Favorite Places to Bird around Bear Valley, Alpine Co.
Phil and Ann-Sofie Dean
Here are some of our birding places around Bear Valley and along the Highway 4 corridor to Ebbets Pass.
With-in Bear Valley Village (The Bear Valley Real-estate listing has a map. They’re in a hand-out slot below their office in the shopping hallway near the General Store).
1. The house at 107 Bloods Ridge Rd (Lot 259) has a dozen feeders or so, which attract many hummers. Usually a feeding frenzy of Rufous.
2. At the northeast corner of BV Lake the road overlooks willows between the swimming beach and the small creek feeding into the lake; a good place for warbler and sapsuckers
3. Park at the end Bear Paw Road (east side of BV Lake). The road continues up as a dirt jeep road. Where it continues on top of Bear Paw ridge is a good place for flycatchers (Olive-sided, Hammond’s), and Mt. Quail. And it’s a good place for birds passing through (Cross-bills in the fall)
4. Check the surface of BV Lake. Park at either end of the dam; either the end of Lake Rd or on the east end off Creekside Rd for Kingfisher in the summer, Common Mergansers and other water fowl in the fall. Check the trees and willows around the lake for both Red-breasted and Williamson’s Sapsuckers.
5. At the upper end of Avalanche Road a trail (jeep road) heads up to the top of Bloods Ridge. On the start of the trail (< 100 yds) have seen Mt. Quail and Blue Grouse.
6. After a steep hike to the top of Bloods Ridge, it’s a pleasant walk all along it until it joins the ski mountain. This is an excellent place for birds passing through in the late summer and fall. (Townsends Solitaire, Mt Bluebirds, our only Western Kingbird, flycatchers………)
7. During late July and early Aug (during the BV Music Festival) look for Common Nighthawks that fly around the village at tree top level as it’s getting dark. We usually get one during the intermission of the musical festival performances.
8. Turn right off Highway 4 just north of the airstrip. You can drive into a baseball field. Bird the conifers from there to Bloods Creek to the east. A very good place for mixed flocks of Warblers. Lazuli Buntings nest in aspens by the creek. In early summer, Spotted Sandpipers are in the creek. The private pasture land is fenced, look for the Sandpipers downstream from the fence. Cross the creek and follow the fence. A good place for flycatchers. There’s an alternate place to park where Highway 4 first meets Bloods Creek. From there, either take a well used mountain bike trail either back towards the turn in for the ball field, or cross the creek and follow a trail down the creek on the east side, to the fence. This July we saw 2 Pileated Woodpeckers near where this bike trail starts climbing out of the flat meadow (The trail ends just above the flat; it’s used by Mt Adventures for rock climbing on the granite face there).
9. Par Course Meadow in BV. As you drive past the shopping area with the General Store you’re on No Name Road. This road veers left after the buildings (a right turn goes to the parking area for the music festival and library). After a 100 ft or so the road is gravel until it rejoins the paved Creekside Dr by the school. Halfway on the gravel section, on the left, there’s an old Par Course sign. Follow the trail. After 100 feet the trail enters a meadow with several patches of willows. This is a good place for Flycatchers (Willow possible), Mt. Quail, Cassin's Finches and Chipping Sparrows. The trail continues to join Creekside Rd at the east end of the dam. It’s level except a short steep part where it joins Creekside Dr.
Mt Reba Ski Area
1. Bird all along the parking area (Hummers, Mt. Bluebirds, Cassin’s Finch) and especially the trees below the lower parking lot where many birds stop as they’re passing through. (Townsend’s Solitaire, Warblers, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, have even seen Blue Grouse under the trees).
2. Walk up the maintenance road that goes straight west from the lodge. (This is National Forest land, leased to the ski are). Check the group of Aspen just after going under/around the second lift. Good for warblers. Watch for Cassin’s Finches in the conifers along the road and Chipping Sparrows in the Mule Ear. The road levels at the 2nd lift that goes down hill (Grizzly). Go to the left of the top of this lift and check the downhill slope. A good place for Blue Grouse.
3. On the road out, just before turning right to the saddle where the buses are parked below the maintenance building, there’s an old trailhead that goes straight north from the road. It’s on the left side of the cut bank with the snow depth gauge that looks like it’s made from wrought iron. There’s 2 old trailhead posts with no text and there’s no discernable trail. Just walk into the woods and circle a uphill. A good place for both Mt. Quail and Blue Grouse. Probably best in the late summer or fall, when the quail covey up.
Lake Alpine
1. Take the first right turn off Hy 4 on the west end of the lake. This road continues after it passes the end of the lake and eventually becomes the Slick Rock Jeep Road. The road is public but passes 2 or 3 private houses that are generously marked as such. Park at the big lot just as the road leaves the lake and walk the road. This is consistently good for mixed flocks of conifer birds, especially from the last house to the gate where the jeep road starts. The Emigrant trail to Highway 4 start at the gate.
2. Either on the way in or out, turn into the Marmot Picnic area and the Amphitheater. A good place for Sapsuckers.
3. Check the lake for water fowl (Mergansers and Canada Geese nest here). Watch for Ospreys circling the lake in the summer. Spotted Sandpipers are along the shore.
Highway 4 East of Lake Alpine
1. 0.7 miles past the Woodchuck Basin trailhead parking there’s a small meadow and slope that’s brush covered on the left of the road. Park in a dry camp site on the right side. This is 0.2 miles before the Cape Horn view point. This slope is good for Dusky Flycatchers. (Woodchuck basin is between Lake Alpine and Stanislaus Meadows - at about 7400 feet elevation)
2. Park at Stanislaus Meadows Trail Head. There’s a jeep road down to the big meadow. Just 50 feet or so this crosses the Emigrant Trail. Walk the Emigrant trail a little to the east and then further to the west. A good for Black-backed Woodpeckers and Creepers.
3. Stanislaus Meadows: The trail to Bull Run Lake passes along side the big meadow. Depending on your car’s clearance you can drive closer to the actual trailhead to Bull Run Lake. The walk along the meadow to the Wilderness Boarder marker is lovely and good for woodpeckers, warblers and conifer birds. Spotted Sandpipers nest along the creek in the meadow. From the Wilderness Boarder marker the trail goes downhill. Good for Black-back Woodpeckers. After descending a 100 yds or so the trail nears the creek. In the spring and early summer Dippers have been here.
4. Heiser Lake Trail. The trailhead is at the east end of Mosquito Lake. About a mile up the trail is good for Hermit Thrushes in the spring/early summer.
5. Between the Pacific Creek Bridge, down in Pacific Valley, and the Mokelumne Creek bridge there’s an old cabin on the left (Forest Service?). Either park at the cabin or the first turn out up hill from the cabin. Behind the cabin Pacific Creek flows over large granite slabs. From there down hill 100 feet of so is a good place for Dippers in the early summer.
6. Spotted Sandpipers nest in Mokelumne Creek in Hermit Valley in early summer.