[obol] Birding Lake County 7-3 to 7-6 - JUNIPER TITMOUSE.

[Judy Meredith]

Birders    
Reporting for Pete Low, Chuck Gates and myself are 3 happy 
birders after 3 days of great birding and camping  in a beautiful 
site. Willow Creek CG in the Fremont NF was our headquarters.
15 miles south of 140 along 3915, then one mile to west on 4011. 
This camp was quiet and scenic, along Willow Creek. Joel Geier 
had recommended it and we heartily recommend it also! El. 5,800'.

Our first effort was for JUNIPER TITMOUSE. We found them 
in 3 locations without trying the traditional seep along 140 
at Deep Creek Falls. We were able to see at least 15 of them all 
told and that was conservative. Several appeared to be young with
one adult tending and feeding. Locations for them were as follows:

Location mentioned by Joel Geier was along road he called 
FS 019 but we didn't see a number. Later there was a sign for 
County road 3-14-C on it. The location was about 1 mile SE 
of the  USNF boundary at a place where there was a "juniper belt" 
and a ridge 200 to 300 yards to the right. We checked both sides 
of the road there and the right side was "thick with Juniper 
Titmouse" just as Joel had reported. The opposite side of the 
road we had only one in 3.5 hours of birding and  walking the 
area. The third site was mostly Mtn Mahogany  surrounded by 
Juniper. It was located 1.8 miles SE along 3-14-C from the junction 
of 3-14-A and 3-14-C. And Big Valley road is apparently another 
name for 3-14-C. This location was terrific for the many 
Juniper Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Bushtits as well 
as one Long-eared Owl, Lark Sparrow and Poorwill. It was very 
nice birding in a place with a spectacular view. It was on 
a ridge/escarpment overlooking the area toward 20 mile Creek. 
Another way to get  to this area, take 20 mile Road south from 
Adel. I believe this is also called county road 3-14. At the "T" 
intersection where Adel is to the north, California is about 3 miles
to the south, go west on what is called Big Valley Road for 1.9 miles
and you will see the ridge of Mtn Mahogany on the left/South side 
of the road.  We walked through this area for about 3 hours and
loved it there.  We wondered if the Juniper Titmouse left the  
Junipers nearby and came to the Mountain Mahogany for a better 
conditions for feeding the young, or if they nest in both habitats. 
Does anyone know?  Craig? In a lot of the  area the junipers and 
mahogany are interspersed at the higher elevations. 

Green-tailed Towhees and Red-breasted Sapsuckers were a treat 
on this trip. We saw so many of them in all the habitats. One 
sapsucker had the striped head pattern of a poss hybrid Red-
naped/Red-breasted  but the  rest were good for Red-br. Sap. 

On the return today we had great experience watching a Golden
Eagle being pestered repeatedly by Prairie Falcon, Swainson's
Hawk, Northern Harrier. This was just south of Paisley. We
did NOT find Bobolink along Lovers Lane.  
The full list is below. It is logged in Birdnotes.net under Lake
County.  Thanks again to Joel for his suggestion to try birding 
and camping in this great location. Total 139 birds for the W/E.

Canada Goose 
Gadwall 
American Wigeon 
Mallard 
Cinnamon Teal 
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail 
Canvasback 
Redhead 
Ring-necked Duck 
Bufflehead 
Ruddy Duck 
California Quail
Pied-billed Grebe 
Eared Grebe 
American White Pelican 
Double-crested Cormorant 
Great Blue Heron 
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White-faced Ibis
Turkey Vulture 
Osprey 
Bald Eagle 
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk 
Swainson's Hawk 
Red-tailed Hawk 
Ferruginous Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel 
Prairie Falcon 
Virginia Rail  
American Coot 
Sandhill Crane 
Snowy Plover 
Killdeer 
Black-necked Stilt 
American Avocet 
Willet 
Spotted Sandpiper 
Long-billed Curlew 
Long-billed Dowitcher
Common Snipe 
Wilson's Phalarope 
Red-necked Phalarope
Franklin's Gull 
Ring-billed Gull 
California Gull 
Caspian Tern 
Forster's Tern 
Black Tern 
Rock Dove 
Eurasian Collared-Dove 
Mourning Dove 
Great Horned Owl 
Long-eared Owl 
Common Nighthawk 
Common Poorwill 
Vaux's Swift 
Calliope Hummingbird 
Rufous Hummingbird 
Belted Kingfisher 
Williamson's Sapsucker 
Red-breasted Sapsucker 
Downy Woodpecker 
Hairy Woodpecker 
White-headed Woodpecker 
Black-backed Woodpecker 
Northern Flicker 
Olive-sided Flycatcher 
Western Wood-Pewee 
Hammond's Flycatcher 
Gray Flycatcher 
Dusky Flycatcher 
Cordilleran Flycatcher 
Say's Phoebe 
Ash-throated Flycatcher 
Western Kingbird 
Loggerhead Shrike 
Cassin's Vireo 
Warbling Vireo 
Steller's Jay 
Western Scrub-Jay 
Clark's Nutcracker 
American Crow 
Common Raven 
Tree Swallow 
Violet-green Swallow 
Cliff Swallow 
Barn Swallow 
Mountain Chickadee 
Juniper Titmouse  
Bushtit 
Red-breasted Nuthatch 
White-breasted Nuthatch 
Brown Creeper 
Rock Wren 
House Wren 
Marsh Wren 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  
Western Bluebird 
Mountain Bluebird 
Hermit Thrush 
American Robin 
Sage Thrasher 
European Starling 
Orange-crowned Warbler 
Yellow Warbler 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
MacGillivray's Warbler 
Common Yellowthroat 
Western Tanager
Green-tailed Towhee  
Spotted Towhee 
Chipping Sparrow 
Brewer's Sparrow 
Vesper Sparrow 
Lark Sparrow 
Sage Sparrow 
Savannah Sparrow 
Fox Sparrow 
Song Sparrow 
Lincoln's Sparrow 
White-crowned Sparrow 
Dark-eyed Junco 
Black-headed Grosbeak 
Lazuli Bunting 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Western Meadowlark 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Brewer's Blackbird 
Brown-headed Cowbird 
Bullock's Oriole 
Cassin's Finch 
Pine Siskin 
Lesser Goldfinch 
American Goldfinch 
House Sparrow

Good birding, 
Judy Meredith
jmeredit at bendnet.com