I got the chance to join a bird walk in Shasta Valley. Present were some of the most experienced birders of the area. The group included Ray Eckstrom, the kind of birder who just happens to note a frozen pasture with over 2000 Lapland Longspurs. Sorry, that was last winter. You missed ‘em. So did I.
Also present was Bob Claypole, he literally wrote the book on birding the Klamath River Valley. The walk was organized by Sam Cuenca of the US Forest Service. It was to observe International Migratory Bird Day. I got to go and represent the Klamath Bird Observatory.
Shasta Valley, California, lies on the Shasta River draingage, a tributary of the larger Klamath River just to the north. This area is a few miles east of Yreka on I-5 and about 25 miles south of the Oregon border. On the way to the state-owned widlife area you pass through Montague with just over a 1000 residents and a large large metal cowboy statue in the city park. You go all the way to the end of California Route 3, and then keep going.
It’s late in spring but we had a four-grebe day and over a dozen waterfowl species. Horned and Eared Grebes on Streamboat Lake were in breeding plumage, those golden feathers adorning the birds’ heads.
Photo by Len Blumin. Not taken in Shasta Valley.
The waterfowl ranged from Greater White-fronted Geese down in size to Bufflehead and Ruddy Ducks.
Several breeding plumage Willets were working the lakeshore. And there were two families of young Great-horned Owls. Some were already able to fly. I was most surprised by the presence of Great-tailed Grackle, now apparently a well-established breeding bird in that area.
Two of our more exciting big American birds were also in the valley. We saw at least five different Sandhill Cranes. The area is the southwestern most corner of the species’ breeding range most years. Link to article on Sandhill Cranes in Shasta Valley. There were numerous White Pelicans, and these individuals are believed to be immatures not yet of breeding age. I watched a trio of pelicans rise in ever-widening circles above Steamboat Lake. They seemed to turn darker, but it was simply a clash of whites. The white of Mount Shasta’s snow-cone was so much brighter, lighter, even whiter than the pelicans’. The soft feathers just couldn’t match that glistening shine of ice slicked glaciers on California’s northernmost volcano.
See those tiny spots just left of the center at the top of the blue sky? Huge white pelicans. The peak behind the near ridge: Mt. Shasta, It’s over 14,000 feet high and gthe fifth tallest peak in California. Shasta is more than 10,000 feet above the valley where we were birding.
Abundant but still a joy to watch: that inland denizen of marsh amidst drylands. Yellow-headed Blackbird. Not only is he slightly bigger than the Red-winged and Brewer’s, the Yellow-head has a voice…an accordion being played by a wrestler…the death call of an air mattress…the squeak of a hinge last oiled in 1928…the exhalation of a fire hydrant filled with rusty nails. It’s raucous, its agonized, it’s loud, it’s incessant and it’s as unforgettable as the male bird’s yellow hood. It made the boistrous calls of the grackle seem like a symphony.
It was a colorful day: White Pelican, Yellow-headed Blackbird, White-fronted Goose, Ruddy Duck, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-necked Stilt, Green-winged Teal and this Cinnamon Teal:
BONUS PICTURE:
Yes, that’s a white black-tailed (mule) deer. They were on a distant hillside but the only dark tint seemed to be on the deer’s ears not the nominate tail.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Spotted Sandpiper
Willet
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Forster’s Tern
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Western Kingbird
Black-billed Magpie
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Oak Titmouse
Bushtit
House Wren
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s)
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson’s Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Total species reported: 59
