Central California

 

Had a scare when I started up the computer at the motel and got the dreaded "blue screen": evidently the wireless card driver wanted to crash the computer, but thankfully the computer "fixed" itself after I yanked the thing out and uninstalled the driver, so any web updates will have to wait till I'm home, I'm afraid (or I happen to land at a place with an ethernet access)...

Anyway, wanted to clean up Lake Hennessey today, and thankfully the weather held (although it was overcast most of the day)! Started out along Howell Mnt Road from St. Helena and picked up Golden-crowned Kinglets in the pines along with the more common Rubycrowns! Missed the turnoff to Conn Valley, but it was just as well as the remainder of Howell Mnt was a great birding road, with lots of Varied Thrushes and even a fat little Hermit! Finding Conn Valley again, picked up a pair of Downy Woodpeckers for the county down where you first start encountering water. Dipped on the Hooded Mergansers we found there a couple of weeks ago, but there was a road crew there, so I wasn't surprised. But I did hike a little of the trail at the end of the road, and it was a great little trail (nice and flat), where a pair of Flickers played tag and picked up a number of dickeys, including both towhees and Lincoln's Sparrow. Still didn't find the albino grebe...
 

  

Heavily forested Howell Mountain Road

   

Oak woodland along Conn Valley Road

              

Steamy views of Lake Hennessey

 

  

Near road's end

  

Views of the cove from the trail

  

   

                        

                                                                Western Grebe                                   Clark's Grebe (can you tell them apart?)                            Female Ruddy Duck

 

I'm not sure if they're leaning because the ground is saturated, or if they've always been that way!

                                                 

                                                                                Spotted Towhee                                                                                Lincoln's Sparrow

Swinging around to the main part of the lake I again stopped at the boat launch, where the Clark's Grebe and Greater Scaup were still hanging around (a little further out). I hiked that trail until it dumped out on the main road, and while I was sitting I heard this wail that sounded like an Eared Grebe on steroids, and across the way were a pair of Bald Eagles! That was a nice treat! Stopping along Chiles Valley where the lake starts turning into marsh, there were a few pines on either side of the road, and a Pileated Woodpecker called from one side while what could have been its mate drummed loudly from the other! Wish I could have spotted them!

      

Heading out...

   

Scenes along the "trail" at the launch facility

      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Double-crested Cormorant

    

More scenes at various stops...

    

Road-birded up Pope Valley Road after that, where I ran into a tremendous flock of blackbirds in a pasture, so dragging the scope out and sifting through them paid off, as there were two male Tricoloreds in with them, even doing a little fighting! Chiles Creek looked as though it should have been good for Dippers, but couldn't find any. So since I got Hennessey done I decided to get a head start on the lower part of Berryessa, so I swung up and over on Pope Canyon Road to the lake and started heading south. Another look over the lake added another pair of Bald Eagles lumbering by in the distance!

  

Bubbling Chiles Creek

   

Oak Savannah along Pope Valley Road

   

Valley Oaks line many of the roads here...

 

Bald Eagle hangout at Lake Berryessa

There were several picnic areas, and one even had a lovely trail called Smittle Creek which was technically closed (for "restoration and maintenance"), but the first part of it was still accessible, so I poked down it to the part that was obviously in need of "restoration and maintenance" where it had eroded away from the storms! The highlight of this trail was a Common Loon in the creek! Over at the next big picnic area (the name of which I forgot to write down) there was a mini-trail called Shale Point that was a spit of land out in the lake (there were several at this place), affording great views; there was even a little island out there that looked as though the sides had fallen down into the lake! Four Common Mergansers made haste as I made my way to the end, and after sitting a few minutes I heard a racket and noticed two Clark's Grebes starting their bowing movements, and was excited about the prospect of seeing a good dance, but they soon lost interest in the game and went their separate ways... :-( There were plenty of Canada Geese grazing around, just like they were when the Hamiltons and I swung by a couple of weeks ago!

     

Scenes along the Smittle Creek Trail

   

  

Trail damage from the storms

                                

                                                                            Common Loon                                                                                        Mourning Dove

   

Shale Point

        

                                       Canada Geese                                                                                                                Lonely Island

Poked more around the lake until it was time to start heading back to Napa; a Red-breasted Sapsucker mewed at one stop, and picked up a pair of Ospreys near the south end.

  

Scenes at the Visitor's Center

   

 

One last look at the lake before heading to Napa