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| Sapsucker, Warner Mountains |
The Warner Range has long been one of California's best kept secrets. From the Oregon border
its mountains extend southward for 60 miles, cresting atop 9,892-foot-high Eagle Peak. Largely wilderness, it is a land of
sagebrush meadows, aspen groves, alpine forests, and rushing streams. As an ornithological frontier it still has the potential
to yield surprises. Discoveries that made news here during the 1980s included the first California record of Three-toed Woodpecker
and first state nesting record for Least Flycatcher. Of further interest to birders, the Warner Mountains are also a
marginal breeding area for two species ordinarily associated with the Rocky Mountains, the Red-naped Sapsucker and Cordilleran
Flycatcher.
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| Long-eared Owl at Tulelake by John Mariani |
Long-eared
Owls are medium-sized, nocturnal, woodland Owls, with a broad distribution across North America, Eurasia and northern Africa. They appear slim and slouch forward when perched. They have
prominent ear tufts that appear to sit in the middle of the head and are usually held erect. Plumage is brown and buff, with
heavy mottling and barring over most of the body. Male plumage tends to be lighter than females. The eyes are golden yellow,
encircled by black feathers that are set in an orange-brown facial disk. The bill is black. The forehead and lores are mottled
grey and white and there is a white chin patch. The legs and feet are heavily feathered.
Juveniles are similar to adults
but less heavily marked. The head tufts are shorter and less defined and facial disk darker. Body feathers are tipped with
greyish white.
Long-eared Owls are buoyant fliers,
appearing to glide noiselessly even when their wings are flapping. They are very manoeuvrable and can fly through fairly dense
brush. They fly moth-like, often hovering and fluttering while looking for prey. When roosting, a Long-eared Owl will stretch
its body to make itself appear like a tree branch.
Tule Lake
National Wildlife Refuge: From Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge continue east on Hwy 161, and turn right onto
Hill Rd.
The refuge headquarters and visitor center is on the right in 3.8 miles.
You
can get a bird checklist at the visitor center, which has some nice exhibits. Behind the building there are bird feeders
that are usually crowded with California Quail, sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, California and Spotted Towhees, and finches (which may in
turn attract raptors). Be sure to inspect the sightings log to see what rarities are around! Roosting owls sometimes lurk
in the trees around the headquarters. Also check ledges and crevices on the cliffs of nearby Sheepy Ridge for Barn and Great
Horned Owls, and rocky terrain along the base of the ridge for resident Canyon Wrens.
Northern
Shrike is one of those unpredictable birds that can appear anywhere, but the stretch along Hill Road between the refuge headquarters
and Lava Beds National Monument is one of the more likely places--scan every possible perch. Herds of Mule Deer and prowling
Coyotes are commonly observed in the nearby fields. The Tule Lake
Auto Tour Route is also good for waterfowl and raptors;
you can almost rely on seeing a Prairie Falcon somewhere along it. Near the end of the tour route, where there is upland brush
adjacent to the road, is where you have your best chance of finding American Tree Sparrow, a rare winter visitor
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| Sand Hill Crane: Modoc Wildlife Refuge |
Fed by snowmelt from the Warner Mountains, the Pit River creates an oasis for wildlife in the high desert of northeastern California -- Modoc National Wildlife Refuge.
The 7,000 + acre refuge was established in 1961 to manage and protect migratory waterfowl. Funds available from the Migratory
Bird Hunting Stamp Act helped purchase this refuge, which is located just south of Alturas, California at the base of the Warner Mountains lying at an elevation of 4,300 feet. Sandhill Cranes range from 40" - 48" in height with a wingspan of 7 feet.
The adult is slate gray, sometimes with a rusty appearance. The most notable marking is it's red crown and forehead. It can
also be identified by it's "bustlelike" rear. immature birds are all brown. Unlike herons, cranes fly with their necks extended.
They can also be distinguished in flight by their slow downward wingbeat, and quick flick,or flap, of the upstroke. The oldest
Sandhill Crane is recorded at living 18 years and 6 months.
Location: From Highway
395/Main St. at south end of Alturas. Turn east on County Road 56. Go .5 miles, turn right on County Road 115. Go one mile,
turn left on headquarters/entrance road.
What to See: The rugged
Warner Mountains rise dramatically above remote ponds, marshes, wet meadows, and sage uplands that border the Pit River. Redheads,
gadwalls, hundreds of tundra swans, and other waterfowl gather on extensive marshes. Pond mudflats and shallow water are probed
by scores of shorebirds. Dense wetland vegetation hides several secretive nesting species, including black-crowned night heron,
Virginia, and Sora rails. Threatened greater sandhill cranes perform elaborate spring courtship dances before nesting. Canada
geese, cinnamon teal, willets, and others provide broods of summer viewing, mixed among American white pelicans, great egrets,
and white-faced ibis. Resident mule deer gather near headquarters and along the two-mile auto tour that encircles Teal Pond.
Jack rabbits, cottontails, and muskrats are common, as are migratory songbirds.
The Pacific Flyway for migratory waterfowl crosses directly over the Modoc National Forest. Managed wetlands attract birds
to nest. Nesting birds include eared grebes, Canada geese, mallards, gadwalls, pintails, ruddy ducks, green-winged teal, and
cinnamon teal.
Best Season to View:
More than 230 bird species; seventy-six nest here. Waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, excellent in spring and fall, including
cranes. Bald eagles, good in winter. South of Alturas, look for cranes on east side of highway 395; pronghorn antelope on
west side in spring.
Visiting Tips: Excellent
birding near headquarters, on auto-tour.
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| Golden Eagles, Tulelake Wildlife Preserve |
The Tulelake Wildlife Preserve is situated in Siskiyou County in northern California.
It is just four miles from the Oregon border and just 30 miles south of Klamath Falls, Oregon. It is midway between Portland
and San Francisco. Tulelake is 232 miles northwest of Reno, 285 miles southeast of Portland, 145 miles northeast of Redding,
360 miles northeast of San Francisco. Directions from Redding: travel north to Weed on I-5, northeast on Hwy. 97 through Dorris,
east on Stateline Road (Hwy. 161) to Hwy. 139, southeast on Hwy. 139 to Tulelake. The Pacific
Flyway for migratory waterfowl crosses directly over the Modoc National Forest. Managed wetlands attract birds to nest. Nesting
birds include eared grebes, Canada geese, mallards, gadwalls, pintails, ruddy ducks, green-winged teal, and cinnamon teal.
 Mill Creek Falls Campground & Clear Lake
To reach this site from the Pine Creek Trail, continue south on National Forest 5
(Flammulated Owl has been found in pine forest along the road at night). In 6.5 miles the pavement resumes at a cattleguard.
Turn left just past the cattleguard, and follow the road to Mill Creek Falls Campground (2 miles). Alternate route: Take
Highway 395 to Likely, and go east on Jess Valley Rd. In 9.3 miles follow National Forest 5 to the left. In 2.8 miles the
turnoff will be on the right.
Check the campground area for Northern Pygmy-Owl.
This is a particularly good spot for woodpeckers—Williamson’s Sapsucker and Black-backed Woodpecker have been
sighted along the trail between the campground and Clear Lake. Around the lake, and along its inflow, look for Osprey, Spotted
Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, American Dipper, and MacGillivray’s Warbler.
Soup Springs Campground & Trailhead
Take National Forest 5 south from the Pine Creek Trail, or north from the
turnoff to Clear Lake, and follow Forest Service Road 40N24 east to the campground and trailhead. Goodies like Red-naped Sapsucker,
Black-backed Woodpecker, and Gray Jay have been found along the trail.
Jess Valley
Take Highway 395 to Likely, and go east on Jess Valley Road. In 9.3 miles the road
forks; National Forest 5 (to Clear Lake, Soup Springs, and the Pine Creek Trail) is to the left, and National Forest 64 (to
Blue Lake, Parsnip Springs, and Surprise Valley) is to the right.
From National Forest
64 you can survey the west side of Jess Valley. Scan the pastures and wetlands of the valley floor for Sandhill Cranes and
a wide variety of water birds. Watch for Bald and Golden Eagles, Common Snipe, Black Tern, Common Nighthawk, and several species
of swallows in summer.
Blue Lake
Take Highway 395 to Likely, and proceed east on Jess
Valley Rd. Go past the junction with National Forest 5 (9.3 miles), and in another 6.6 miles turn right at the sign for Blue
Lake, from which it is 1.5 miles to the campground by the lake.
Search the campground area
for Williamson’s Sapsucker, Hairy and White-headed Woodpeckers, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Steller’s Jay, Mountain
Chickadee, Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, Mountain Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Western Tanager, and Cassin’s
Finch. The flycatcher is also partial to the woods near the boat launch. Bald Eagles have nested right in the campground,
and can often be seen from the lakeshore. Flammulated Owl has been found along nearby roads at night.
The entire area around Blue Lake was devastated by
fire in August, 2001. Thousands of acres burned, and some of the other sites described below may also have been effected.
It could take many years for the forest to fully recover.
Parsnip Springs and
Patterson Pass
Backtrack from Blue Lake to National Forest 64, and turn right. The road is unpaved from here
to Surprise Valley.
Throughout the Warner Range stands of aspen serve as nesting and foraging
habitat for an abundance of bird life. Parsnip Springs (.7 mile) presents a perfect example. Amid its groves of aspens and
willows dwell Red-naped (rare) and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Hairy Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Dusky Flycatcher, Warbling
Vireo, Tree Swallow, House Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, and Cassin’s Finch. The adjacent
sagebrush is good for Green-tailed Towhee.
Continue on National Forest 64,
following signs for Eagleville. In 5.2 miles the road crosses East Creek. Go across the bridge, park, and walk the road to
the right, where Calliope Hummingbird can usually be found in June—check perches atop the willows for territorial males.
Brewer’s, Vesper, Savannah, and White-crowned Sparrows are summer residents of the sagebrush-grasslands
at Patterson Meadow and Homestead Flat.
In 5.8 miles, where the road reaches its summit
(7,500 feet), there is a broad sagebrush flat bordered by aspens and conifers. Among the birds to look for in this area are
Red-breasted and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Clark’s Nutcracker, Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager, Green-tailed
Towhee, and Chipping, Brewer’s, Vesper, and White-crowned Sparrows. Who knows? A Golden Eagle or Northern Goshawk
might even make an appearance.
From there it’s all downhill. The road descends steeply,
affording a panoramic view of Surprise Valley far below. In 8.2 miles you will arrive at the junction with Surprise Valley
Road.
Surprise Valley
Birding in Surprise Valley is at its best in winter, when raptors seem to occupy every available
perch, and Northern Shrike is actually to be expected. In some winters large numbers of Bohemian Waxwings invade Fort Bidwell,
at the northern end of the valley. In summer watch for Sandhill Cranes in the pastures, and for Sage Thrasher and Brewer’s,
Vesper, and Sage Sparrows in areas of sagebrush. Black-billed Magpie is common year-round. Surprise Valley Road is the valley's
main route, but many side roads invite further exploration.
Cedar Pass
Either take Highway 299 east from Highway 395, or west from Cedarville. In the vicinity of the
pass (6,305 feet) look for Common Poorwill, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Dusky and Cordilleran
Flycatchers, Warbling Vireo, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Hermit Thrush, MacGillivray’s and Yellow-rumped
Warblers, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, & Lazuli Bunting. Stough Reservoir Campground,
just east of the pass, and Cedar Pass Campground, 1.6 miles to the west, are good birding and camping spots. The latter site
is well populated with Cordilleran Flycatchers.
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