August 20th to 24th, 2012: Birding North Lake Tahoe

    As our end of the summer trip, my family decided that we wanted to go up to Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is an alpine lake up in the Sierra Nevadas, and is located right where California and Nevada meet, at the angle.

     I have been to Lake Tahoe many, many times in the past, but what made this trip special was that I was going to bird up there. Oddly enough, I haven't ever birded Lake Tahoe, despite the fact that I've been plenty of times. So on Monday morning, we picked up our grandma at her house (for she was joining us on our trip), and hit the road. We arrived at Kings Beach, on the north side of Lake Tahoe, at around 1:00 PM. I dropped off my bags at the cabin, and I immediately went outside to bird. It felt great to breathe the fresh, mountain air outside. Since I hadn't been out birding for over a week, it felt great to have my binoculars back in my hands. The first birds I noticed were Yellow-rumped Warblers. These little Setophagas (R.I.P. Dendroica) cavorted in the trees, gleaning little insects from the pinecones and from small branches. Other birds among the warblers were Mountain Chickadees. These parids were the equivalent of Chestnut-backed Chickadees in the Bay Area. They adorned all the trees, and hung upside-down from the branches like Christmas tree ornaments. The ubiquitous Steller's Jays called from all over the place. Their screeching was so loud and unpleasant to listen to, that they could have been considered as pests. However, when one of them came into sight, you forgot all these negative thoughts, for they are truly breathtaking birds. Their body is entirely blue, and they have a black head topped with an elegant crest. What made this bird truly unique though were the small, blue stripes over the eyes, somewhat like eyebrows. In the Sierra Nevadas, and all along the Pacific coast, within its range, the Steller's Jay population has these blue eyebrows. However, the interior west population (so in the Rocky Mountains), these eyebrows are white in color.

    As I continued walking down the trail in the forested community, American Robins skittered across the lawn, extracting worms from underground, and savagely began beating them. This made eating their quarry much easier, and much less of a fuss. I finally reached the edge of a forest, where I knew I would find some interesting migrants. I bushwhacked a little bit to enter a little clearing, where I was beset by verdant foliage and harmonious bird calls. More Mountain Chickadees hopped around in the trees. Because this was a private community, no outsiders were permitted to enter, including birders. I assumed that nobody within the community were birders, for when I pished for some birds, the chickadees came two feet away from me. They mustn't have been used to pishing and people taking interest in them, so they perhaps didn't understand that I was a potential threat. Fortunately for them, harming a bird was the last thing on my mind. These curious passerines offered wonderful photos ops, and so I took advantage of this.

Mountain Chickadee
(notice the black stripe across the eye, and the gray cheek)

     After about five minutes, my pishing had finally payed off. A beautiful Nashville Warbler popped out of the dense shrubbery. This is a species that I have only seen once before, when I was in Maine. That bird was a female, so it lacked the red stripe that the males have during the breeding season. What is interesting about this species is that there is a difference between the eastern and the western populations of this species. Though these differences are subtle, there is a possibility that these two populations may one day become two distinct species. Because I have seen both the eastern and western populations, once the two species are recognized, I would have seen the two species!

    That was the most exciting bird of my first day at Lake Tahoe. However, I was to find many more exciting birds during my stay up in the Sierras. 

   The next day, I woke up earlier than everybody else, to do some morning birding. This morning payed off, for I found more species that I could add to my trip list. These species included Hairy Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Once everybody had woken up (at ten o'clock), we drove to this spot that I had done research on, where migrants are frequently sighted, and I found many, many different migrants. This was Lake Forest Community, on the northwest corner of the lake. Though this is a private community, outsiders were welcome, and there were many trails that led to the forest. As we arrived, a Red-shouldered Hawk flew into the pine trees in front. Pygmy Nuthatches were calling from all over the place. A Western Wood-Pewee called in the distance. I began walking down the trail, and I found a Red-breasted Sapsucker pecking at a tree trunk. Unfortunately, the lighting was awful, which didn't make for great views. But it was only the third time I've seen this species, so I was happy. Dark-eyed Juncos cheeped from all over the place, and Western Tanagers picked berries from bushes all around.

Nonbreeding male Western Tanager
(notice the two differently colored wing bars, the dark wings,
the yellow body, and the slight red on the face)

     I found this deep willow thicket, and I thought to myself that it must be great habitat for some migrants. Little did I know how right I was. After pishing for about ten minutes, a MacGillivray's Warbler popped out for a spilt second, and then offered quick glimpses as it shuffled across the forest floor in the willow. This bird was previously is the genus Oporornis, along the the Kentucky, Mourning, and Connecticut Warblers, which are notorious for being very secretive and seldom seen. After the recent taxanomical updates, these birds now belong the genus Geothlypis, except for the Connecticut Warbler, which remained an Oporornis. I got very excited when I saw this bird, but suddenly, a chunkier bird hopped onto a branch in the middle of an opening in the willow. It was Cassin's Vireo, a bird I had been after for quite some time.

    These two birds were lifers for me, and my first lifers of the trip. Other migrants that I found in that same willow thicket were two Yellow Warblers, and another Western Tanager. 

     As I continued walking down, I found more birds including White-breasted Nuthatches, a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, a Western Kingbird, a flock of juvenile Chipping Sparrows, and a couple of White-headed Woopeckers. These unique woodpeckers are some of my favorite, and were relatively common in Lake Tahoe, so it was fun to be able to find so many of them.

White-headed Woodpecker
(notice the obvious white head, the black body,
and the white at the bottom of the wing feathers)

    Soon after, a hummingbird zipped by, and landed on a branch out in the open. I got very excited, because up in the mountains, there could be different species of hummers, including Calliope. Unfortunately, the hummer wasn't a Calliope. In fact, I hadn't the slightest clue what species it was. All I knew is that it was a hummingbird that belonged to the genus Selasphorus. Here is a picture of the hummingbird. If anybody has an idea of what it way be, please comment.

Selasphorus species

Selasphorus species

     This basically concludes my visit to the Lake Forest Community. We then went back to the cabin, where we had lunch, and relaxed a little bit. That afternoon, after going to the pool, I begged my parents to bring me to a nearby wildlife area. I would've driven myself, but my parents didn't trust me with the car in an "unknown" area like Lake Tahoe. Finally, my dad agreed to bring me to Martis Creek Wildlife Area. This is the largest area of sagebrush in Placer County. It's also a good spot for Mountain Bluebirds and Brewer's Sparrows. These were the birds I was after. When we arrived, there didn't seem to be much activity, just a couple of Steller's Jays calling. Suddenly, a large flock of black birds flew from the ground. These birds were rather far, so I wasn't able to identify them. We kept on walking, and I noticed some birds perched on top of a couple lone trees. The lighting was awful, so it took me a while to identify them. Finally, I got good lighting and I found out these were juvenile Mountain Bluebirds! One more lifer I could add to my list. But I wanted to find the adult male. The male of this species is truly gorgeous, entirely sky blue. Suddenly, as the small flock of juveniles took off, an all blue bird joins them. It was the adult! When the flock landed, I got great views of this individual.

Male Mountain Bluebird
(notice entirely blue body, and white underbelly)

    Other birds that were present were House Wrens, a couple Lark Sparrows, and a single Vesper Sparrow.  

House Wren
(notice all brown body, and striped tail)

Lark Sparrow
(notice markings on face, white chest, and long tail)

Vesper Sparrow
(notice reddish shoulder patch, the whitish malar area,
and the slight, white eye ring)

      The next morning, I told my parents about a nice hike up in the mountains, where good birds are found, and that isn't too difficult. So they agreed that we could go. This area was called Martis Peak. I really wanted to go birding up in the mountains, to get some of the alpine specialties. Once we arrived, it didn't seem too birdy. Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches were the only birds I heard. Suddenly, a raspy and rattling call came from a nearby tree. I knew immediately that it came from a Clark's Nutcracker, one of my target birds for the trip. As I tried to slowly and inconspicuously approach it, it called again, but that time from even further away. That bird must have been very wary and careful. It certainly didn't want to be seen. However, I wasn't worried and thought that I had lost my only chance at finding a nutcracker, for I heard several more up the hill. There weren't very many birds on my way up the hill, but there were many more birds all the way on top. As I arrived at the top, there were Dark-eyed Juncos shuffling on the ground, and distant Steller's Jays were heard. Suddenly, a finch-like bird flew to the top of a nearby tree. This bird ended up being a female Cassin's Finch! Another target bird of mine. 

Female Cassin's Finch
(notice the forked tail, the sharp bill,
and the streaks on the undertail coverts)

     My dad followed me on the rocks where I was climbing to get to a better vantage point, but as he did so, he flushed two game birds from a tree. I knew they were game birds by their flight style (very rapid wing beats, and flying straightforward). I wasn't entirely sure what kind of game birds they were, but then a third bird started walking on the branch, 15 feet in front of us. It offered amazing views, and I was able to confirm my identification: a Sooty Grouse!

Sooty Grouse
(notice the overall dark bluish color,
the white on the tips of feathers,
and the red skin over the eye)

    I knew this species was found there, at Lake Tahoe, but I never believed that I'd find one. Grouse in general are very wary birds, proven by the fact that my dad flushed two individuals just before. The fact that one stayed in plain view was miraculous! What was interesting about this situation was that all the  birds were up in the tree. When somebody imagines a grouse, they usually picture them on the ground, walking around. But people forget that grouse will also fly up into trees to forage.

   

    The Sooty Grouse used to be lumped into one species with the Dusky Grouse. That species was called the Blue Grouse. The way to differentiate these two species isn't simple. Their ranges don't exactly overlap, which makes identification easier. But there are also physical ways to discern the two. Sooty Grouse have tails that consist of 18 rounded feathers, whereas the Dusky's tail consists of 20 squared feathers. Obviously, this field mark can only be used when banding the bird, or if you're really up close. Another way to tell them apart is when the males are courting and attracting females. The Sooty will have yellow, warty skin that becomes exposed when performing. Dusky have smooth, magenta skin. 

    This bird was definitely the highlight of my day. Then, I heard another Clark's Nutcracker, that seemed rather nearby. I followed the calling, and suddenly the bird perched on top of a tree. It was the  best view I could've asked from this bird. It was the perfect way to get a lifer (right after the Sooty Grouse). 

Clark's Nutcracker
(notice the black bill, overall gray body, the black wings,
 and the white undertail coverts and outer tail feathers.)

    This was an amazing location, that offered amazing views of both the scenery and of the birds. I highly recommend this area to anybody visiting the area.

View of Lake Tahoe from the top of Martis Peak
  

 That afternoon, we returned to Martis Creek Wildlife Area, but no new birds were seen.

     The next day, we went up to Mount Rose in Nevada. During the winter, this is a ski resort, but during the summer, this mountain offers great hikes. We decided to hike on the Mount Rose Interpretive Meadows Trail. This trail has several boardwalks that allows hikers to walk over these water-filled meadows. Once I arrived, the first bird I noticed was a Red-tailed Hawk soaring very high up. White-crowned Sparrows hopped along the ground, and Clark's Nutcrackers quarreled high up in trees. The trail brought us into a forest where Dark-eyed Juncos were everywhere. Suddenly, a bird flew very quickly onto a tree right in front of me. I froze because I noticed its black-barred back. It was a Williamson's Sapsucker! This bird isn't very easy to find in Lake Tahoe. It was a juvenile for it was overall dark-brown in color, and it had a horizontally barred back. This was very exciting! As I continued hiking down, I reached a deep willow habitat. I pished for one second, and immediately a MacGillivray's Warbler popped out. Very surprising considering how secretive they're known for being. I reached a clearing with open chaparral habitat. I walked off the trail for a second to pish, when suddenly a medium-sized bird with a long, green tail flew in front of me. I froze once again, because I had an idea of what it may have been, but I wasn't entirely sure. I squatted down, to make myself less noticeable, and began pishing. When I did so, a Green-tailed Towhee hopped out of a dense bush to check out the situation. This was yet another bird I was after, which is why I became ecstatic when I found it. 

     When we finished the hike, I was very happy. I got two lifers that I didn't expect to get on this trip. We spent the rest of the day in Nevada, at Sand Harbor Beach. This is a very nice and clean beach that we go to every year. Because I didn't feel like swimming, I birded the nearby forest. This birding was surprisingly productive. That forest was an amazing migrant trap. I found many warbler species including Black-throated Gray, Orange-crowned, Nashville, Yellow-rumped, and MacGillivray's. Other birds included Hairy Woodpeckers, a Western Tanager, Western Wood-Pewees, a Fox Sparrow (Thick-billed subspecies), a Cassin's Vireo, a White-headed Woodpecker, and a flyover Osprey, to name a few. Other great birds that I found were two juvenile Townsend's Solitaires. They were very curious and naïve, so they let me get pretty close, and get good views of them. They were also lifers for me.

     After my little stroll, I relaxed a little bit on the beach. There were many gulls around us, all of them being California Gulls.

California Gull
(notice the black and red mark on bill, the yellowish legs,
and the pattern on the primaries.)

    This concludes my trip to Lake Tahoe. This was an extremely productive trip, where I got 59 species in total, 9 of them being lifers: MacGillivray's Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, Mountain Bluebird, Cassin's Finch, Sooty Grouse, Clarks Nutcracker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Green-tailed Towhee, and Townsend's Soltaire. I can't wait to return to Lake Tahoe, and see what other great birds I'll find!

Lake Forest on Dwellable