It was a lovely Monday and I hadn’t been out looking at birds for a couple of weeks. Last month, FunningForrest had posted a map of the Sierra Valley Preserve and Sierramimi posted a Sandhill Crane photo; so I thought, let’s go there.
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Mr. Birdbrain and I made up a picnic lunch, filled up the gas tank (ouch!) and headed up into the mountains. Instead of a straight shot up Interstate 80 to Highway 89, I decided to meander along Highway 49, through the Gold Rush country. This highway is a designated scenic route and follows the Yuba River as it descends from the High Sierra.
I planned to stop at campgrounds and picnic spots along the way. I hoped to catch an American Dipper along the river and get a good photo of a Stellar’s Jay; plus whatever animals or interesting plants I happen to see.
We headed up I-80 and turned north on Highway 49.
First stop Auburn’s Regional Park which has a large pond and nature areas as well as ballfields, tennis courts and a community center. None of the waterfowl were in the pond but there was plenty of activity:
We stayed on Highway 49 and drove for a while through the Gold Rush towns of Grass Valley, Nevada City and Downieville. There are a lot of historical spots and we have spent time there but today was for the birds.
Next we hit Fiddle Creek Campground which sits next to the North Fork of the Yuba. The grounds were empty except for a small flock of Brownheaded Cowbirds. A Stellar’s Jay stopped by to check me out but left before I could point my lens.
As we traveled, I saw several redtail hawks and turkey vultures flying high overhead. We spooked a couple of turkey vultures standing on the road feasting on a grey squirrel carcass. They flew up to a nearby manzanita bush and then back to their lunch after we passed but there was no place on that narrow highway to stop and get a photo. Here is a little of what I saw as we stopped at a half a dozen US Forest Service campgrounds and picnic areas.
It was 4 pm by the time we got to Sierra Valley. We luckily met a volunteer who pointed out the best birding spots. Oh boy was she right. I added some new birds to my list and got improved shots of several others.
Firsts for me:
A view of the Preserve marshes; the water meandering through the marsh are the headwaters of the Feather River:
Now a question:
We spent about 3 hours taking photos and watching all of the birds. The trip back only took 2 hours as we zipped back to Sacramento via Highway 89 and I-80.
Weird weather here in Sacramento. We have been having temperature swings all month with temps going from the 60s with light rain to triple digits then back down to the 60s and 70s within less than a week. Then it ran back up to the triple digits before dropping to the 70s. We are now in a heat wave with an expected 6 days of 100+ temps. What’s up in your neck of the woods?