Birding Northeast California
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BIRDING NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA 24 June – 1 July 2013 A birding and ornithological research trip to raise funds for Western Field Ornithologists nevadensis Sage Sparrow, © Bob Lewis Dates: Monday, June 24 through Monday, July 1, 2013 Locale: Northeast California, beginning and ending in Reno, NV Leaders: Ken Able, Jon Dunn, Lena Yee Hayashi, and Dave Quady ( Price: $ 1,950 for double-occupancy lodging from June 24 through July 1. This price includes all breakfasts, lunches, and snacks; one picnic dinner, and the farewell dinner in Reno. Price also includes non-alcoholic beverages, guide services, and van transportation throughout the trip. We require at least ten participants to ensure that the trip will run. If you have a roommate, please indicate this when you register. If you do not have a roommate but are willing to share, please indicate this, and we will try to pair you with someone. If you prefer a single room or if we cannot pair you with a roommate, there will be a surcharge of $200 for the trip. You will receive an email notice when registration is open. The date when Western Field Ornithologists will first accept your registration depends upon your membership level: January 24 for Patrons or Life members, January 31 for other membership levels, and February 7 for non-members. Register on-line with a $500 deposit, which will be returned less $100 if you cancel prior to April 1. Your deposit will be forfeited if you cancel after April 1 and we are unable to fill your place on the trip. The balance of the trip cost is due by May 1 and you will receive a notice in mid-April. No cancellations after May 1. This trip is limited to 12 participants, with four leaders. Other General Information: See details at the end of this document DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY We welcome you to WFO’s Northeast California trip led by Ken Able, Jon Dunn, Lena Hayashi, and Dave Quady. In some ways, this excursion is a continuation of our trip to the southern and central Sierra Nevada and White Mountains in 2011. On this trip we plan to bird the northern Sierra Nevada in the vicinity of Yuba Pass and environs, Sierra Valley and the Warner Mountains in extreme northeastern California. We will also bird a number of locations within the Great Basin; these contain a good deal of sagebrush, but also extensive fresh water marshes as well as alkaline lakes. We plan on having two evenings of owling. On this excursion, in addition to just having fun birding and seeking many targeted species, we hope to learn some new and potentially important things about the distribution and abundance of birds in this under-explored part of California. We have posed a series of questions that we would like to investigate. Our trip might contribute something significant to the ornithological record and we plan to put the results on the WFO web site at the conclusion of the tour. Day 1, Monday, 24 June – We will meet in the lobby of the La Quinta Inn near the Reno airport at 1:00 p.m. and depart to the Sierra Valley, less than an hour away. Here there are a variety of habitats in close proximity. In the sagebrush habitat, typical of the Great Basin, we should see Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher and Vesper and Brewer’s Sparrows. The Sierra Valley has an extensive network of wetlands with various species of breeding waterfowl, American Bittern, White-faced Ibis, Virginia Rail, Sora, Wilson’s Phalarope, Marsh Wren, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. In the foothills with open coniferous forest we should see a variety of species like Green-tailed Towhee, Fox Sparrows of the “Thick-billed” subspecies group, Western Tanager, and possibly Lewis’s Woodpecker. A lodge in the area feeds many hummingbirds, including Calliope. During the day we might run across a roosting owl: possibilities include Barn, Great Horned, and Burrowing. Night near Sierra Valley; exact location TBD. Day 2, Tuesday, 25 June – This morning we’ll visit Yuba Pass on the crest of the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Although much lower than the crest of the southern and central Sierra, most of the high mountain species can still be found here. These species include Mountain Quail; Hairy, White- headed and, with luck, Black-backed Woodpeckers; Williamson’s and Red-breasted Sapsuckers; Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatchers; Cassin’s Finch, Pine, and (in some years) Evening Grosbeaks; and Pine Siskin. Nearby we’ll search for Wood Duck, Willow Flycatcher, American Dipper, and the distinctive sounding (from more coastal) White-breasted Nuthatch of the subspecies tenuissima . This, along with aculeata, found lower down in the Sierra foothills to the west, and eastern carolinensis likely represent three incipient species. After dinner as dusk settles in we’ll watch for Common Nighthawk and search for Common Poorwill, and later we’ll look for owls, possibly including Spotted Owl. Night near Sierra Valley; exact location TBD. Day 3, Wednesday, 26 June – This morning we’ll visit Sardine Lakes where we will search for Sage Thrasher, Green-tailed Towhee and Fox Sparrow. Later we’ll depart for Susanville, stopping along the way to search for Juniper Titmouse and with great good luck, Long-eared Owl. After checking into our motel and taking an afternoon break, we’ll depart for Eagle Lake and do some late afternoon birding, searching for such species as Osprey and possibly Pinyon Jay. Later we’ll visit a marsh at the south end of Eagle Lake where we should hear Wilson’s Snipe winnowing high above as well as rails in the marsh, possibly including even the very scarce Yellow Rail. Ten or more were present here in the summer of 2011 and at least a few were there in 2012. Night in Susanville. Day 4, Thursday, 27 June – Today is a driving day, but we might stop along the way searching for the larger Great Basin race of the Sage Sparrow (nevadensis), likely to be split as a separate monotypic species from the more coastal canescens and belli subspecies. We are likely to see Swainson’s Hawk, and possibly Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcon. Rock Wrens are locally fairly common. As we approach Alturas there are some wetlands that might be worth checking. After checking into our motel, we’ll visit Modoc National Wildlife Refuge. Here, the mix of water bird species will be much the same as in the Sierra Valley, but this provides an opportunity to look for any species missed earlier. American Bitterns breed here, and in some years, Short-eared Owls. Black-billed Magpies are common. Night in Alturas. Day 5, Friday, 28 June – We’ll depart early for the southern portion of the Warner Mountains. Rising to over 9,000 feet, most of California’s montane species can be found here. These include Black-backed and White-headed Woodpeckers, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Cassin’s Finch and even Gray Jay. We’ll listen carefully to any “Western Flycatchers” we encounter. Research by Ned Johnson revealed that nesting birds in the Warner Mountains were Cordilleran Flycatchers. Birders usually go here to see their state Cordilleran Flycatcher, but vocalizations of some individuals seem ambiguous, or even closer to Pacific-slope Flycatcher. In recent years a pair of Eastern Kingbirds has nested at Blue Lake; we’ll look carefully for them. Canyon Wrens occur locally in the area. Scarcer species that we might see (or hear in the case of the grouse) include Sooty Grouse and Northern Goshawk. Later we’ll drop down to the east to the Surprise Valley. Here we should see Ash-throated Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Sage Thrasher, Sage and Black-throated Sparrows, and possibly Burrowing Owl and Juniper Titmouse. In riparian habitats Downy Woodpecker and Yellow-breasted Chat occur. In the wet grassy areas, in most years at least, a few pairs of Bobolinks breed, the only nesting location in the state. Night in Alturas. Day 6, Saturday, 29 June – This morning we’ll visit the east side of Goose Lake where riparian habitats near New Pine Creek harbor such species as Yellow Warbler and Yellow-breasted Chat. Depending on water levels, water birds might be present, possibly including Franklin’s Gull. Depending on our time we might head west from Davis Creek to the east side of the Modoc Plateau where we might see Gray Flycatcher and Canyon Wren. After a mid-day break in Alturas we’ll return to the southern Warner Mountains for some late afternoon and evening birding. Our main night target is Flammulated Owl and we’ll listen and look carefully for it. Spotted Owl is also possible. Night in Alturas. Day 7, Sunday, 30 June – This morning we’ll visit the central Warner Mountains at Cedar Pass searching for any species we may have missed earlier. Later we’ll continue east to Cedarville and head north up to Fort Bidwell and beyond to the extreme northeast corner of the state. The habitat is mostly grassland and sagebrush, and the mix of species will be similar to what we may have seen earlier. With great good luck we might encounter a Greater Sage-Grouse. In some years Snowy Plovers breed on the alkaline lakes in the Surprise Valley. Late in the day we may return to Modoc National Wildlife Refuge to listen for marsh birds and watch for American Bitterns and Short-eared Owls, or alternatively head to Fandango Pass in the Warner Mountains to the north of Alturas to continue our search for Flammulated Owl. Night in Alturas. Day 8, Monday, 1 July – This morning we’ll depart for Canby, Adin, and Day, which is in extreme southwest Modoc County.