I think I'll do this in travelog form; for those of you who live nearby this should provide you with the info you need for a great trip. For the others, maybe it will convince you that it's time for a visit. ( ">
Our trip starts just south of the town of Livermore, about a quarter mile down Mines Road at the Murrietta Wells winery. Some of the surrounding fields have been closed off in the past 2-3 years, so we can't look in on the screech owl nest box anymore. Still, it's the first little bit of good birding for the day. Standing on the bridge over the creek, you can get an assortment of warblers and sparrow to get you off on the right foot. We usually see our first Yellow-billed Magpies of the day here, along with our first kestrels (I think they nest here), flickers, and phoebes. This year, I also had the first Eurasian Collared-dove that I've seen in the bay area, alas. Continuing along, you might see your first Western Bluebirds of the day, and there's a good chance that there will be wild turkey and Red-Shouldered Hawks (they nest here, but disappear just a few miles further).
About 4 miles down the road, you need to make a left turn to continue on Mines Road - the main flow of traffic continues straight ahead to DelValle reservoir. Almost immediately after you make the turn, there's a large pullout area on the right. Park here and take a few moments to look in the scrubby willow floodplain across the road for for more little brown (and yellow) birds, along with Cal Thrashers singing. This is usually one of the most birdy areas of the day. Mostly common species, but there's almost always a surprise or two. Wild Turkeys seem to like the hillside above the road to DelValle.
We have a series of quick stops in the next few miles - the house with the big eagle (Bullock's Orioles like the one at left, nuthatches, waxwings et al), the big field with the row of euc's (redtail nest) and the bridge where swallows fly. The area around the bridge is another very birdy spot, and sometimes gives us our first phainopepla of the day. A few years ago, a canyon wren was here to serenade us.
For the next 6 miles or so, you're about halfway between the ridgetop and the creek below. We stop semi-regularly to look for Roadrunners (on the floodplains below) and Golden Eagles (we had four in this stretch on our recent trip). There are many nice little ravines that are worth at least a quick stop and listen. Around mile 11-12, you leave the really open area and hug the edge a little closer, and get some more trees. This is another good spot to take a pullout. It's good for Cal Thrashers (sometimes very close), and decent for lingering thrushes.
Around mile 14, you pass a big rocky outcropping with a large parking area. Park. Bird. The creek is very attractive to lots of birds. We also had a pygmy owl (right) calling and found it on a tree upslope on a previous trip... I'm sure they're around, but you just need a bit of luck to spot 'em. You drive along the creek for a bit, and the trees have some birds but it's not particularly birdy. (Have had tanagers here, though) Eventually you come to a big corral, around a spot where the stream crosses the road. Some years this area is great - lots of small birds and also some shorebirds and mergansers in the stream. Some years, not so much.
Beyond this point, the habitat changes as the trees close in a bit. Then you start climbing and eventually come out to some sage-y open space. Sweeping around a big curve, you are suddenly in a wide open vista. Stop and drink it in. You're surrounded by sage, artemesia, ceanothus and other fragrant shrubs. You hear wrentits, thrashers and a variety of other little voices. One thing you're unlikely to hear is another car driving by. Heaven!
Down the hill, you rejoin the stream and continue on for another 5-6 miles, passing through some grey pine areas, some scrubby riparian and Ruthie's Mall (a barn with a permanent garage sale going on). Eventually, you cross a cattle guard and hit serious sage scrub, a fire station and a bar/restaurant. You're at The Junction - good things await.
Since you'll probably be hitting here mid-day, the Junction is a good place to stop for lunch. It just changed hands at the start of April, but it looks like the new owners aren't changing much. Like my other favorite mid-day stop in Panoche, the food is basic but good, and the clientèle is a mix of local ranchers, bikers, bicyclists and birders. They have hummingbird feeders hanging by the door, but the best birding is looking into the adjacent field from the picnic tables. From here, you'll usually see Western Bluebirds and a variety of others, including one of the targets for the trip - Lawrence's Goldfinch.
Out-of-town visitors often post on our local lists to say they'll be visiting the bay area and asking where to see certain species while they're here. Inevitably, they ask about Lawrence's Goldfinch - and this is the most commonly suggested spot. If they're not in the field next to the bar, wander back up across the road to the old CDF fire station (just 200' or so) and look into the trees there. We have seen them in spots all around here (even as we passed Ruthie's Shopping Mall), but this is the one place they really seem to hang out most reliably. I think I've only missed them here once, and we were a little early that year.
Lewis' Woodpeckers
After you've finished dining, continue down Mines Road (which changes name to San Antonio Road at the Junction) another quarter mile or so, and pull off at the first driveway on your right. (leave room for a vehicle to use the drive!) Across the road, about 100' ahead on the other side, you'll see a big ol' oak with some dropped limbs near the fence. There's also a little shed and a pole (so you know you're looking at the right spot). This oak is home to a pair of Lewis's Woodpeckers. If you stop here for even a few minutes - especially this time of year when they should be on the nest - you are likely to get nice views of one or both birds. Last year we could hear the kids calling from the cavity. Very cool.
If you head down Mines/San Antonio just a little further, you'll come to a small creek crossing. Stop by the bridge, hop out and have a listen for Tricolored Blackbirds (they sound like pissed-off cats) who are often in the fields or in the eucalyptus trees near the ranch across the road. The fields around here have wonderful wildflowers in wet years.
Okay, now backtrack to the Junction and take the turn down Del Puerto Canyon Road. There used to be a great pond just east of the junction (on the right), but it's been drained in recent years and the remaining creek area is not as birdy as it used to be. Still, it's worth glancing in. Another mile or so down on the left, there's another large pond (with no good pullouts, alas) which has had hundreds of Tricolored Blackbirds nesting. Go slow and keep your windows open - if they're on territory, you should hear them, and you can decide if it's worth trying to squeeze onto the shoulder to go admire them. We always do.
For the next 15 miles or so, we stop intermittently but there aren't a lot of must-stop spots. Harold Raines County Park has bathrooms for those who prefer indoors stops, and has some birds (almost always house wrens there). Not far past that, on the left, is the Minnear Day Use area which can be worth a quick stop - there is a nice riparian area and we'll usually get a few good birds here. This year, we had the closest views I've ever had of phainopepla here, a nice pair in a small tree.
After about 15 miles, you'll come to a spot with a large rock face and pullout on the right, where the road crosses the creek at a "real" bridge. It's a very canyon-y spot, and that's probably why there's almost always a canyon wren here. Most of the time we can spot them, but it's really the beautiful song that draws me in. This area was more birdy until 2006, when a huge fire came through and burned all of the sage scrub. Last year it was just dead (though we still had one canyon wren), but this year there's a little more birdlife. Some years a pair of ravens nest on the rock face above the parking area. When the sage comes back, it will probably be a good spot for sage sparrows again, as it was before the fire.
Continuing down the road, look along the meandering creekbed and floodplain for yellowlegs, green herons and roadrunners. You'll come to a house on a hill on the right, just where the road and stream make a big bend. It's often a good stop, with phainopepla in the trees near the house and a shrike on the fences across the road. Lots of good opportunity for quick stops along this stretch.
Barn Owl family at Owl Rocks
Around mile marker 4, you'll come to Owl Rocks, as series of formations with little cavities on the face. As the name suggests, the cavities are popular with roosting and nesting owls. We've seen both Great Horned and Barn peering back at us from these holes. There's a large, easy pullout here for owl viewing, and you can even walk the next stretch if you want a break from driving.
Great Horned Owl family at Owl Rocks
Over the next half mile or so, check the roadside flowering plants (primarily tree tobacco) for hummingbirds. Tons of Anna's here, but it's also the most reliable spot in the Bay Area for Costa's Hummingbird; there are almost always one or two here. We've seen them about 3/4 of the times we've been here. It's also good for Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles, Western Kingbirds and others.
Just beyond here the canyon opens up to a wide valley. Look for Blue Grosbeaks (possible, but uncommon), Grasshopper sparrows and Horned Larks. It's also a good spot for Prairie Falcons, Golden Eagles and the occasional Burrowing Owl. The road ends at I-5, and you can either blast back on the freeway, or take the back route and go via Corral Hollow Road and maybe pick up a couple more species.
So that's one of my favorite springtime romps - where do you go in your part of the country?
