California Trip ~ May 31, 2001

Morning stops at places with flowers between Wrightwood and Big Pines produced Anna’s Hummingbirds, but no Calliope. At Big Pines, we went down Highway N4 to the Arch Picnic Area. There, we heard Mountain Quail, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Chipping Sparrow, and saw Hairy and Acorn Woodpeckers, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallow, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, American Robin, “Audubon’s” Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Spotted Towhee, “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow, “Oregon” Junco, and Cassin’s Finch.

Once again, we stopped at Vincent Gulch Divide and heard Mountain Quail, Olive-sided Flycatcher, “Audubon’s” Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, and found White-throated Swift, Western Wood-Pewee, Violet-green Swallow, Mountain Chickadee, Western Bluebird, American Robin, Green-tailed Towhee, Cassin’s Finch, and several Anna’s Hummingbirds but, again, no Calliope. We also refound the rattlesnake about two fenceposts over from where Babe had almost stepped on it the day before. This time I managed to get a better photo of it.

Southern Pacific Rattlesnake by the fence at the edge of the Vincent Gulch Divide parking area in the San Gabriel Mountains, California. Babe almost stepped on this subspecies of Western Rattlesnake the day before!
A drive along East Blue Ridge Road to Blue Ridge Campground produced “Red-shafted” Flicker, Mountain Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, American Robin, and Green-tailed Towhee.

After a badly-needed afternoon nap and dinner, we headed back to the Buckhorn Flat area to try and get a look at one of the ‘Flams’. It was our experience that they tended to stay at least one tree back from where we were. This made getting a look at a perched bird almost impossible. However, we did manage to get to see one Flammulated Owl in flight through a fair-sized opening in the conifers across from the campground’s exit road. Again, we were surprised that only one car passed by during the three hours we were there.

On the way back to Wrightwood, I hit a good-sized rock from one of the rockslides; but, luckily, no major damage was done. We reached our motel a little after midnight.

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