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Recap of Wings Over the
Basin 2004
We appreciate the birders who
participated in Big Basin Redwoods State Park "Wings Over the Basin
2004," Friday, May 21 through Sunday May 23, 2004. What a
wonderful weekend! We owe sincere and abundant thanks to our exceptional
leaders: GARTH HARWOOD, JAN HINTERMEISTER, and TODD NEWBERRY. You really
made the weekend!
We are also grateful to California State
Parks and to the Mountain Parks Foundation for co-sponsoring this event,
and to Big Basin Redwoods State Park for allowing us to camp in the
picnic loop near headquarters. Camping in the picnic loop is like flying
first class -- I'm spoiled for life! And finally, we are in debt to the
BIRDS of Big Basin, especially the little Winter Wren that sings on and
on, those amusing Acorn Woodpeckers with their cackles and laughter from
on high, and the special Marbled Murrelet who so cooperatively graced us
with its presence.
An overcast day while at work in Sunnyvale had me fearing rain,
but we lucked out! There were high clouds (or was it fog?) at Big Basin,
however the chilly weather wasn't cold (thankfully no wind) and the
mosquitos were way down from last year.
After setting up camp in the Gazos Creek
picnic loop we gathered and listened to a CD containing calls of a few
types of owls that we might hear in the park (Northern Pygmy, Northern
Saw-whet, and Western Screech Owls), and then we walked along North
Escape Fire Road to the Sempervirens Kiosk.
As darkness set in, we walked single file
with gaps for a solo hike from the kiosk to the bridge. It was
interesting to compare thoughts and feelings of walking in the woods
alone. One thing was certain: once darkness set in, it was very dark and
very quiet. We didn't hear any animals or birds, only distant children
playing a ways away at the Sequoia Group camp.
On Saturday morning Garth Harwood's walk
had three different segments. We started out at the Gazos Creek picnic
area "birding by ear" where we heard hysterical PYGMY
NUTHATCHES high up in the trees and high-pitched GOLDEN-CROWNED
KINGLETS. Next we traveled by car to China Grade Road where the heavy
fog created a mist of sorts. We had close views of a PURPLE FINCH
family, hearing the children beg and the parents singing. A tree full of
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES was a real treat! After hearing the
mockingbird-like calls of a CALIFORNIA THRASHER we spotted it in the
distance. An ALLENS HUMMINGBIRD flitted about.
The final segment was a one-way walk down
North Escape Road from Highway 236 back to the Gazos Creek Picnic area.
I had to dart off to a class so I unfortunately missed this part of the
walk. Many of the campers joined Big Basin Redwoods State Park docents
at an afternoon talk in the Old Lodge about Big Basin's Corvid
Management Plan. It sounded interesting -- I wish I could have been
there. But I was back in time for the Saturday evening potluck for
campers and docents -- YUM! Delicious food, plenty of camaraderie and
enchanting conversations around the picnic tables made for an enjoyable
evening.
The Campfire Program was lots of fun and
full of fascinating facts with Big Basin's Chris Spiller warming up the
crowd with songs and a skit about Marbled Murrelets, and Garth Harwood
showing slides and talking about the behavior of the redwood forest
birds, and then playing some birdsong recordings. The attendance for
this campfire program was huge -- kids everywhere!! They were attentive,
well behaved, and asked good questions. And then we roasted marshmallows
around the fire. Mmmmmm. Afterwards both Jan and Garth independently
said that they heard a BARN OWL briefly
On Sunday morning there were a handful of
cars in the parking lot at 5 AM, a full 15 minutes before Jan
Hintermeister's Marbled Murrelet survey began. About half of the 18
people who attended drove in for the walk (vs. camping). Some had an
hour's drive to get to the park. The Marbled Murrelets came through,
flying lower than ever. At least two pairs flew lower than the tree tops
immediately above the parking lot, and we also saw plenty of high birds
as well. Prior to seeing the Marbled Murrelets we watched a bat flutter
about.
What I found interesting was how
different the Marbled Murrelet activity was on Saturday and Sunday
mornings. After waking up in my tent on Saturday morning I heard Marbled
Murrelets constantly calling "kir" for over an hour, and
without trying too hard I saw at least 8 or 9 flying very high overhead
(some were single, others were in pairs, and I also saw a trio). Sunday
morning was very quiet, with almost no vocalizations (just a little
"kir" around 5:30 AM, and then a burst of "kir's"
around 6:45 AM) but there were more visual detections than on Saturday
and the birds were flying much lower. Both days were overcast/high fog,
though it may have been a bit denser on Saturday.
Todd Newberry began the birding by ear
walk at 7 AM on Sunday by playing birdsongs for us in slow motion. It
was fascinating to hear all of the intricacies that make up a song. We
heard and then saw WILSON's WARBLER, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, BROWN
CREEPER, and PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER. Listening to the avian orchestra
in the forest was delightful.
To conclude, I'd like to share a story
that I heard from another docent at the potluck. I'm not sure that
everyone heard it. Warning: this is a mammal story, not a bird story.
Evidently there was a break-in at the Big Basin Redwoods State Park
store this spring. At first the primary suspect was a raccoon, however
that didn't exactly make sense because a raccoon would eat everything in
sight. Whatever broke in was a huge fan of Pepperidge Farm Mint Milano
Cookies (hmmm, it has good taste -- those are a personal favorite of
mine!). Now what on earth would break into the store and be selective
enough to only eat Mint Milano cookies? Park staff was puzzled.
After a couple of weeks of unsuccessful scouting, a state resource
ecologist was called in to camp at the store to catch the culprit in
action. Indeed the thief was caught: a Ring-tailed Cat! It ran out of
the store once it saw the ecologist, never to be seen again. These
nocturnal mammals are hardly even seen. What a surprise to find one in
the store. Now I must admit, this story seemed a bit far-fetched to me,
so I checked with a few of the park staff. They have a photo of the
Ring-tailed Cat perched on a ledge in the store, in fact there's a Big
Basin t-shirt on a hanger below it. From what I have heard, it did favor
Mint Milano cookies, though it sounds like it may have snacked on other
goodies too. It sure caused quite a bit of excitement in the park this
spring.
Wishing you good birding, and I hope you
see some cool mammals along the way!
Karen DeMello, docent
Big Basin Redwoods State Park |
