Grunion Plateau

Hike track link

Bob and I headed up to the Grunion Plateau.  We really wanted to see the water over the spillway at South Lake and then we came up with a hike to justify the drive. 

A mile of pipeline walking tests our balance as we start the hike.  We both did fine.  Then past Brown and Green Lakes, which are nice and have flowers, but not spectacular mountains around them, then a final ridge to climb and we were on the top.  I was expecting glorious flowers from all the snow of last winter, but it was long gone, and the plateau was already scorched by the sun into a sea of brown. 

Brown Lake

Green Lake

Green Lake

And it was too early to have lunch.  What to do?  Bob suggested climbing Peak 12406.  Up we went.  We treated ourselves to views of Thunder and Lightning Lake, Baker and Hidden Lakes, Cloudripper, and Two Eagle Peaks.  Along with the views we enjoyed the flowers and our lunch.

Smoke 

The Huntchback.  On our list of  things to do on a smoke free day.

Thunder and Lightening Lake and Cloudripper

Buttermilks

bird list

The Buttermilks are close so we tend to ramble in them a bit.  I headed up to see what birds I could find and came up with 31 species.  Not too bad.  It was a lovely day, just me and the cows. Cows, the Buttermilks, is that how it got its name?  I did a quick internet search and didn't come up with anything.  

Oh, and Birch Creek overflowing its banks turning the road into a stream.  

Grouse Mountain

Birch Creek

The road or stream 

desert ebird gap filling

6:06AM and already the sweat is cascading down my back and dripping off my nose.  I have been walking for 8 minutes.  When I return to my car at 8:40 it is 92 degrees.  How did things come to this?

Years ago I came up with a spreadsheet of areas that I would try and bird every week in the ebird year.  This used to be easy to figure out via ebird and the use of "my locations".  Unfortunately, ebird has "improved" the system and now when you go to my locations you get everybody's data for hotspot locations.  So, you can't try this at home, which is probably a good thing.

My spreadsheet, x's are yet to be ebirded, colors are the last 3 years, open are areas done previously

This means I have to bird in the desert in the summer and mountains in the winter.  I have getting up at 5AM to bird the desert and I try to get home by 10AM.  I take 4 frozen quarts of water with me for hikes of no more than 5 miles.  Even with the appalling heat I find enough birds and other things to keep me entertained, but then I guess I'm easily entertained.  On one of my last efforts I saw a doe with two small spotted fawns.  It was fabulous.  I had no idea there would be small fawns in the desert this late in the season.

A few photos from the desert in the last month.

I call these insects flying lobsters

I really don't find many snakes, but here was one that wasn't very active in the cool of the early morning.

Yes, this is a black ant nest hole.  I find the shellac looking stuff on the entrance hole fascinating.  

I have found some interesting birds, an example being wrentits that nested in Inyo County.  I always try to find wrentits when in Inyo.  Once upon a time a bit of searching in Sand Canyon would turn one up.  Then there were years of no wrentits.  This year, perhaps due to the rain, they were back and they bred.  Very nice.  

Each desert canyon has what I will call a bird personality.  So, I'll compare a couple -- Cow Heaven Canyon.  This is a dry canyon with a small guzzler, but it does have a nice Joshua tree woodland and then a ravine with gray and pinyon pines, and live oaks.  My last list has 22 species Cow Heaven 1.  I think that is amazing.  The list before had 23 species Cow Heaven 2.  

It is even more amazing when I look at Sand Canyon. Sand Canyon Kern 1, Sand Canyon Inyo 1 Sand Canyon Kern 2, Sand Canyon Inyo 2, Sand Canyon Kern 3, Sand Canyon Inyo 3.  There are two lists for each as the county line runs through the middle of the hike.  Typically by combining the two lists there are more species in Sand Canyon than Cow Heaven, but not that many more in the summer.   

The canyon totals are much different with 155 species for Sand Canyon and only 103 in Cow Heaven Canyon.  Yes, more people bird Sand Canyon which helps, but the water attracts the birds.  Now that makes sense to me as water in the desert is a big draw.  How to explain the summer species totals?  Perhaps if a bird is adapted to breeding in the desert close water is not a necessity, but intact forest is critical.   Sand Canyon has burned a couple times in the last 20 years, while Cow Heaven still has intact forests.

Another trek to Lower Lamarck Lake

I headed to Lower Lamarck Lake to fill an ebird gap.  It was hard birding as there was lots of activity from the Americorp trail crew.  They were hard at work digging, moving rocks, and rebuilding the trail.  They will be there until October 1^st.  If you see them be sure and thank them for all their hard work, or better yet, bring them a small treat.  I’m sure they’d appreciate cookies or tangerines.

Your treat if you get up there in the next week, will be the flowers.  They are lovely.