I admit it: I'm a NIMB-V. Not In My Beautiful Valley.
On 1/15, I went to Panoche Valley with a group of friends. I've been going there for 15 years, but this year had a special sense of urgency about it. We don't know if this amazing place will be there next winter - it'll be on the map, of course, but it may not exist in its current state. An huge solar project has been proposed and it could be buried under a sea of panels. It would be a bummer for us, but it would be a tragedy for the birds who winter there. This bit of "old California" habitat attracts them, and they attract us. (more at the end of the diary.)
My diaries about Panoche following our trips in 2008 and 2009 were, in large part, variations on the theme of "where are the birds?" Those were drought years, and things were mightly lean. This year, the rains are falling, the creeks are running, the grass is green - and the birds are back.
Panoche Valley, by Walter Kitundu (used with permission)
Panoche Valley is southeast of Hollister, CA, about midway between there and Pinnacles. We normally make a full day trip of it, and for the last few years have started our day in the town of Tres Pinos, with a jaunt out Quien Sabe Road. Some years we've seen good numbers of golden eagles out there, as well as ferruginous hawks and lots of other goodies. One of the main attractions along here is a pretty reliable spot for burrowing owls. No eagles this year, alas, nor any ferrug to be seen, but we did get to play peek-a-boo with an owl. Nice way to start the day.
From there, we headed down Highway 25 to Paicines Reservoir, where we ran into more birders, including a group of GGRO hawkwatchers (our group was mostly banders). The water level at the reservoir was pretty good, and there was a good mix of ducks and other waterfowl - mergansers, teal, canvasback, pintails, shovelers, even a pair of woodies, along with pelicans, grebes, some peeps... lotsa birds. This is our spot for bald eagle, too - normally an adult (or two in the trees on the far shore). We didn't see the glowing white head over there, but then someone noticed a really really big bird flying low along the far hill. When it banked we could see the white belly of this sub-adult. Excuse the blurriness of the photo, but it was standing on the far shore, right behind the tall guy's head in the photo above.
That's one thing about birding Panoche - there's a lot of serious long distance viewing. Sometimes birds will surprise us and pop up right over out heads, but more often than not a lot of scanning is involved.
From Paicines, we headed out onto Panoche Road itself. The road winds through a variety of habitats - low valley with meandering creek, riparian/willow, scrub, steep rocky valley - and there was a good mix of birds along the way. We saw lots of yellow-billed magpies this year, which was great. Their numbers had plummeted for a few years after West Nile hit California and it wasn't clear that they were going to make it. I don't know what the long term picture is for them, but at least this year it seemed like the population is rebounding strongly.
Owl Rocks (about four miles down the road) were not so owly this year. I'm sure there's an owl or two hanging out in those openings, but we couldn't get a glimpse of them. If you're making the trip through the valley, this is definitely worth a stop. Even without the owls, it's a good spot for a lot of passerines, who like the vegetation and water below. Other normally birdy spots like the "woodpecker house" and the fire station were also quiet this year. We make a lot of quick listening/scanning stops along the way and linger if a spot is active - but we also have to keep moving because it's a long road with much more to see.
Activity started picking up as we got farther down the road. We saw several golden eagles along the way, including an encounter between two of them who ended up talon grappling for a moment. Most of the time you see them soaring just above the ridgelines or working low over the hillsides; occasionally we spot a perched bird. We had our first ferruginous hawk of the day in this stretch - a beautiful adult who flushed from a tree directly overhead as we drove by, landed on a nearby pole, then took flight again.
Ferruginous Hawk by Walter Kitundu (used with permission) - larger version
We were nearing the valley, and activity was really picking up. All of the little cattle ponds had water, and they had some surprising birds - hooded mergansers, goldeneyes (usually it's all mallards and domestic geese). A sapsucker in the tree got some close scrutiny, and was ID'd as a juvenile yellow-bellied, a good bird for this part of the country. We got nice scope looks at a phainopepla surrounded by tasty mistletoe. (sorry, back to fuzzy picture mode)
At last, we descended into Panoche Valley. The first place you come to on the valley floor is the Spanish Cattle Company, a long established ranch. It was here that we saw the first signs - literally - of the struggle taking place. The county wants the project, but the locals are adamantly opposed.
The ranchers out here are good to their land, and that's why the wildlife still thrives. On those lines that are running along the right side of the photo on the right above, we found this prairie falcon and a kestrel surveying the fields below.
We stopped for lunch at the Panoche Inn, the only establishment out there. The clientele is mostly local ranchers and farmers, but on the weekends this time of year they get a lot of birders and they're welcoming - even keep a log on the bar where people can leave sightings. It was a nice day so we sat outside on the picnic table and tried to find the tricolored blackbirds among the large flock of Brewer's and redwings hanging out in the trees overhead. Note to self, choose your spot carefully when dining under a treeful of birds - I got a splat on the back, but at least I didn't get the "extra dressing" that my friend got on her salad.
We headed further down Panoche Road to the eastern end of the valley. When I first started visiting the area, this is where we'd come to look for the mountain plovers and mountain bluebirds, but they've been sparse the past few years. Last year the bluebirds showed up, but still no plovers. This year, it was as it should be - the plovers were back. But as is so often the case, it took some looking. My carmate saw a flock of little birds flying out over this field, so we stopped for a look. They were horned larks - but even farther beyond them, right at the base of those hills, we finally found our plovers.
Mountain Bluebird and friends, by Walter Kitundu (used with permission)
While we were prowling that stretch of road, Walter saw a prairie and I stopped the car as he dashed to grab a photo. Just then, it grabbed a meadowlark. It sat down to eat, and was run off by a ferruginous hawk. The prairie made a few threatening passes at the ferrug, then headed out. A pair of ravens came in and started trying to chase off the ferrug, but it stood firm - until a redtail showed up. The redtail got the prize and headed out with its meal, with two other redtails coming over to see if they could grab it from the first one. A really amazing little interaction.
Prairie Falcon with meadowlark, by Walter Kitundu (used with permission)
The last stop of the day was Mercey Hot Springs for its $5 owls. They have had a wintering population of long-eared owls for a while now. At first, they let birders just wander around and enjoy them, but now they charge $5 for a day use visit. You know what? It's worth it. It's so cool to be able to get so close to these guys. There are often other good birds there as well, so it's always worth the stop.
Maybe it's eaten a Satan's Dove (I hope) and that's why it has those eyes.
So about that solar plant... The main reason it was proposed for Panoche Valley is the proximity to some major PG&E transmission lines. I am definitely pro-solar power, but I believe (strongly) that we should be covering the tops of our buildings (and parking lots) with solar panels, not paving over good land. Put the power production right where it's going to be used. I'm not a NIMBY, I'm a PIMBY - Please, in my back yard. I've practically got it in my front yard already - the covered reservoir across the street from us in SF has a large solar array on its roof.
San Benito county wants the promised jobs but the residents do not want the project built, despite the fact that they'd have first crack at the jobs. It an agricultural area, mostly ranchland with a few small orchards and one small vineyard and now the very tiny pig farm. The ranchers and farmers run their operations in a responsible way, and have kept the habitat healthy for wildlife. We appreciate what they've done, and we want to help them keep their valley beautiful. Thee's a link to Save Panoche Valley in my blogroll - check it out.
You can see a few more photos from our trip by another member of the group at the World of Birds link in my blogroll.
As part of our Bay Area Kossacks birding trip next weekend, we're doing a fundraiser to help buy fuel for families on the Rosebud Reservation. For more info, check last week's diary. I'll be emailing everyone who's going with details about meeting place, contact info, etc. later this week.