March 15, 2005
Sage Grouse spectacular
Still glowing from yesterday's success, we spent a leisurely Sunday birding northeast California. Klamath Lakes held a fine variety of waterfowl, including thousands upon thousands of Ross's Geese, displaying Western Grebes and a good number of Bald Eagles. This Great Horned Owl was roosting in the rock face near the Tule Lake visitor centre.
At the entrance to the tour loop we listened to Rock and Canyon Wren, and managed to locate a Harris's Sparrow amongst the Golden-crowns (only my second ever). The weather was remarkably hot - in fact, the whole place resembled the deserts of Arizona!
The rather quiet journey to Susanville yielded a single Clark's Nutcracker, Golden Eagle and occasional Black-billed Magpie. Next morning we left Susanville at 4:30am(!) to drive and hike to a nearby Sage Grouse lek. The outlandish display of the males is one of the strangest and most compelling sites I've seen in my time in the US.
Before heading home over the Sierra, we picked up a few quality birds in Susanville and nearby Janesville. This Dipper was apparently camera-shy...
... while this Collared Dove is a much bigger deal in this part of the world than you might think (and a US lifer for my two travelling companions).
We rounded off a delightful weekend's birding with a fine view of this Lewis's Woodpecker.
Please, we'd like to go and see the sage grouse in Susanville, can you please give us directions for how to get there? I ahve heard there's a wall there behind which ypou can see the birds. last year, we tried Nevada, but the birds had already gone...
I hope they might still be in Susanville...
Thanks Sharon
Posted by: Sharon at March 30, 2005 3:43 AM