Birding: Klamath Basin Birding Trail

Its breeding season here in the Klamath Basin.

Summer is in full bloom and I have been looking forward to birding in the Klamath Basin, one of the top birding hotspots in the States.

During migration millions of waterfowl pass through and in winter it hosts Bald Eagles. Its a great year round birding destination though.

As I am blogging Western Scrub Jays are squawking near the veranda, Northern Flickers are in the pines as are the Bushtits, overhead pelicans and hawks...




My first priority - after Fred watched the very tense Netherlands vs Mexico game - was grebes, and hopefully seeing a 'water dance' as they run in tandem across the water.

Well got my two lifers - Clark's and Western Grebe.  Saw a water dance! We watched their antics and marveled at their loud 'kreek' calls. Loved my first outing and cannot wait to get out again.

Clark's Grebe.

Beauty of Clark's Grebe, well done Fred!

Catching a Western Grebe 'running'.

Our trip in numbers...

Finding reminders of home in odd places!

We have been traveling for 8 weeks in the USA:

•   travelled 6589 miles, (10604 km)

•   been in 4 US states – California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon

•   explored 7 National Parks - Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite, Golden Gate Alcatraz, Lassen Volcanic, Redwoods

•   visited 7 State Parks - Big Sur, Salton Sea, San Jacinto Mountain, Hearst Castle, Red Rock, Red Rock Canyon, Humboldt Redwoods

•   National Forests; 4 Sequoia, Sierra, Tahoe, Lassen

•   slept in 18 beds; 6 hotels/inns, 5 motels and 6 timeshare units, 1 private home (make it 24 with Bahamas)

•   ate Ben & Jerry ice-cream, 7, Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, Triple Caramel Chunk, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Americone Dream, Cheesecake Brownie, Everything but the…

•   added 37 birds to my US bird list which is now 201 and my world list is 1484, top bird Roadrunner

•   popped into 4 museums, Palm Springs Art, Cable Car (SF), De Young (SF), Maritime Museum (Lake Tahoe)

•   farmers markets, 2; Oakhurst, Ferry Building (SF)

•   decaprio 3 movie catch-up, Aviator, Gatsby and Departed

•   Oscar 5 movie catch-up, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, August: Osage County, Zero Dark Thirty, Charlie Wilson’s War

•   relished organic extra virgin olive oil, 3 farms 

•   walked 159 miles; beaches, mountain trails, coastal meadow, high altitude lake, golf courses, climbing red rocks, canyon rim, valley trail, desert paths, Las Vegas Strip, mountain hikes, many city blocks

•   walking well ahead of schedule, 27 miles credit, (for each 50 miles driven we want to walk 1 mile)

•   longest hike 10 miles on Four Mile Trail with 3200’ climb on steep switchbacks

•   took a bike, cycled along the Truckee River for 16 miles, (26 km)

•   watched 7 episodes of Game of Thrones, season 4

•   lowest driving elevation, 214’ below sea-level at Furnace Creek Golf Course, Death Valley

•   highest driving elevation, 9945’ Tioga Pass, Tioga Road, Yosemite

•   got cold at the lowest temperature below 40 degrees F in Tehachapi (3 degrees C)

•   was hot at the highest temperature of 115 degrees F while walking in Death Valley (46 degrees C). Car registered 125 degrees F at one point – over 50 degrees C

•   wine tasting, 2 at Tablas Winery, Paso Robles and Souza Family Vineyard

•   modes of transport, 8, helicopter over the Grand Canyon, ferry to Alcatraz, cable car, bus, metro, streetcar, bicycle, paddle boat on Tahoe

•   shows/events, 5, in Las Vegas, O Cirque du Soleil; in San Francisco, Beach Blanket Babylon, SF Giants baseball in San Francisco; in Reno, Extreme Bull Riding; in Reno, Rodeo

Delicate beauty among the huge redwoods

Fred almost a tree-hugger, he loved the redwoods and the experience of their majesty.

Oregon: a wild coast line

We have moved from the coast inland to Klamath Falls in Southern Oregon. 

We made one more stop along the Oregon Pacific coast this morning to take-in the rock structures that make a real statement and dominate the scenery, and one in particular is Arch Viewpoint. 

The rain had stopped overnight and the morning light on the ocean was gentle, the sea color shades of blue and green. Another picture perfect place.

Oregon scenic coastline.

Oregon: a Wedderburn whimsy

Wedderburn
Unincorporated community
Wedderburn Location within the state of Oregon
Coordinates: 42°25′47″N 124°24′50″WCoordinates: 42°25′47″N 124°24′50″W
Country	United States
State	Oregon
County	Curry
Time zone	Pacific (PST) (UTC-8)
• Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)

Just had to swing past Wedderburn!

Its a store, a deli, a post office and not much else over the Rogue River from Gold Beach, Oregon.

Founded by RD Hume in 1895 and named after the home of his ancestors, Wedderburn Castle in Scotland.

I remember on my first trip to Scotland, researching the Hume Clan, buying the clan tartan tie for Dad and getting excited with all the Wedderburn references in Edinburgh.

My mother spent many years creating the family tree, documenting the first Wedderburn's arriving with the 1820 settlers in South Africa.

So here I am, visiting Wedderburn, chatting with the current owners of the store and just generally remembering my Wedderburn-ness….

A Wedderburn in Wedderburn

View from Wedderburn Store across the Rogue River, Oregon

But more important my Dad is on my mind as I travel so far away from home. He has been our role model Wedderburn.

At 85 he has seen much, experienced much, has loved and suffered as a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather. I love you Dad and all the special Wedderburn's that surround me.

Dad. Grandpa Percy Wedderburn bottom left.

Sent postcards home from the tiny Wedderburn Post Office

Northern California: Fern Canyon

Another gem on our route up to Oregon this morning. 

Fern Canyon, in the Redwood National and State Park. Its a narrow gorge, where the moisture and conditions have created a fern wonderland and according to the write-up, really ancient species of fern too.

We just marveled at the five-fingered fern, a beauty that dominates the canyon. Its gossamer thin leaves hang from the finest of stems and seem suspended directly from the moss, which seeps and drips.

Its a narrow canyon with the pebbled Home Creek meandering through the canyon.

Beauty of the Five-fingered fern.

Foodie Interlude: Supporting local businesses

I am so enjoying supporting the local family owned businesses along our travels and I appreciate the long hours and the work to feed me.

Ferndale is no exception, biscuit and gravy, philly cheese filled pastry with home-made boysenberry jam from Humboldt Sweets. Then picking up sour dough sandwiches from Ferndale Meats for our picnic along the Lost Coast.

Off now to Loleta Cheese factory for medal winning cheese, sounds perfect. And it was, lovely spot in Loleta, choose delicious organic Monterey Jack, my go to cheese here in the US.

Northern California: Lost Coast Drive

The pleasure of the less travelled road.

Leaving Ferndale is a wilderness called the Lost Coast, a drive that took us to the Pacific Ocean, wild and beautiful. The light, the interplay of fog and cloud, the wind, colors of the meadows, all so lovely.

Rare to find a quiet road and a pleasure when it happens

Extraordinary colors as we neared the coast

Strong wind but still on the trail whenever we can

Osprey fishing, thousands of Common Murres, cormorants and gulls out at sea.

Rock features similar to the wonderful Big Sur

The mystical fog!

Northern California: Avenue of the Giants

Coast Redwood. Sequoia Sempervirens. The tallest of all living things on earth, only the Giant Sequoia out bulks it.

The Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt State Park, Northern California is a sublime old forest with trees some 600 years old in places.

A wonderful 30 mile drive and trails to walk. So nice.

Avenue of the Giants: Photographer's Muse

Muse?

Haha.

Under instruction more like it.

Look up.

Look down.

Look there.

Stand near that tree (which one of hundred's, oh that one, ok)

Stand on the road (wait for car to come past).

Lean against that tree.

Please?

Haha.

OK, that's me, I am done

Avenue of the Giants: A Ghost Tree

I read The Golden Spruce (author, John Vaillant) in Alaska during the summer of 2006 and loved the book. 

It is the story of one giant golden spruce, an albino, a world natural wonder, until Grant Hadwin took a chainsaw to it in 1997 and the fascinating, troubling context in which his act took place.

So when I read that one can see albino redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants it was a given that we had to find one. 

They are very rare and this forest only has a handful of albino trees.

An 'albino' redwood is a redwood tree which is unable to produce chlorophyll, and so has waxy, white needles instead of the normal green. 

They survive by tapping into a host tree.

A lead from the visitor centre and lots of back and forth on the road we eventually found the 30' tree, my first ever albino tree. 

Just amazing, I can see why they are called ghost trees, it gleamed in the forest. Mesmerizing. 

It's 'normal' neighbor

Albino Redwood and its huge host looming over it.

Ghost tree 

Completely taken with this tree