November 30, 2004
Thanksgiving trip day 1 - from mountains to desert
I'm sure it will come as no surprise that I spent the Thanksgiving long weekend birding the length and breadth of southern California, along with birding partner in crime Marcel Holyoak. A hot tip-off about a Black Rosy-Finch coming to feeders saw us heading over the Sierras on Wednesday night. We arrived in Aspendell at around 730am, and were soon joined by Matt Brady, David Vander Pluym and Daryl Coldren, who were planning a similarly manic weekend around the north of the state. In the following three hours, the Black didn't show, although we were treated to tremendous looks at a 30-strong flock of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, feeding on seed and drinking snow.
Other nice birds seen around town included Slate-colored Junco,...
... Mountain Chickadee...
... and several noisy Clark's Nutcrackers, which had the irritating habit of scaring off the Rosy-Finch flock!
At nearby Mill Pond Country Park, I had my first life bird of the trip, a fine immature Harris's Sparrow.
The pond itself held some interesting wildfowl, including several Ring-necked Ducks.
Much of the rest of the day was spent driving through spectacular mountain scenery.
Our last birding stop of the day was Galileo Hill, where a short climb yielded 9 Chukar (a state bird for Marcel) and a mixed bluebird flock including a bright male Mountain Bluebird. The hilltop was also an excellent place for watching the sun set over the Mojave Desert.
No Thanksgiving would be complete without turkey, and we enjoyed a fine turkey dinner at the curiously-named 'Bun Boy' diner in Barstow.
Been reading your blog for sometime. Great account and your photos are stunning (birds and scenery)!
Posted by: Thomas at November 30, 2004 6:01 AM