In my younger years, I was able to attend a lot of concerts on backstage passes due to hubby’s job. It wasn’t so much the chance to glimpse (and sometimes mingle with) the stars; to me, the best part was seeing what went into the making of the show, all the work that goes on that most people are never aware of. You might think it would kill the magic, but it makes you even more appreciative of the spectacle. Likewise, museums have tons of stuff in their collections that never make it to the walls or display cases; it’s a rare treat to see those back-room pieces.
There’s a lot more to most national parks than trails, campgrounds and scenic vistas. Many people don’t think about the research that goes on in parks, especially in biology. I love it when there’s a chance to peek in on the studies in Yosemite, so I jumped at the chance to see bird banding (again!) in June. The added treat was that one of the days would be at Ackerson Meadow, a former cattle ranch/pasture on the north edge of the park with a huge meadow complex which was acquired by the park about five years ago. Major restoration work will start within a year or two.
Before we go further, I have to admit to a stunning oversight: I never took any photos of the meadow. I have wanted to visit the place for years, finally got the chance and then… well, I did the smart thing, actually. I experienced it. I didn’t record it — I walked it, listened to it, felt the morning chill and smelled the fresh, wet meadow grasses.
Oops.
You’ll just have to take my word for it that this is an incredible addition to Yosemite and will become an even more important element as the meadow is restored. (More about that later) Maybe when I return to Yosemite next month I’ll stop and grab a few pictures on the way to share with you...
Yosemite Outdoor Adventures usually offers an option to camp in a shared site with other participants. This time, we were at the backpacker campground at Hetch Hetchy, normally only allowed for one night at the beginning or end of a backpacking trip.
It was wonderful — a small campground (20 sites), no trailers, no generators — it self-selects for a quiet clientele. The blissful quiet allowed us to hear the soft hoots of Spotted Owls and other nocturnal birds and creatures as we wound down our evenings. (nothing like a nice hoot with your nightcap!) We sometimes heard them again as we headed out well before dawn to get to the banding sites.
On our first morning, we met the banding team at Ackerson Meadow a little before 6:00 am. The morning chill was … chilly. It was just barely above freezing when we arrived, and bird safety protocols don’t allow banding to start until it’s at least 40 degrees. We walked into the meadow and did some early morning birding, soaking in the song, while we waited for it to warm up. My love for dawn choruses in mountain meadows is what gave this series its name; Ackerson provided yet another to savor.
After about an hour, the sun had warmed things enough to open the nets. We had a nice mix of mid-elevation meadow birds: Song and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped and MacGillavray’s Warblers, Mountain Chickadees, Spotted Towhees and more. They also netted one Anna’s Hummingbird and recorded measurement data, but did not band it because hummer banding is a whole ‘nother thing. The banding operation started here the summer after it was added to the park, and will provide good baseline studies as restoration begins.
Backstage at Ackerson: In between net runs, we spent our time at Ackerson discussing the options for restoration. It was exciting to hear that the “Preferred Option”, the most comprehensive restoration, had a good chance of being implemented. It involves filling deepened, eroded creeks to slow water passage and re-water the meadow. I was in Yosemite on November 7 when the election was called for the Biden/Harris; now we were hearing about a positive change that seems very unlikely otherwise. (TPG probably would have made it into a golf course.)
A bird we really hoped for but did not band was Willow Flycatcher, a species that is in steep decline throughout the Sierra. One of the main causes of the deep drop in their numbers is meadow desiccation — wet meadows that dry out early in the season and make it easier for predators to get to the flycatchers’ nests. The habitat is already improving at Ackerson since it became part of the park, and Willow Flycatchers have been seen and heard there regularly, though no one know if they are breeding. The planned restoration will allow Ackerson to return to its natural wet-meadow state, which should be a great help for Willow Flycatchers. (Great Grey Owls, too! especially in winter)
When the banding was done, we returned to Hetch Hetchy with plenty of time for a walk; we decided to hike to Wapama Falls. My overly-sedentary life since returning to the office did us in; we didn’t get all the way to the falls. (One of these days...) That didn’t make the walk any less great.
Backstage at San Francisco’s main water source. John Muir considered Hetch Hetchy the equal — maybe even the superior — of Yosemite Valley, and fought to keep it from being dammed. Though it’s inconceivable that such a location could be drowned these days, it’s equally hard to imagine the dam being removed any time soon. As someone who relies on this place for my water, the two scenarios colored all my experiences there.
My friend and I returned from our Wapama-adjacent walk, and sat down for a well-deserved glass of wine and a chat with one of our fellow campers. About half an hour into wine and conversation, our campmate mentioned a bird sleeping in a tree above that she’d noticed it while leaning back in her chair an hour earlier, and it was still hanging out. It took some effort to find it even with her very clear directions but we were finally rewarded with great views of a Common Nighthawk roosting above us. Friend and I were very excited because we’d never seen one perched. We were able to enjoy great looks for another half hour before it heard another nighthawk call and took off.
On our second morning, we ventured into the main part of the park, for a morning of banding at Crane Flat Meadow. (aka “Chevron Meadow”, across the street from the turn to Tioga Pass Road) Crane Flat is about 1000’ higher than Ackerson, smaller, and with denser forest around. Though there were many of the same birds (hello again, sparrows and warblers!) there were some differences. There were a few woodpeckers, including a very feisty sapsucker, a gorgeous Hermit Wabler and an Empidonax flycatcher. I think they decided Dusky. Unless it was Pac Slope.
Backstage at Crane Flat: Pretty much everyone agrees those Empids are … difficult. It’s not just your imagination; you’re not a lousy birder. The people who have them in hand and can see every detail up close and measure them still use cheat sheets to tell them apart. Next time you’re wavering between a Dusky and Hammonds (or your local equivalent) keep this in mind and feel good about yourself. And feel good about putting down “Empid sp.” on your list for the day.
On our final day, we didn’t visit a banding site, opting instead for a walk around Big Meadow at Foresta. We were 1000’ lower than Ackerson and had yet another slightly different mix of birds. Orioles showed up, as did some bluebirds and hawks. We walked along Crane Creek and had constant birdsong (lots and lots of Black-headed Grosbeaks belting it out) and a few more woodpeckers, including my personal fave White-headed. One of the group started paying attention to some interesting behavior she noticed, and soon found a Grosbeak nest.
Backstage at Big Meadow: It’s all backstage — Big Meadow, Foresta, Forest Falls.You have the place to yourself. Foresta Falls would be the centerpiece of state parks most places, but in Yosemite? It’s just those falls on the west side that you have to drive and walk to get to.
When we got back to the campground, we found that the day-trippers had taken all of the parking even though it was clearly marked as being for campers only. We knew they all had to leave by 5:00 (and we didn’t!) so we went back to the entry gate and took the Lookout Trail to pass the afternoon. It’s not a long trail — maybe 1.5 miles — but it has a few steep passages and it’s sunny and dry, i.e., hot and dehydrating. I struggled a bit (my friend did not) but it was worth the effort — the view at the top of the diary is from the Lookout Point. On the way back, we witnessed a bit of small scale drama after noticing a butterfly (… and another… and another…) trapped in spider web, we saw that it was a Black Widow’s web, and she was busily devouring a bee. Nature red in tooth and claw.
Backstage at Yosemite: I can’t recommend the Outdoor Adventures highly enough. I’ve been taking their classes for 20 years now and always look forward to more. It’s a really great way to see the park; even in the crowded valley, they find less-travelled trails and introduce us to interesting spots off the beaten path. Classes also include park admission and free (!) camping from the night before through the night after. Many places that we were first introduced to through the classes are now favorite re-visit spots on subsequent visits. The instructors/guides are great and for the most part classmates are an interesting bunch too — in a good way. (This is not a paid plug, I just really love the experience and recommend it for anyone who wants to know the park.)
On our final morning, we were able to stay in the campsite past 5:00 am — finally able to hear the dawn chorus. So many Robins! and grosbeaks and western tanagers and ash-throated flycatchers and Cal scrub-jays and towhees and … abundant life. Goddamn, I love the Dawn Chorus.
[ Edit — adding a link for Yosemite Outdoor Adventures. There’s a good one next weekend in Tuolumne, with the same guide who led our banding class. ]