The Sierras of California (just one tiny bit actually)

It has been a lasting dream of mine to at least once in my lifetime visit the mountains of California. Long before coming to the Golden State I remember going on Google Maps, clicking on some of California’s high-altitude national parks looking at the photos from there, and going “wow, someday”. Guess what. Someday came!

Bag packed with the warmest clothes that I have here, car fitted with snow tires, and a free weekend from banding at the Palomarin field station, I set off towards the Sierras with hopes to see breathtaking views and observe cool birds (a couple of lifers). From my “base” here in California it took about 5 hours to travel up to Sierra Valley, which is located in Plumas and Sierra county and right next to the famous Tahoe National park.

The drive over the mountain ridge from the city of Truckee and into the valley was absolutely stunning. At the highest point, snow was quite deep at the sides of the road, but with great tunes from Paul Simon accompanying me, I was in awe of the beautiful views. Coming into Sierra Valley from the south side, I had a chance to drive through the whole length of it as my first stop was on the North side of the valley. It is dry season now, so the grasslands and scrubs have a pale yellowish tone. The mountains surrounding the valley had snow on them so together with the vastness of the area and the colors, this made for a very scenic drive. 

My very first stop in the valley was at a place called “Marble Hot Springs Bridge”. There is a river with a bridge over it so I was hoping for some waterfowl as this is one of the few places with water during the winter season. A short walk produced a Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), American Coots (Fulica Americana), and a couple of other species of waterfowl. But. Coming back to the car, with the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of two bulky masses flying in and perching on the distant fence. Quickly turned my scope that way and bam! Pair of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)! Okay, now I have arrived in the United States of America.

The main reason I came up to Sierra Valley was to attend a book launch event of a friend of mine, so I after observing the pair of the rather elegant eagles, I started to pack up my scope and other stuff in the car. I don’t know if this is the same for every birder, but the most interesting birds arrive just when I am ready to leave. And well, yeah, guess what happened. A flock of about 200 Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Brewer’s Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus) flew right over me and landed on the bridge and nearby reeds. To say I was excited would be an understatement. The Red-winged Blackbirds were on my California’s “must-see” list, and here they were and in great numbers! This was too good of an opportunity, so I whipped out my scope and sketchbook and spent the last minutes of daylight observing and sketching these birds.

Finally, it got too dark to sketch and I packed the car and rushed to the upcoming event. Although I didn’t get very far. Just a bit further down the road, an owl flew just right over the road. By the markings and flight, I could tell that it was a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)! I later saw a total of 5 of these owls flying over a ranch and it seemed to me like they were attacking a raptor that was resting in a tree by the ranch. But it was a cool sight with these 5 owls flying close together, giving out calls and using the very last light.

The event I attended was a book launch hosted by my friend and bird illustration mentor John Muir Laws. He was launching a book called “The Laws Field Guide to Sierra Birds: Updated Edition” and the location for this book launch was perfect. Congratulations, John! During the reception, there was a word going around that a Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) was hiding somewhere in the valley in a flock of Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris). Even though, back home in Latvia, I’ve had a chance to see the bird, it is considered rare here and I sure do like the word “rare”. Anxious about the upcoming chase I went to sleep and dreamt about the Longspur.

With puffy eyes, a coffee mug in my hands, and walking through some snow to the car I felt ready to find that Longspur. It was a cold morning, with the temperature being just a tad below freezing. I drove towards the mentioned bridge again as the bird was supposedly hanging around that area. What a beautiful morning that was! Waterfowl including American Wigeons (Mareca americana), a stunning Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus,) and many other interesting birds (and lifers). After hanging around the area and scanning the fields for about 4 hours still no luck with the Longspur… well… next time. When I was exiting the fields, I did see the Horned Larks which I was very happy about, so the morning had been productive as I was departing with a couple of lifers and some sketches.

The drive back was spectacular! I was leaving the valley through a different route and the views were nothing like I’d ever seen before. I stopped by a lake on the way down from the mountains and was happy to add Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) and the White-headed Woodpecker (Dryobates albolarvatus) to my life list. Now that’s what I call a successful expedition! 13 lifers in the bag, sketches of birds I probably will not see again for a while, and a camera roll full of beautiful views of the mountains and the valley! Thanks to everyone who helped me out up there and I hope for a soon return!