We continued a short distance up Highway N3 and turned onto Road 3N17 (the road to Mount Gleason). Only about a tenth of a mile from the highway, we stopped to check out the chaparral found there. On the uphill side of the road, we found a Bell’s Sparrow calling from several perches atop the brush, giving us great looks at it through a scope. I then discovered a trail that went up very close to its territory and was able to get a photo.
A Wrentit was also found there.
Back on Highway N3, we stopped at a canyon overlook where we found White-throated Swift, Acorn Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Black-headed Grosbeak, and heard our only Canyon Wren of the trip.
We reached Highway 2 and headed east to the Chilao Visitors’ Center where we saw White-headed Woodpecker and Band-tailed Pigeon. As it turned out, we found both of the visitors’ centers at Chilao and Grassy Hollow closed. This seemed strange to us since it was after Memorial Day and now summertime. In fact, we encountered very few people during our stay in the San Gabriels, making it one of my favorite places on the trip. Clark’s Nutcrackers were seen at the turnout near Dawson Saddle. Eventually, we reached the Pines Motel in Wrightwood. The motel was lacking in many areas, but it was bearable.
After dropping off our suitcases, we headed back to Vincent Gulch Divide. While walking around the fenced edge of the large parking area, Babe almost stepped on a coiled Southern Pacific Rattlesnake, a subspecies of Western Rattlesnake! It never rattled and eventually moved a little closer to the fence where it coiled up again. A search for Calliope Hummingbird there and at the willows below Big Pines came up empty.
While slowly driving around the town of Wrightwood looking for hummingbird feeders, we found Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna’s Hummingbird, Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, “Red-shafted” Flicker, Violet-green Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Bullock’s Oriole. Many of these birds were seen from Mrs. Bechtel’s backyard, a lady who we met while birding the area. She showed us photos of raptors that she used to rehabilitate while living in Alaska years before.
After dinner, we headed west to the exit road of Buckhorn Flat Campground along Highway 2. There, after dark, we heard at least 5 different Flammulated Owls calling. As we got closer to one of the owls, a large helicopter came over and circled several times as if they were searching for someone. After that, the owls stopped calling. We then headed a little farther west to a spot where I was told a ‘Flam’ had been heard earlier in the month. There, we heard a bird on both sides of the road, but could never get a look at it. A really bright ‘three-quarter’ moon probably didn’t help our chances.
We called it a night and headed back to Wrightwood, occasionally straddling or driving around the rocks on the highway from the many rockslides. About five miles from town, a deer ran across the road in front of the car. When I hit the brakes, the styrofoam cooler chest in the trunk tipped over, sending the melted icewater running into the trunk and down onto the back seat. I quickly stopped the car, realizing that there had to be a wet mess in the back. When I went to hit the trunk button on the key chain, I also accidentally hit the door lock button without knowing it. As we both got out to quickly put the things back in the cooler, I closed my door since my side was partly on the road. Luckily, Babe left her door open or we would’ve been locked out of the car with it sitting in the road, the lights on, and the engine running. We finally reached our motel in Wrightwood around midnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment