Visiting Mount Shasta

I've been living in Northwestern California for about nine months now, and I feel like I've explored the coastal areas pretty well (beach, marsh, redwood forest, although of course there's always more to explore with these awesome places). And now, finally, I can add mountains to the list.

In mid-March, Paul and I drove a few hours east and north, through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and up to Mount Shasta, a 14,000 ft peak at the southern end of the Cascades. We narrowly skirted a big rain/snow storm (actually rescheduled our travel plans to avoid it) and spent three perfectly sun-filled days driving past breathtaking scenery and exploring a totally new environment for both of us.

One of the main things we wanted to do, of course, was get up onto the mountain. We were able to drive partway up Mount Shasta (up to about 7,000 ft) on a highway that's kept plowed through the winter. There was more mountain still to go, but this was plenty high enough for me. And it was definitely winter at this elevation. Look, a mountain!!
 

We walked for a bit along paths made by skiers and snowmobiles, heading a little further up the mountain, and surrounded by stately trees and blue skies and so much snow:

Given that we could see the very tops of signposts peeking out of the snow near our feet, we estimated we were walking on at least four feet of packed snow. Wow. Every once in a while we'd take a wrong step and sink down a foot or two.... But mostly the footing was stable. Aside from a few other people, some very happy dogs, and a passing snowmobile or two, the place was just immensely clean and quiet. I have missed snow very much, and mountains are incredible places. The view from this elevation was, unsurprisingly, amazing:
 

There were so many delightful things to see on the mountain. Despite the snow (or maybe because of all the moisture melting snow brings?) many of the trees were covered with this shockingly green lichen (also note at least one bright-green tree in the above picture):
 

Mountain Chickadees were flitting from tree to tree, mostly high above our heads, but at one point a couple of chickadees came down to forage in a shorter tree nearby, and I got to admire these wonderful little birds up close:
 

This chickadee seems to have been sipping from a little stream of sap that was dripping from this tree's trunk:

These little birds were constantly moving from branch to branch, picking up morsels of something or other from between needles:
 

I was so happy to get to hang out with these fancy chickadees:

And of course, I think any chickadees are adorable, even when they have scowling eyebrows:
 

I could have stayed up on the mountain much longer, but we hadn't anticipated how strong the sun would be up there (now I know!), and besides, there were plenty of other places to explore. So we headed down the mountain again.

In the woods and scrub around the mountain's base, we saw lizards (too stealthy and fast for me to get decent pictures of them) and birds and lots of other creatures. A little Douglas Squirrel sat huddled in a tree near the path:
 

Hundreds of little moths (I haven't been able to identify the species, but they were about 1/2 inch or smaller) flashed bright pink wings as they puddled on the paths and made little flurries in the air:

I got to admire the strangely red (presumably living) and gray (dead) portions of branches on abundant Manzanita bushes, which were also in full bloom:
 

A large Canada Goose sat near the edge of a cliff overlooking a gorge (with that white forehead, I believe this is a subspecies of Canada Goose I've not encountered before):

I also saw my first California Quail while in the town of Mount Shasta -- one male even ran across the road with his little head-doodad bobbing! No pictures, however, because it was a residential area. What must it be like to live in a place where quail wander into your yard?

On the drive back west, we stopped at Shasta Lake to visit the Lake Shasta Caverns, which were great. (Mountains and caves in one trip? Goodness!) I wasn't able to manage pictures inside the cave, but the outside scenery was no less amazing. Here's a view of the (man-made) lake:
 

And some particularly craggy cliffs nearby (a Peregrine Falcon pair had a nest near here):
 

One of my favorite parts of this stop, though, was the family of Acorn Woodpeckers that made a huge presence here. Is this bird actually real? What a weird woodpecker!
 

These woodpeckers were calling raucously to one another and flying up to snatch insects out of the air and stash them in crevices in the trees:
 

I knew Acorn Woodpeckers were famous for making stores of acorns in trees, but I had no idea they did the same for insects as well (allaboutbirds.org confirms this is so). A couple of Steller's Jays were joining in on the insect-snatching action as well, sometimes getting into tussles with the Acorn Woodpeckers when one of the birds got too close to the other:
 

I love every part of the Acorn Woodpeckers' weird outfit, but I especially enjoy the stripey-splotchy black pattern on its breast:
 

So yes, a trip to Mount Shasta and surrounding areas was definitely a good idea! Here's to sun and mountains and snow and woods and amazing new animals. And now I'm back in Humboldt County, making the most of my last few months in Northwestern California. I've fallen behind on local sights to share, so expect more posts soon!

Another Owl?! Great Gray in Prairie Creek

OK, now I'm just getting spoiled. (Apologies in advance if this post causes owl envy in any readers. I'm even a little envious of myself, if that makes sense.) In late January, a Great Gray Owl wandered down into Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, and it stuck around. Great Gray Owls apparently nest in small numbers not too far away, in southern Oregon, but this was the first individual seen in Humboldt County in 34 years, and people were coming from all around to see this bird. For context, here's an eBird map of Great Gray Owl sightings in 2015 and 2016 (the orange mark on the lower left is the Prairie Creek owl):

In short, the Great Gray Owl's range does not easily overlap with mine, and who knows if and when I'll ever be near one again! So last Saturday morning, I drove the 45 minutes to Prairie Creek in hopes of seeing this rare northern creature. (Have I mentioned how much I love and admire owls?) When I got to the field where the owl had been hanging out, a flock of devotees was already present:

That figure in a bare tree near the path... could that actually be a...?

Oh my goodness.

Yes, that's a Great Gray Owl. Just right there!

The owl seemed thoroughly unconcerned with the people clicking cameras and murmuring praise at it from not very far away. I talked with some people in the crowd who had driven down from Washington to see this bird. That's some celebrity status.

Here's a video of the owl doing its thing:



Wow. I have to say, I prefer to encounter owls on my own, without crowds of other people around, but it was well worth the trip to see this magnificent creature so calm and so close. The owl spent some time on a grooming session, displaying a super fuzzy leg and a much less owl-like face with all that beak showing:

Every one of the owl's movements set off a cascade of shutter clicks from the surrounding admirers. I hope the owl didn't mind too much! Here's a grooming session video:

 

I spent a good long while hanging out with this beautiful bird in the chilly morning shade:

Another view:
 

Eventually, I wandered off to warm up in the sunlight and see what other creatures were hanging out along the field's edge. A couple of Steller's Jays were making a big presence; we were close to a campground, and these guys seemed pretty used to people. I see Steller's Jays fairly frequently on the campus where I work, but I've been hoping for a good opportunity to get close to these fancy birds with my camera. What a strange-looking bird, like someone dipped a Blue Jay head-first into a pile of soot:
 

That black crest and those neon-blue forehead stripes are just too cool:
 

Steller's Jays certainly stand out among bare tree branches!
 

Hello, fancy bird:
 

A male Spotted Towhee popped up from the underbrush at the edge of the forest for a few glorious sunlit moments:
 

And again!
 

Goodness, what a handsome bird:
 

I also spent some time admiring the backlit moss-and-spiderweb-covered trees that still look so alien to me:

When I made my way back along the path, the Great Gray Owl was still sitting in the same spot, but now the light was totally different. So I had to take a few more pictures!
 

Oh wonderful owl:

You are beautiful from every angle:

I feel so amazingly lucky to have met this owl while it was hanging around. As I'm writing this, I don't believe anyone has reported seeing the owl in several days. Wherever you are, wonderful creature, I hope you're healthy and finding all the small rodents you could want.