After an early wakeup (6:45 AM), I headed to Pinnacles National Monument with my parents. Pinnacles National Monument is about 2 hours south of the Bay Area, and about 45 minutes southeast from Monterey, so it is rather distant. However, the long drive to get over there is well worth it. Pinnacles National Monument is a well-known birding hotspot in the area. With its riparian habitat in the foothills, its chaparral environment along the hillsides, and its mountainous peaks, Pinnacles National Monument harbors a multitude of bird species. The star bird of this park is the critically endangered California Condor. This park is a release site where birds raised in captivity are released by scientists, when they are deemed ready to fend for themselves and live on their own. There are about 200 condors that frequent this park regularly. However, this flock is known for venturing off to Big Sur (a little further north, towards the coast), so there is always the possibility of visiting Pinnacles National Monument, and leaving without having seen a single condor. This park is also known for its numerous nesting raptors. This year, the raptors that have nested in the park include California Condors, Golden Eagles, Red-Tailed Hawks, Red-Shouldered Hawks, Prairie Falcons, and Turkey Vultures. When I saw this data online, I had high hopes for the myriad raptors species I expected to see. At about 9:30, we finally arrived at the entrance of Pinnacles National Monument.
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| Pinnacles National Monument entrance gate |
After paying the $5 entrance fee, we drove towards the Bear Gulch nature center, where I was going to ask a ranger which trails are better for birding. During the brief drive from the entrance gate to the nature center, we crossed a Wild Turkey flock of 15 that was completely oblivious of our car driving by and then parking not 10 feet away.
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| Wild Turkeys |
We finally arrived at the nature center, which turned out to be closed, and only opens at 10:00 AM. Fortunately, we crossed a couple park rangers and asked them a couple questions. We finally got all the information we yearned for, and so we headed towards the trailhead. On our way there, we crossed several birds in the trees of the riparian habitat, such as nesting Acorn Woodpeckers, Oak Titmice, Spotted Towhee, and a single Western Wood-Pewee, that we got wonderful views of.
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| Western Wood-Pewee |
Soaring high up in the sky were several Turkey Vultures. I scrutinized thoroughly every single one of the vultures' underwings. Turkey Vultures have gray underwings, but California Condors have a long and egregious white line under each one of its wings. It is the best field mark to differentiate these two species, other than the evident size difference.
Once we began the hike, there were birds all around us. From the Acorn Woodpeckers flying from tree to tree, to the Western Scrub-Jays and the Spotted Towhees shuffling around in the dead leaves on the ground, and the Bushtits foraging in the trees in large flocks, the birds were ubiquitous. Then, a yellowish bird caught my eye as it flew from an exposed perch to a dense patch of branches. It was very difficult to get a good view of this playful and active bird. Finally, it flew to a branch in the dense patch that was right in the middle of an opening. This little "pain in the ass" turned out to be an adorable Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, a personal favorite of mine.
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| Pacific-Slope Flycatcher |
We resumed our ascent to the peaks of the park. We were on the High Peaks trail, a trail that leads to the top of the mountains, where the condors are said to be easily seen. As we hiked along, we encountered species such as Dark-Eyed Junco, Bewick's Wren, Lesser Goldfinch, and a single flyover White-Throated Swift. We then arrived at the cavernous section of the hike. Pinnacles National Monument is also known for its many underground caves. These caves were pleasant to walk through, as they were very damp and cool, unlike the scorching hot outside world. The only downside was that it was pitch black. Without a flashlight, it is impossible to walk through these caves. Fortunately, we came prepared, for I read about these somber and dark underground tunnels.
Once we exited the caves, we arrived at the Bear Gulch Reservoir, where several duck species have been sighted in the past. But there weren't any anatids that day, the reservoir was absolutely deserted. But I can't say the same for the surrounding areas. Right by the exit from the cave, little, elongated, orange-backed, gray-headed, and white-throated birds flew into crevices in the rocks, where they constructed their nests. These birds were Canyon Wrens, another personal favorite of mine.
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| Canyon Wren (the white patch in the center is its throat) |
The fun part of the hike was behind us. From there on out, it was uphill and rocky terrain. There was hardly any shade along the hike, and the temperature reached over 100 degrees. My water began heating up, making it undrinkable. I became parched, and my throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert. Fortunately, there were birds that motivated me to continue to trek on. Ash-Throated Flycatchers quarreled between each other, Wrentits made their ping-pong ball call in the chaparral shrubs, and Western Scrub-Jays screeched from right and left. I finally arrived in a shaded area, beneath a large boulder. I made sure there weren't any rattlesnakes around (I've encountered too many rattlesnakes to be stupid enough to ignore the possibility of their presence), and finally sat down. Fortunately, my Gatorade was still cool and refreshing, so I quenched my thirst with that. As I waited for my parents to catch up with me, I kept on birding. An American Kestrel flew above the Bear Gulch Reservoir, where we were previously, and Turkey Vultures continued to circle around in the sky.
After a twenty minute break, we continued hiking. We hiked for forty minutes, and we finally arrived at the peak. During those forty minutes, I saw a "red-shafted" Northern Flicker, a Hairy Woodpecker, another Canyon Wren, and myriad White-Throated Swifts flying around aerodynamically.
Once I arrived at the top, I met a park ranger that was doing research on the California Condors. She had satellite attached to walkie-talkie, and tried to see if there were any condors in the vicinity. Since condors are an endangered species, scientists put transmitters on the birds before releasing them, that way they can track them easily. According to the different frequencies on the walkie-talkie, the ranger could tell whether the condor is an adult or a juvenile. It was truly fascinating to prate with someone living my dream career. During the entire time that I was talking to her, she only received responses from two of the transmitters, but they were too distant to be visible. Once she left, I had lunch atop a big boulder with a view over the entire park. That way, if there was a condor, I'd be the first to know. However, even being perched atop this promontory didn't suffice to find a condor. I spent at least an hour under the blazing heat, in search for this New World vulture, but to no avail. I did however get amazing views of the White-Throated Swifts gobbling up gnats and other insects. I climbed down the boulder and relaxed a little bit in the shade, and finished my bagel. However, I was interrupted by a curious scrub-jay that was interested by my food. It came two-feet from me, almost as if it wasn't intimidated my me whatsoever. But once I moved my arm, it flew to the bush in front of me. He did this at least six times before he got the message.
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| The hungry Western Scrub-Jay |
We finally resumed our hike, after having recuperated all of our energy. The heat didn't stop increasing as we descended. I was so hot, I didn't even bother looking for birds, I just wanted to get to the foot of the hill, where we could buy food and drinks, and lay under shade-providing trees. We finally reached the riparian portion of the hike, where there was more bird activity. An aggravated Bewick's Wren buzzed at me, and Lesser Goldfinches just watched. I was able to pish out a couple Bushtits, another Bewick's Wren, and a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. This was only the second time I've ever seen this species, so I appreciated the good views. Once I started hearing Acorn Woodpeckers again, I knew we were at the bottom. I was so happy. The heat was starting to get ridiculous. After buying an ice cream and a drink, I felt so much better. I birded the vicinity while my parents rested. In the morning, when I first birded this area, I found cool birds like a Nuttall's Woodpecker and a female Black-Headed Grosbeak. But in the afternoon, this area was dead. There were literally no birds whatsoever, other than the omnipresent Acorn Woodpeckers.
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| Acorn Woodpecker |
I also got really good views of the holes they made in the tree trunk, which is called a granary, to store their acorns.
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| Acorn Woodpecker holes |
Before we were about to leave the park, this gray bird caught my eyes (ironic, right?). I looked to find a Wrentit! This bird isn't rare at all, I heard plenty that day while on my hike, but it is very difficult to get good views of this bird. They usually hide close to the ground, beneath the thick shrubs. So it was exciting to see one totally exposed and out in the open.
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| Wrentit |
I thought after seeing the Wrentit that my day was over, but I was wrong. Right before we exited the park, this long and skinny bird runs across the road. I shouted out: "Roadrunner!!!!" My dad slammed on the brakes and we jumped out of the car to search for the bird. The only time I've ever seen a Greater Roadrunner was at Death Valley and at Joshua Tree National Parks. This was the first time I've ever seen one this far north. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Even though we left the park without seeing any California Condors, or getting any lifers, I was still pleased by this day. The roadrunner was definitely a great way to top off the day.
But now came the real fun part: car birding. This is a true way to challenge yourself and really see how easily you can identify birds from afar. Since you're in a moving vehicle, you can't use your binoculars and see clearly. So you can only use your naked eye. On the two-hour drive back, I saw many different species, such as Western Bluebirds, Western Kingbirds, Red-Tailed Hawks, Say's Phoebes, Loggerhead Shrikes, Yellow-Billed Magpies, House Finches, Mourning Doves, Eurasian-Collared Doves, White-Tailed Kites, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, European Starlings, Barn Swallows, and a Great Blue Heron.
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