of Western Scrub Jays, (Aphelocoma californica), working the wash. Ravens floated with a flock of what I believe were White Throated Swifts, (Aeronautes saxatalis).
We saw movement in the brush and saw a couple California Towhees, (Pipilo crissalis), then a Spotted Towhee, (Pipilo maculates) flashed past us. We heard and saw Bewick's Wrens, (Thryomanes bewickii) as we stepped over the small bridges over waterways.
At one point we decided to cross over the river bed, and walk back toward the visitor center/picnic ground on the other side where there is a fire road along the opposite hillside. As we crossed we saw a paw print in the sand that looked different. Using the 'X' theory, we saw that it was indeed feline, and it was large. So, by deduction we believe it was a mountain lion track and not the smaller bobcat. I know it doesn't make logical sense, but I really did look up and further around for the mountain lion. That is like seeing the deer crossing signs on the roadway and begin looking for deer. I didn't see the lion either.
As we wandered down the fire road, we saw a good sized flock of Bushtits, (Psaltriparus minims), moving from bush to bush and chipping to each other as they moved along the hillside. As we got closer to the visitor center we saw flocks of White Crowned Sparrows, (Zonotrichia leucophrys), and a Lincoln Sparrow, (Melospiza lincolnii) or two. As we approached an ancient stand of trees, Taylor remarked we should see some sort of woodpecker, like a Flicker or two, as he pointed out a hole or two that had been excavated in the trunks or large branches of the trees. Like it was waiting to be called, a red shafted Northern Flicker, (Colaptes auratus) landed on the branch of the tree. While we were admiring this bird, we heard the calls of quail nearby. Soon we saw them scurrying from one brushy hideout to another, then across the road. Unfortunately, I was unable to properly identify them, but believe them to have been Gambel's Quail, (Callipepla gambelii). I have heard there were California Quail in the area, but I didn't get a good enough look to make the determination. The one I saw the best was a female and from what I saw and what I read in the Sibley's, I think we watched and heard Gambel's.
We saw a Phainopepla, (Phainopepla intense), in the dead and dry brush along the pathway. Also, as we walked, talking, looking and listening to the surroundings, Taylor pointed up the canyon and we saw a Cessna airplane sailing very low down the rocky riverbed. I was able to snap a photo as the plane climbed up a little and exited the canyon.
Altogether, a pleasant hike on a gorgeous day, with a lot of wildlife in the area. I was pleasantly impressed with the improvements and the numbers of birds in the area, as well as the signs we saw of other wildlife. I will return here.
As a side story, Taylor and I went to a small art show at Frances Stevens Park in Downtown Palm Springs today, Saturday, and found a terrific wildlife painter. Taylor found me gaping at some other terrific art and told me to follow him because he was going to blow my mind. He did. The pictures were simple, but terrific. She works in watercolor, but the detail in her paintings if phenomenal. Her name was Penelope Krebs, and she lives in Morongo, near the Morongo Preserve. Her website is www.penelopekrebs.com if you want to see some of her work. Taylor bought some of her prints, and I got a business card which is a work of art in itself, a pair of Gambel's Quail with her name underneath. Another pleasant surprise of the weekend.
So, you might be a birdnerd if...you look hike for hours but have no idea how far you have trailed. You can give a detailed list of the birds and wildlife you saw, however.
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