California Redwoods and more
A couple of weeks ago, I went to California for a trip up the coast to see some Redwoods (and maybe a bird or two).
First we stopped off at Berkeley's Tilden Park, to see the geocache that my host had just planted. This is quite a nice park, and our brief visit included sightings of Common Ravens, Wilson's Warblers, and what I believe was a Violet-green Swallow.
We then got off the 101 at Santa Rosa to go to Annadel State Park. We had a very nice hike, and some some nice birds. Highlights included Black-headed Grosbeak (a life bird - bad picture here), Acorn Woodpeckers
(more pics here), Western Bluebirds, California Quail, Anna's Hummingbirds, and a Pileated Woodpecker (bad picture here).
Here are two dragonfly pics I am pleased with (no idea what kinds of dragonflies though)
We started out the next day at Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park (one of three State Parks that are part of the Redwoods National Park). It was still very foggy, and the light was quite special
Because of all the constant fog, moss grew on pretty much everything that was standing still
To give you an idea of scope, here is a picture of a little timy woman in front of a really big tree:
Here's another pic I was happy with:
After lunch, we went down to check out Arcata Marsh, which has a fine reputation for birds. The best bird was definitely a White-tailed Kite from 'Mount Trashmore' (part of the park is built on a closed landfill), but my pics weren't worth posting. We found another California Quail
and watched a couple Great Egrets (here's one who we later watched catch a tadpole)
We started Friday off at Prarie Creek again. Can you see the baby Barn Swallows?
There was also some sort of rabbit, not terribly concerned about wackos with cameras
We heard White-crowned Sparrows throughout much of the trip
Here's a view of the ocean from across the highway from Freshwood Lagoon
All along the highway, at the lower points, we saw these ominous signs
Next stop: we stopped by Elk Meadow looking for Roosevelt Elk. No luck, but we hiked a lovely trail. Here's the Trillium Falls the trail is named after
We drove up to the Klamath River mouth, which has a wonderful overlook
(here I saw more ravens, and out on the water a Common Murre)
My guide attempted to show me geocaching in action, which was imperfectly successful. We did find nice views of the river mouth from the South side of the river, and we did net my other life bird of the trip while seeking the first cache: Band-tailed Pigeon (here's another bad picture)
On to the Big Tree and Cathedral Grove
One interesting thing - while these redwoods are very large, and the wood is supposedly quite dense, the logs themselves aren't as heavy as you would think.
Here's a raven seen in the parking lot
My guide's excellent peripheral vision caught two Roosevelt Elk pretty late in the day
Time to head back south on Saturday, although we sidetracked inland a ways, to gain some elevation (and sunlight). Here are a couple nice looks at the marine fog from above and inland
We saw another Western Bluebird, posing nicely
Next, we strayed off the 101 to hit the Avenue of the Giants - more redwoods, right on the side of the road. An excellent trip, and a chance to look at these guys under a third set of lighting conditions
Alongside the road, we had lovely views of the Eel River
This was an outstanding trip. Man-made things rarely awe me like true miracles of nature, such as these huge and ancient presences
First we stopped off at Berkeley's Tilden Park, to see the geocache that my host had just planted. This is quite a nice park, and our brief visit included sightings of Common Ravens, Wilson's Warblers, and what I believe was a Violet-green Swallow.
We then got off the 101 at Santa Rosa to go to Annadel State Park. We had a very nice hike, and some some nice birds. Highlights included Black-headed Grosbeak (a life bird - bad picture here), Acorn Woodpeckers
(more pics here), Western Bluebirds, California Quail, Anna's Hummingbirds, and a Pileated Woodpecker (bad picture here).
Here are two dragonfly pics I am pleased with (no idea what kinds of dragonflies though)
We started out the next day at Lady Bird Johnson Grove in Prarie Creek Redwoods State Park (one of three State Parks that are part of the Redwoods National Park). It was still very foggy, and the light was quite special
Because of all the constant fog, moss grew on pretty much everything that was standing still
To give you an idea of scope, here is a picture of a little timy woman in front of a really big tree:
Here's another pic I was happy with:
After lunch, we went down to check out Arcata Marsh, which has a fine reputation for birds. The best bird was definitely a White-tailed Kite from 'Mount Trashmore' (part of the park is built on a closed landfill), but my pics weren't worth posting. We found another California Quail
and watched a couple Great Egrets (here's one who we later watched catch a tadpole)
We started Friday off at Prarie Creek again. Can you see the baby Barn Swallows?
There was also some sort of rabbit, not terribly concerned about wackos with cameras
We heard White-crowned Sparrows throughout much of the trip
Here's a view of the ocean from across the highway from Freshwood Lagoon
All along the highway, at the lower points, we saw these ominous signs
Next stop: we stopped by Elk Meadow looking for Roosevelt Elk. No luck, but we hiked a lovely trail. Here's the Trillium Falls the trail is named after
We drove up to the Klamath River mouth, which has a wonderful overlook
(here I saw more ravens, and out on the water a Common Murre)
My guide attempted to show me geocaching in action, which was imperfectly successful. We did find nice views of the river mouth from the South side of the river, and we did net my other life bird of the trip while seeking the first cache: Band-tailed Pigeon (here's another bad picture)
On to the Big Tree and Cathedral Grove
One interesting thing - while these redwoods are very large, and the wood is supposedly quite dense, the logs themselves aren't as heavy as you would think.
Here's a raven seen in the parking lot
My guide's excellent peripheral vision caught two Roosevelt Elk pretty late in the day
Time to head back south on Saturday, although we sidetracked inland a ways, to gain some elevation (and sunlight). Here are a couple nice looks at the marine fog from above and inland
We saw another Western Bluebird, posing nicely
Next, we strayed off the 101 to hit the Avenue of the Giants - more redwoods, right on the side of the road. An excellent trip, and a chance to look at these guys under a third set of lighting conditions
Alongside the road, we had lovely views of the Eel River
This was an outstanding trip. Man-made things rarely awe me like true miracles of nature, such as these huge and ancient presences