Events Calendar
Meet both days at Yuba Pass Snow Park parking lot: 7:30 a. m. Saturday and 6:30 a. m. Sunday.
Leaders: Phil and Pat Gordon pagpeg AT aol.com
On Saturday we will begin our bird explorations at the almost 7,000 ft. elevation of the Sierras. Meet at 7:30 a. m. at the Yuba Pass Snow Park lot (also the entrance to the Yuba Pass Campground) along SR-49. Snow may still be on the ground this year, so dress accordingly. We will be looking for some of the area’s specialties including Williamson’s Sapsucker, Black-Backed and White-Headed Woodpeckers, Golden-Crowned Kinglets, and Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatchers. The trip may include a visit to San Francisco State’s Field Station, where we have found American Dipper in the past, and to Bassett’s Store for hummingbirds, including Calliope. Other stops may in-clude birding along the Gold Lakes Basin road, Sand Pond, and Frazier Falls (wildflowers!).
On Sunday we will meet at 6:30 a. m. for the early morn-ing bird chorus at Yuba Pass Snow Park lot. From here we will travel to the graveled Mountain Quail Road to check for Green-Tailed Towhees, Brewer’s Sparrow and maybe Gray Flycatcher. We will then move on to Sierra Valley with a stop at ―sparrow corner near Calpine. Sierra Valley should be productive this year with all the water from winter snows! Expect to see White-faced Ibis, Sandhill Cranes, Yellow-Headed Blackbirds, among many other species. The day should end near Loyalton for Lewis’ Woodpeckers and Black-billed Magpies. Loyalton is roughly 4 hours from the bay area.
Campgrounds are available at Yuba Pass and along SR-49 as well as in the Gold Lakes Basin. See http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/pacficsw/tah.htm
- Other lodging possibilities (with driving time to the meeting site):
Bassetts Station in Sierra City (10 minutes) 530.862.1297 http://www.bassetts-station.com/index.html - Herrington’s in Sierra City (15 minutes) 530.862.1151 http://www.herringtonssierrapines.com
- Sleepy Pines in Portola (30 minutes) 916.832.4291 http://www.sleepypinesmotel.com
- River Pines in Blairsden (45 minutes) 916.836.2552 http://www.riverpines.com
- Globe Hotel/Sierra Hot Springs in Sierraville (20 minutes) 530.994.3773 www.sierrahotsprings.org
Check TripAdvisor.com for additional lodging options in the Sierra City and Sierraville area.
For more information, give Phil or Pat Gordon a call at 510.538.3550 at home or 510.364-6472 on the road, or e-mail us at PAGPEG AT aol.com.