Subject: [Tweeters] RFI: I5 / 395 corridor to SouthernCal
Date: Dec 14 10:50:25 2007
From: tweeters at innerlodge.com - tweeters at innerlodge.com
Oops! Please bear with me and let me do this again. As a new poster to
Tweeters, I seem to have made a mistake and sent that post to the fellow
that posted it. Sorry 'bout that!
Dusty - Everett, Wa.
=================================================================
Good morning Tweeters!
There are lots of opportunities for good birding most anywhere along the San
Joaquin Valley in California. While the SLNRA described below is a great
place to visit, at this time of year the "must see" place to stop is the
Merced National Wildlife Refuge pretty well in the center of the state.
>From highway 99, the MNWR can be reached by driving 8 miles south of Merced
on State Highway 59 and then 8 miles west on Sandy Mush Road. From I-5 (or
if you're staying at San Louis), take 152 East past Los Banos, turn North
(left) on Turner Island Road, which will turn east and becomes Sandy Mush
Road. The refuge is about 4-miles ahead on the right (south side of Sandy
Mush road).
>From early November to mid-March it is *the* place to visit. And the best
time to visit is from about 2-hours before sunset to just after dark.
Although the refuge closes at sundown, it has an automatic gate that will
let late visitors out.
Each evening Sandhill Cranes (SACR) will be coming back to the refuge for
the night. You'll be able to see thousands upon thousands of them coming at
you from all points of the compass looking like waves in the air, seemingly
without end. The honking as they wheel overhead to find their "units" is
astounding. The recognition "dances" and ritual displays they do upon
arrival is a thing of beauty to behold.
Just a bit after they begin to arrive, 10's of thousands of Snow and other
geese begin to depart. This process begins with a rising cacophony of
sound, culminating in a roar as they leap into the air by the tens of
thousands, wheeling and forming up to head out for places unknown. The din
is deafening, and the sky will rain white feathers like snow.
There is an easily driven ("regular" cars are fine), one-way gravel track
around the refuge. Our favorite viewing area is about half-way around the
refuge, about opposite the entrance drive. From there, the SACR arrivals
usually circle overhead as they lose altitude while honking back and forth
with those already on the ground. A truly awesome spectacle. In addition,
one can see all manor of late hunting raptors and a bit later owls of many
different kinds (esp. GHOW) working the flat-lands to the south. Just keep
in mind that these are birds after all, and they're eminently portable, so
you may have to adjust your viewing place for best effect. If can and does
change from time-to-time.
If you're going to be in that area at that time of year, this is a must-see
experience. You won't regret it--well, as with all things birding, YMMV!
We've been going there 3-4 times/year for probably a dozen years or more and
have always had this kind of experience.
Also, FWIW; I've built and maintained my own version of birding lists for
some of the destinations in that area. If you can read a Word doc, I'm more
then happy to send you my list, such as it is...
Best regards all,
Dusty Bleher -- Everett, Wa.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
> [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf
> Of ravenintherain
> Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 23:34
> To: carenp
> Cc: Tweets
> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] RFI: I5 / 395 corridor to SouthernCal
>
> carenp wrote:
> > in a few days, i'm going to take a week and venture forth
> to visit the
> > parental units who have moved from what is clearly heaven (along the
> > ocean) to what is clearly not heaven (banning / palm
> springs)... i'm
> > driving, so if someone could take time to point out some of
> the nicer
> > birding sights along the way (or in the banning area), i'd
> appreciate
> > it...
> >
> > i honestly don't recall insanity being part of the family
> tree before
> > now... :)
> >
> > thanks!
> > 00 caren
> > http://www.parkgallery.org <http://www.parkgallery.org/>
> george davis
> > creek, north fork
> >
> Two of my favorite places along I-5 are Ashland, Oregon and
> San Luis Reservoir State Recreation Area just off the freeway
> about 60 miles inland from Monterey Bay.
>
> Stay at Ashland, see a play or two (Oregon Shakespearean
> Festival), eat well and bird the area around Emigrant
> Reservoir just a couple of miles east of town. Highlights
> might be an oak titmouse and any number of woodpeckers.
>
> San Luis Reservoir is a large artificial lake three miles or
> so west of
> I-5 and about 15 miles west of Los Banos, CA. There's a nice
> campground at the north end of the reservoir and a superb one
> called Basalt Campground a couple of miles to the south. I
> have birded that area twice in February. The reservoir will
> have a large and varied number of waterfowl. There were
> scads of ruddy ducks and a lot of merganser. I saw my first
> northern mockingbird in the north campground.
>
> The piece de resistance, however, is Basalt Campground. The
> central valley of California is the only home of the
> yellow-billed magpie, of which you will see plenty. Take
> peanuts! I had my first sitings of golden eagles, loggerhead
> shrikes, brown-headed cowbirds and white-tailed kites there
> and there are lots of other birds:
> meadowlarks, golden- and white-crowned sparrows, hawks to
> challenge your identification skills and lots of great
> horned-owls that hoot at each other half the night. I got to
> watch the owls mate and catch mice from the road and grounds.
> Great memories. There are also plenty of rabbits and hares
> and the coyotes to pursue them in the dark. To top it all
> off, there's a resident elk herd that you can watch going up
> and down the valleys on their daily pursuits.
>
> Good luck and let me know how your trip goes,
>
> Dale
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