Abbott’s Lagoon

Dwarf Checkerbloom

Abbott’s Lagoon Trail

Windmill Pink

Abbott’s Lagoon

Beach Primrose

Yellow Sand-Verbena

California Manroot seedhead

Fuzzy caterpillar

Dairy Farm

Dragonflies mating

Abbott’s Lagoon

Pierce Point Trail

Anderson Thistle

Pierce Point

Fort Cronkhite

Coastal Trail

Fog rolling in

Foggy bunkers

Hope ’09

Footsteps-of-spring

Striated rock

Foggy hill

Moss (or lichen?)

Tumbling fog

This must spell something … right?

Samurai

Smurfy

Found still life

Hill panorama

Blue Nightshade

Rodeo Beach and Lagoon

For the first time in way too long,  Sarah & I went for a short birding walk, my first since breaking my foot mid-March.   Since my foot is still tender and rather weak from being off of it for 5 weeks, we decided to check out the Chain of Lakes in Golden Gate Park.

Dragonfly

We parked at the south end of North Lake and after an odd conversation where a stranger was trying to convince me that my Subaru Outback Sport is not a “real” Outback, began our walk.

California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis

Heading west, birdsong filled the air on this beautiful spring day, and a fair number of people were out enjoying the sunny weather.  A California Towhee ‘cheek’ed from the underbrush, a small group of Mallards floated placidly in the lake, joined by a lone American Coot.

Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans

Red-winged Blackbird song dominated the chorus, with several males trying out-call each other.  Allen’s/Rufous Hummingbirds whirred by in a blur of brown, flashing copper when the light caught them just so.

Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird - Selasphorus rufus/sasin

A pair of spiffy alternate-plumaged Ruddy Ducks were splendid with their robin’s egg blue beaks, but remained well out of photography range the whole walk.

Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus

We rounded the north end of the lake and headed back, not seeing very much on the eastern shore. My foot was feeling fairly good, so we decided to continue our walk and check out South & Middle Lakes.

Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia

South Lake was  a complete bust; it’s completely covered in a blue-red plant of some sort, and signs around its perimeter warned that herbicides are in use.  Uggh.  Unsurprisingly there were no birds whatsoever here.

Flowering tree

The path around Middle Lake was strewn with flowers;  Poppies, asters, “wild” onions, and oxalis provided a punch of color, but we saw few birds save for an adult Red-tailed Hawk – entirely expected, as a pair has nested at/near Middle Lake for a few years now.

Bumblebee & California Poppy

We soon arrived back at the car, and although we’d only been out about an hour, my foot was ready for a break.  Although we didn’t see anything unusual, it was lovely to be out again after being cooped up for over a month!

Location:     GGP - Chain of Lakes (S., Mid., N.)
Observation date:     4/24/10
Number of species:     13

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     6
Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis     2
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps     2
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis     1
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia     10
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird - Selasphorus rufus/sasin     3
Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans     2
Common Raven - Corvus corax     1
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor     2
California Towhee - Pipilo crissalis     2
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     4
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     6
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1
Western Gull - Larus occidentalis 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Petrin Tower & Hill

A parallelogram in shape, the funicular soon filled up with schoolchildren and rumbled its way up the hill.

Petrin Funicular

Being on the same cable, the downhill funicular approached, then passed us on a short sweep-out, and we continued up slowly.

Funicular passing tracks

From the station at the top of the hill, a short walk through a little garden brought us to the tower.  Sarah’s no friend to high places, so I went on my own, paying the equivalent of a few dollars to enter the tower.

Petrin Tower

Around and up, around and up it went for quite some time, the views of central Prague opening up all the while.

Central Prague

The views to the northwest (above) were clear, although it was fairly hazy looking toward Old Town (below).

Charles Bridge

Once at the top, I enjoyed the view for a bit, then wound my way back down amid throngs of young ‘uns trying to race each other down the tower.

Prague Castle

Rejoining Sarah we walked along the top of the hill and picked up a path leading down to Malá Strana.

Great Tit / Parus major

Although this seemed like a good place to find urban birds, there were few to be seen other than a few Great Tits (LIFER!).

Hungry Wall

We followed the “Hunger Wall” (1360-1362),  rumored to be a public-works program by Charles IV that provided little or no defensive value to medieval Prague.

Strahov monastery’s tower

We walked past Strahov Monastery (the subject of a future post) and enjoyed more lovely views of Prague Castle and Malá Strana from this lovely green vantage point.

Prague Castle & Malá Strana district

It was un-crowded, and a nice mix of locals and tourists as we strolled downward.

Steps leading down to Malá Strana

We eventually came to the top of a flight of stairs leading down to the residences and embassies of Malá Strana, and soon found our way to our nearby hotel.

Like Kampa Island, Petrin Hill is worth a detour, and provided a welcome break from the more heavily-touristed sights in Malá Strana and Prague Castle.

Prague index:

• Part 1: Vysehrad
• Part 2: Vysehradsky hrbitov (Vysehrad cemetery)
• Part 3: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
• Part 4: Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square)
• Part 5: Letecke Muzeum Kbely (Czech Air Force Museum)
• Part 6: Stare Mesto (Old Town)
• Part 7: Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square)
• Part 8: Prazsky orloj (Astronomical Clock)
• Part 9: Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
• Part 10: Vltava River
• Part 11: St. Nicholas Cathedral (Chram sv. Mikulase)
• Part 12: Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac)
• Part 13: Kampa Island
• Part 14: Mala Strana street art
• Part 15: Petrin Hill <– You are here
• Part 16: Mala Strana
• Part 17: Mala Strana house signs
• Part 18: Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)
• Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)
• Part 20: Toy Musuem
• Part 21: St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles
• Part 22: St. Vitus Cathedral (exterior)
• Part 23: St. Vitus Cathedral (interior)
• Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), I
• Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), II

Fountain

This former residence, built  1632-1630, and in the Wallenstein family until 1945, now houses the Czech senate.

Common Moorhen

Upon entering from the metro, you first see a pretty pond with birds floating around.  Although I was hopeful of seeing some new-to-me birds here, I saw Mallards & Common Moorhens, both of which we have at home.

Mallard

A little farther down is an unusual wall, constructed to look like stalactites in a cave.  This large wall is visible from above, along Prague Castle, and ends in an aviary housing 4 or so large owls(!).  I was curious about the history of this oddity, but wasn’t able to dig up any information on the web as to its age or construction.

Grotto wall

An albino peacock strutted around the gardens, but despite our hopes that it would fan out its tail, it stubbornly refused.

Albino Peacock

More cooperative was a properly-pigmented peacock, which put on a great show of flaring its feathers, shaking them, and strutting its stuff.  The few nearby peahens looks impressed, as did we humans.

Peacock displaying

Due to the Czech senate’s sitting here, the buildings of Wallenstein Palace are not generally open to the public – too bad, as the wiki page hints at large and lovely murals inside.

Czech senate building

But we will have to make do with a view from the outside.

Although it takes just a few minutes to visit, we found Wallenstein Palace to be a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of Mala Strana.

Prague index:

• Part 1: Vysehrad
• Part 2: Vysehradsky hrbitov (Vysehrad cemetery)
• Part 3: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
• Part 4: Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square)
• Part 5: Letecke Muzeum Kbely (Czech Air Force Museum)
• Part 6: Stare Mesto (Old Town)
• Part 7: Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square)
• Part 8: Prazsky orloj (Astronomical Clock)
• Part 9: Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
• Part 10: Vltava River
• Part 11: St. Nicholas Cathedral (Chram sv. Mikulase)
• Part 12: Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac) <– You are here
• Part 13: Kampa Island
• Part 14: Mala Strana street art
• Part 15: Petrin Hill
• Part 16: Mala Strana
• Part 17: Mala Strana house signs
• Part 18: Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)
• Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)
• Part 20: Toy Musuem
• Part 21: St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles
• Part 22: St. Vitus Cathedral (exterior)
• Part 23: St. Vitus Cathedral (interior)
• Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), I
• Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), II

The Vltava River, from Vyšehrad

Vltava pathway

On the east side, from roughly Vyšehrad to the National Theater, a low thoroughfare follows the river, and it is  a very pleasant stroll.

Fishermen on the Vltava

A nice blend of fishermen, locals, and tourists strolled this path on our visit, and an unused room under the street above had been turned into a temporary art gallery.

Mute Swans / Cygnus olor

Aside from the ubiquitous feral pigeons, many Mute Swans lined the shores, obviously accustomed to being hand-fed.  Although these are the same swans one often sees in city parks in the US, they are native to central and western Europe, but introduced in the US.

Common Pochard / Aythya ferina

I saw what I thought was a Redhead, an uncommon duck in the San Francisco area, but when I looked it up upon returning, it turned out I had seen a Common Pochard (LIFER!).  Although they look quite similar and are unsurprisingly in the same genus, their ranges do not overlap at all.

Climbing out of the shadows

In several places, funny statues were attached to the retaining wall.

Rest

Partway down the riverside roadway were several boats and cafes, serving snacks and beer.  This little walk was a pleasant find, with little hint of the hustle and bustle of cars and trams just 30 feet above it.  Definitely check it out if you’re there!

Old meets new, high-wheeler meets latex.

My first Sunday in Prague coincided with the Prague International Marathon.  I was amused to see one fellow, decked out in latex, riding a high-wheeler cycle down the road, enjoying its closure to traffic.

Prague International Marathon

As seems to be the case nearly everywhere, North Africans dominated the leaders group (above).

Askew windows

Tančící dům – The “Dancing House”

One of the landmark buildings on the Vltava’s edge is Tančící dům, the so-called “Dancing House,” designed by Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry.  I liked its whimsical architecture, especially amid the myriad Nouveau, Gothic, & Baroque facades that Prague is famous for.

Bird over door

Many buildings here are adorned with pretty mosaics, and bird themes, especially owls, were common.

Socialist mural

One building had a lovely series of murals from the early 20th century, depicting happy workers and homemakers.

“Bubble-wrap” building

Next to the National Theater, however, is an obviously Soviet-era building that looks for all the world like a squat mushroom enrobed in plastic bubble-wrap.

Fountain decorations

A small park near the Theater has a lovely ornate fountain with Wenceslas and his horse (not upside-down this time), and the now-familiar bird motifs.

Jackdaw / Corvus monedula

In that park, I found a couple of cooperative Jackdaws (LIFER!) to photograph.  As I’m fond of Corvids generally, I enjoyed watching these alert birds, with their unusual light-colored eyes.

Prague Castle at night

At nighttime, the river has great views of Prague Castle, and plenty of shops (mostly selling tourist junk) and cafes (U Rudolphino was recommended by a colleague, and proved delightfully non-touristy).

It’s definitely worth spending some extra time lingering along the shores of this river that cuts right through central Prague, and except for right near the Charles Bridge, it is not too crowded with tourists.

Prague index:

• Part 1: Vysehrad
• Part 2: Vysehradsky hrbitov (Vysehrad cemetery)
• Part 3: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
• Part 4: Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square)
• Part 5: Letecke Muzeum Kbely (Czech Air Force Museum)
• Part 6: Stare Mesto (Old Town)
• Part 7: Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square)
• Part 8: Prazsky orloj (Astronomical Clock)
• Part 9: Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
• Part 10: Vltava River <– You are here
• Part 11: St. Nicholas Cathedral (Chram sv. Mikulase)
• Part 12: Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac)
• Part 13: Kampa Island
• Part 14: Mala Strana street art
• Part 15: Petrin Hill
• Part 16: Mala Strana
• Part 17: Mala Strana house signs
• Part 18: Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)
• Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)
• Part 20: Toy Musuem
• Part 21: St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles
• Part 22: St. Vitus Cathedral (exterior)
• Part 23: St. Vitus Cathedral (interior)
• Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), I
• Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), II

Vyšehrad cemetery

An interesting factoid about this cemetery is that it contains many authors, composers, businesspeople, and artists from the elite ranks of Czech society, but virtually no politicians, which may say something about how Czechs view their leaders!

Being as it´s full of artists, it is little surprise then that many of the tombstones are unusual and artistic:

Leaning grave marker

Tombstone

Hands

The center of the cemetery is nicely tended, with just the right amount  of overgrown’ness.

Grassy graves

Along the perimeter are much fancier monuments, many featuring very attractive mosaic or fresco pieces on the walls and ceilings.  As is the case in much of Prague, the influence of the Art Nouveau movement can be felt here, with many figures exemplifying the style, one of my favorites.

Art Nouveau monument

Fancy monument

Art Nouveau detail

More Nouveau detail

Trés nouveau!

This was probably my favorite headstone

Amid the Art Nouveau grandeur and artistic expressions are more traditional cemetery art forms:

Monument mosaic

Gravesite

Flowers

Crosses

Jay (European) / Garrulus glandarius

I did not see very many birds here, but a pretty Jay (LIFER!) allowed me to get a few photographs.  Although named a Jay, this European one is in a different genus than any of our North American Jays.

Among the famous names interred here are Alfons Mucha (wiki page, official site), whose inscription on the Slavin Monument gives no hint of the wonderful Art Nouveau decorative style he helped to popularize,

Antonin Dvořák, classical composer, best-known for his New World Symphony (the second movement is the most famous part),

writer Jan Neruda,

and Bedřich Smetana, composer of the Czech symphonic poem masterpiece Má Vlast (´My Country´), with its lovely minor-key piece, Vltava (see about 1 minute in, courtesy of musopen.com)

Cemetery lane

Slavín monument

Slavín monument detail

At the far end of the cemetery is the large Slavín Monument, marking many notable Czechs, including the aforementioned Mucha.

Like Vyšehrad itself, the cemetery is a must-visit, in my opinion, and, like the rest of the park, is lightly visited compared to the thick crowds in much of old Prague.

Prague index:

• Part 1: Vysehrad
• Part 2: Vysehradsky hrbitov (Vysehrad cemetery) <– You are here
• Part 3: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
• Part 4: Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square)
• Part 5: Letecke Muzeum Kbely (Czech Air Force Museum)
• Part 6: Stare Mesto (Old Town)
• Part 7: Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square)
• Part 8: Prazsky orloj (Astronomical Clock)
• Part 9: Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
• Part 10: Vltava River
• Part 11: St. Nicholas Cathedral (Chram sv. Mikulase)
• Part 12: Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac)
• Part 13: Kampa Island
• Part 14: Mala Strana street art
• Part 15: Petrin Hill
• Part 16: Mala Strana
• Part 17: Mala Strana house signs
• Part 18: Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)
• Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)
• Part 20: Toy Musuem
• Part 21: St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles
• Part 22: St. Vitus Cathedral (exterior)
• Part 23: St. Vitus Cathedral (interior)
• Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), I
• Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), II

Please forgive in advance any funny typos involving y or z – I have my keyboard set to Czech so I can type the accents, and which also swaps y and z

Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, Vyšehrad

We’ll start with the lovely outlying neighborhood of Vyšehrad, where I spent much of the trip, since that’s where the company-paid hotel was.

I stayed at the decidedly un-lovely Holiday Inn Congress Center for the first 8 nights:

Hoilday Inn Congress Center

Aside from the rather important fact that it was not on my dime, this hotel did have a few nice features.  1) it was just a few steps from the beautiful Vyšehrad park and a short walk from the Vltava River, 2) their breakfast buffet was excellent, and 3) it was just a few Metro stops from the company office.

Leopold´s Gate, 1670AD

Just off of Pankrac is Leopold’s Gate, a relic from the Baroque period of Vyšehrad Castle.  According to prague.cz, Vyšehrad was founded in the 10th century AD as competition to nearby Prague Castle, and was the seat of the first Bohemian king, King Vratislav II and the following Premyslid dynasty, ending in around 1140.

Rotunda of St. Martin, ca. 1100AD

A short walk past a school for the disabled and a cafe is the Rotunda of St. Martin, possibly the oldest building in Prague, and one of the only buildings in Vyšehrad to survive the leveling of the area in 1420 when Hussites defeated King Zikmud in the Battle of Vyšehrad.

City views from the old castle walls

Continuing right past the rotunda leads to a walkway atop ancient ramparts, and featuring excellent views of central Prague.  Numerous benches and a couple of signs explaining the skyline invite the visitor to enjoy a stroll.

Basilica of St. Peter and Paul

Down and around from the rampart walk, the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul commands attention, with its mixed architecture and tall towers.

This church has had an eventful history, first built as a Romanesque basilica, the rebuilt in the 14th centurz in the high Gothic style by Charles IV, again as a Baroque church in the 1720s, with neo-Gothic additions in the 1800s.  Its two towers were added in 1902 and 1903.

The three front doors of the basilica are particularly beautiful, featuring the crossed key motif of the Premyslids, and attractive mosaics above the secondary doors:

Basilica of St. Peter and Paul main door

Main door

Left-side door mosaic

Right-side door

Right-side door detail

Right-side door mosaic

I´m afraid I have no idea about the significance of either of the gilt mosaic motifs above the side doors – if you do, please leave a comment!

A pair of grotesque carvings flank each door:

Grotesque faces on the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul – click for larger views

The grounds around the basilica are grassy with mature trees, and locals clearly enjoyed after-work walks here, for obvious reasons.

Basilica and branches

To the basilica´s right is a wonderful cemetery (see the next post for that), and to its left a natural area with a few large statues.

Woodpigeon / Columba palumbus

Although I heard many birds here, I saw but a couple, here a Woodpigeon (LIFER!), which doesn´t look very different from our feral pigeons.

Now that’s an interesting question!

On the other side of the Holiday Inn is Congress Center, a large convention center complete with a casino, which was guarded by heavily armed soldiers for a couple of days when the EU summit was held here.

Main freeeway through Prague

A footbridge leads across the main freeway to a quiet residential district where I had a very good dinner of roasted pork knee, but which has little else to entice the traveler, unless you really want to visit a Libyan-owned hotel and casino to thumb your nose at US embargoes.

It´s too bad Vyšehrad is not in most tour guides, as I found it a very welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of touristy central Prague, but that very omission likely contributes to its charm.

To get here, take the Red Metro to the Vyšehrad stop and walk away from the freeway, toward the tall towers of St. Peter and Paul.

Prague index:

• Part 1: Vysehrad <– You are here
• Part 2: Vysehradsky hrbitov (Vysehrad cemetery)
• Part 3: Karluv Most (Charles Bridge)
• Part 4: Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square)
• Part 5: Letecke Muzeum Kbely (Czech Air Force Museum)
• Part 6: Stare Mesto (Old Town)
• Part 7: Staromestske namesti (Old Town Square)
• Part 8: Prazsky orloj (Astronomical Clock)
• Part 9: Josefov (Jewish Quarter)
• Part 10: Vltava River
• Part 11: St. Nicholas Cathedral (Chram sv. Mikulase)
• Part 12: Wallenstein Palace (Valdstejnsky palac)
• Part 13: Kampa Island
• Part 14: Mala Strana street art
• Part 15: Petrin Hill
• Part 16: Mala Strana
• Part 17: Mala Strana house signs
• Part 18: Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery)
• Part 19: Schwarzenberský palác (Schwarzenberg Palace)
• Part 20: Toy Musuem
• Part 21: St. Vitus Cathedral gargoyles
• Part 22: St. Vitus Cathedral (exterior)
• Part 23: St. Vitus Cathedral (interior)
• Part 24: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), I
• Part 25: Prazky Hrad (Prague Castle), II

I swung by the Radio Road ponds after work,  ummm, 2.5 months ago (what? me behind on photos?  nahh!), hopeful to see a reported Caspian Tern fledgling.

Northern Pintail / Anas acuta

There were, as usual, many Forster’s Terns, flying around noisily.

Forster’s Terns / Sterna forsteri

Also typical for the time of year, a family of Mallards floated by.

Mallard / Anas platyrhynchos family

Atypically, they were the only family I saw.  Other early summer visits here have turned up literally dozens of ducks with young ‘uns.

Black Skimmer / Rynchops niger

A lone Black Skimmer shared a narrow island-let with several American Avocet, and stayed there throughout my visit – too bad, as they’re fun birds to watch when they’re foraging, with their long, jutting mandible and colorful bills.

American Avocet / Recurvirostra americana

To my collection of thousands of American Avocet photographs, I added a few more.  They’re extremely common year-round here, but I never get tired of them, especially when they’re in alternate plumage (ie. buffy-headed), as they are in early summer.

Caspian Tern / Sterna caspia with food

I saw a Caspian Tern dive and come up with a fish, which it brought to an island, but no young ‘un emerged to eat it.  The adult seemed agitated, and I wondered if its offspring had become heron food.  Most likely so, as the pen-bird email list reported many attempted sightings of the chick, but none successful.

American Avocets / Recurvirostra americana

Sure, more Avocets.  Why not?

Gadwall / Anas strepera

Somewhat less common was a solitary Gadwall, unremarkable save for its black derierre.

Marbled Godwit / Limosa fedoa

Amid the numerous Avocets was a Marbled Godwit, doing a very poor job of blending in.

Forster’s Terns / Sterna forsteri

The Forster’s flock took off noisily, did a few laps around the ponds, and then settled back down onto their island.

Ruddy Duck / Oxyura jamaicensis

A male Ruddy Duck in spiffy alternate plumage and a baby-blue bill hung out by a levee, and then it was about time for me to head homeward.

Common Raven / Corvus corax

But I couldn’t resist one last stop to photograph a Raven that pecked by the side of the road.

This was a nice short outing (not even really an outing, as I stayed in my car as I drove along the ponds, since that startles birds less than walking around does), which is exactly what Radio Road is best suited for.  That I picked up a few year birds is testament to the fact that I haven’t been birding very much on the SF peninsula lately, rather than the rarity of anything I saw.

Location:     Redwood Shores
Observation date:     6/16/09
Number of species:     18

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     5
Gadwall - Anas strepera     3
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     10
+ Northern Pintail - Anas acuta     2
Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis     6
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula     5
Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax     5
Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus     2
Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus     4
American Avocet - Recurvirostra americana     20
Willet - Tringa semipalmata     5
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     7
Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia     2
+ Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri     20
+ Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger     1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     5
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus     10

+ = year bird

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

After our fun little hike at Tahquitz Canyon, we had a delicious breakfast at Chubby’s, where I ordered a bacon flight consisting of 5 different types of bacon (yeah!), and then checked out and headed a half-dozen miles south to Palm Desert/Indian Wells, where we visited the Living Desert, a combination zoo (containing only un-releasable animals), wildlife oasis, and state-of-the-art animal hospital.  A docent at Big Morongo Canyon the day before had recommended the Living Desert both as an interesting zoo and garden, as well as a good place for wild bird-watching, so we were interested to see what all was here.

Black-crowned Night Heron in the aviary

They had a nice walk-in aviary, in which were a few Black-crowned Night Herons, some Common Ravens, and Green Heron.  While we were in the aviary, I saw a (wild) Common Roadrunner (LIFER!) walking quickly by on the outside, but of course since I was IN the aviary, I couldn’t go chase it – oh, the irony!

Pygmy Owl

Many of the animals, especially the birds, didn’t lend themselves to photography, as they were behind mesh fences, but I couldn’t resist taking on of this adorable little Pygmy Owl.  Near it, a gregarious American Kestrel hopped toward us and perched right at the edge of its cage, chatting away like crazy, then bringing over a bit of mouse gore to share – very cute!

??? Hummingbird (any ideas which?)

I saw another wild bird, this time a hummingbird, although I haven’t figured out what kind it was just yet.  If you have an idea, do please leave a comment!  The animal hospital has a program every hour or so, and we swung by to see what there was to see.  A staffer had a large desert iguana and talked for a few minutes about its natural history, and the work the hospital does, then invited everyone to walk around, which would have been interesting (many of the examination and operating rooms have glass walls), except that there was nobody working there, so we gave that a pass.

Succulent garden

The weather was pretty warm as it approached mid-day, it must have been in the 90s, and there was not a whole lot of shade in much of the zoo’s landscaped areas, so we didn’t linger too long, which was too bad, as this was the sort of terrain that I’d expect to find interesting wild birds.

Bobcat

We looked for a good while for a supposed Mountain Lion in the cat exhibit, but it must’ve been hiding in the shade, for we never got a glimpse.  A cooperative bobcat did wake up long enough to look at us before going right back to sleep.

Turtle

Another aviary had doves, coots and kingfishers, along with a bunch of turtles and some fish.  It was nice that they had several walk-in aviaries, as they’re a great way to see even common birds much more closely than usual.

Mexican Wolf

A hot and fly-bitten-looking Mexican Wolf sat in the dappled shade of its exhibit, which featured information about the reintroduction of wolves into the US after they’d been hunted almost to extinction.

Verdin

In a spiny bush I got a nice look at a (wild) Verdin with its lovely little yellow head.

Desert

By this point we had seen most of the native desert section of the park, and walked a little ways to the Bighorn Sheep exhibit.  It was quite warm here, save for a couple of verandas, which had mist spraying from their perimeter, and we enjoyed some good looks at the Bighorn Sheep, which had eluded us in the wild on this trip.

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Although there was still a large part of the Living Desert we had not seen (the African desert section), we decided it was too hot, and anyhow we had a fair bit of driving ahead of us to get to Sarah’s brother’s house in north LA, so we bought an overpriced Iccee and hit the road.

I’d definitely recommend a visit to the Living Desert to anyone passing through the area, as their exhibits were well-done, and they do good rehabilitation and conservation work there.

From there, we drove to LA, stopping briefly at the El Cabazon outlets, and finding no particular treasures there, continued on through San Bernardino and into Los Angeles, where we spent the last couple of days of our trip.

Friday, 1 May – Sunday, 3 May:

The remainder of our trip was spent with my my brother-in-law and his family in north LA, where we enjoyed some great food and wonderful company, but didn’t do anything photo-worthy, other than a visit to the new’ish Getty Villa, and I believe that the photos I took there cannot be published here due to copyright, so I will leave it at that (plus I don’t think my readers necessarily want to see dozens of museum photos!).

On Sunday morning we left for home and endured the torturously long and boring drive north on I-5.  Total driving for this 10-day road trip: ~1600 miles.

California’s southern deserts are a true pleasure to wander around in (in season!), and it was super-nice to have so much time to relax and see so many lovely sights in Joshua Tree National Park.  The birds and wildflowers were beyond anything we had hoped for, with a good many new species of both seen.

Thanks for reading this far, and happy hiking!

Kind regards,

Adam

Trip Index:

• Part I – Getting there, settling in
• Part II – Twentynine Palms Oasis
• Part III – Oasis of Mara, Noah Purifoy, Key’s View, Cap Rock
• Part IV – Lost Horse Mine
• Part V – Cholla Cactus Garden, Geology Tour Road
• Part VI – Split Rock, Hidden Valley
• Part VII – Barker Dam, Ocotillo Patch
• Part VIII – Mastodon Peak, Cholla Cactus Garden revisited
• Part IX – Big Morongo Canyon, AKA Birding Paradise
• Part X – Taquitz Canyon
• Part XI – Living Desert, LA, and home <– You are here!