Clark’s Nutcracker overhead, snow underfoot.  We started the day in the Mojave Desert, very flat, and a surprising blaze of colour covered with orange California Poppies.  We soon began to climb out of the desert and quickly gained altitude as we headed up Mount Pinos.  The road narrowed and was soon engulfed in giant pine trees and scattered patches of snow, and the birding began.  Mountain Chickadees were by far the commonest bird here, and their cheerful calls accompanied us throughout the day.  At our very first stop we were lucky to discover a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers chasing each other round a circuit of pines.  Driving a little higher, a woodpecker swooped across the road resulting in an emergency stop.  We bailed out to be presented with a fine male White-headed Woodpecker drumming on an adjacent dead tree.  On again, but not for long as Ruth spotted a Clark’s Nutcracker flying above the road.  Another hasty stop, another set of skidmarks on the road, and we legged it back down the road to get our first scope-filling view of this charismatic crow.  Reaching the end of the road near the summit, we set off on foot along the Nordic trail for the final ascent to the top at 8300 feet.  Snow here lay in thick patches, but the beautiful spring sunshine allowed us to complete the walk in T Shirts, no need for all the thermals, fleeces and gloves that we’d packed for the trip!Good birds were found all along the trail.  First up was Green-tailed Towee feeding in low pathside scrub; a little elusive but with patience we enjoyed great views.  Fox Sparrows were common and singing loudly; the particular race here has an enormous bill, surely a candidate for a future split.  The walk also produced our first American Robins of the year and we were able to watch a male individual at great length and short distance as he rummaged through the pine litter for food.  Western Bluebirds were regularly encountered but unfortunately no sign of any Mountain Bluebirds near the summit.  The view from the top was breathtaking as we looked out across a vista of snow-capped pine-forest clad mountains rapidly falling away to the endless flat plain of the Mojave Desert below.  Tearing ourselves away from this glorious picnic stop, we paused to watch a Hairy Woodpecker in the pine tops.  Lifting our bins higher, we picked out an enormous raptor gliding effortlessly across the cobalt blue sky, its wings a distinctive black and white.  There is only one bird this large and this striking: California Condor.  Not a bird we can count on our yearlist as there is not a self-sustaining population but one that we were very excited to see nonetheless.  Descending further down the trail, we followed the calls until we could see a pair of Northern Flickers, red-shafted, chasing each other through the trees.  Back in the car, we slowly drove down the twisting road, windows down listening for more calls.  Hearing Mountain Quail, we jumped out the car and searched hard, but didn’t manage to glimpse this difficult-to-see bird, but instead spied both a Pygmy and Red-breasted Nuthatch for our daylist.  With another long drive ahead of us, we headed off down the valley towards the interstate to eat up some miles.  But the best laid plans and all that…  Suddenly the car warning indicators told us we had ‘low tire pressure’ and sure enough, when we pulled into the nearest layby, we had a perfectly flat tyre.  So out of the boot came all our luggage and we (well, Alan!) fitted the spare, one of those space-saving skinny little tyres.  Just three miles down the road we pulled into a garage to check it and found it was already wearing out, no way could it do the 120 miles we had ahead of us.  So there we were at 6pm on a Monday night, needing a tyre repairer, and fast!  Luck was on our side, however, and we pulled into a small garage just as Red was closing up.  Maybe it was our British accent that swayed it, but he took pity on us and fitted us up with a full-size replacement tyre so we were back on the road again.  Another town, another motel room, this time ready for a boat trip first thing tomorrow morning.
Bird species list 2144
Posted 28th April, Ventura, California