We got up early (for us) this morning and went for a jog out on French Bar road. The road was free of other people and cars and there were plenty of birds out and about, Western King Birds, Western Blue Birds, Phoebes and Orioles, all the usuals were flying around catching up the morning bugs. The only unusual bird I spotted was a pair of Western Wood Pewees, which are newer to me as of a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately no new birds were added to my list this morning.
After Locke's nap and lunch we headed out to Volcano, quickly, as to avoid the bad weather later in the day. We started out behind the St. George hotel but we didn't get lucky until we went over to the Volcano Park in Soldier's Gulch.
Volcano is so named because during the California Gold Rush the major mining conglomerates basically stripped all the top soil out of the valley to collect the gold dust and powder that had settled into the soil during the period when the Mokeulmne River ran through this part of Amador. The resulting landscape, in some place 30 feet lower than originally, resembled a volcanic landscape. The pioneers who settled in the region named it thusly. The original European discoverers of this area were a group of soldiers who had been moving through the valley and found the area rich in gold. They decided to spend the winter but were unable to survive the unusually harsh weather that year. The following spring Mexican miners found the bodies of the soldiers and buried them on a hill over Sutter Creek which still runs through town; hence Soldier Gulch.
But I digress, Locke and I were playing hide and seek around a large rock in the center of the park when I spotted a bright yellow bird flit overhead into a maple tree. There was no doubt what the bird was once I got a good look at it, a Yellow Warbler. The Yellow Warbler is definitely a lifer for me and therefore another bird added to the list.
The bad weather is supposed to continue part way into tomorrow so I'm not sure where we are going to head out to. I'm thinking Pardee Reservoir and a small pond near the Coast to Crest trail to try to rustle up some water birds.
After Locke's nap and lunch we headed out to Volcano, quickly, as to avoid the bad weather later in the day. We started out behind the St. George hotel but we didn't get lucky until we went over to the Volcano Park in Soldier's Gulch.
Volcano is so named because during the California Gold Rush the major mining conglomerates basically stripped all the top soil out of the valley to collect the gold dust and powder that had settled into the soil during the period when the Mokeulmne River ran through this part of Amador. The resulting landscape, in some place 30 feet lower than originally, resembled a volcanic landscape. The pioneers who settled in the region named it thusly. The original European discoverers of this area were a group of soldiers who had been moving through the valley and found the area rich in gold. They decided to spend the winter but were unable to survive the unusually harsh weather that year. The following spring Mexican miners found the bodies of the soldiers and buried them on a hill over Sutter Creek which still runs through town; hence Soldier Gulch.
But I digress, Locke and I were playing hide and seek around a large rock in the center of the park when I spotted a bright yellow bird flit overhead into a maple tree. There was no doubt what the bird was once I got a good look at it, a Yellow Warbler. The Yellow Warbler is definitely a lifer for me and therefore another bird added to the list.
The bad weather is supposed to continue part way into tomorrow so I'm not sure where we are going to head out to. I'm thinking Pardee Reservoir and a small pond near the Coast to Crest trail to try to rustle up some water birds.
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