More on Morongo

The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve lies some 110 miles from Los Angeles. A good two hours drive. And  a heck of a birding place - at least it was as I remember it from past visits.


I was able to convince my son, Kurt, to drive Cynthia and myself to Big Morongo with promises of stopping at Morongo Casino for lunch and then shopping at the Cabazon Outlet stores later in the day. 


Birders go to Morongo Canyon because of the Vermillion Flycatcher. This is the only other place, aside from Prado Dam, where this gorgeous bright red bird can be found in the state of Calfornia. However, the very first bird that we saw was one that is rather uncommon and has an intriguing name - the Phainopepla. It had been quite a while since I last had good looks at this species and so it was a delight to watch the all black male perch conspicuously in the morning sun.

Somehow it wasn't that birdy that morning. The normally seen Gambel's Quails, the colorful Western and Summer Tanagers were a no-show.


Thankfully, the Vermillion Flycatchers did not disappoint. Nearby Covington park was where these gaudy birds make their home.

The rest of the local avifauna were the usual birds found in almost every forested park in California. At around noon we packed up. Time to fulfill my promises.

Eye Candies

Imagine a parade of gaudy-plumaged birds appearing before your very eyes. Overwhelming your sense of sight to a certain degree of rapturous delight. And you’re not even in the tropics!

The place was Big Morongo Valley where we had an interesting encounter with a hungry Roadrunner and a staring contest with a couple of Long-eared Owl babies. At nearby Covington Park, colorful birds put on a show that made our long trip even more worthwhile.

Hooded Oriole:


Yellow Warbler:


Western Bluebird:


Vermillion Flycatcher:


Western Tanager:

Chick Flicks

As I have mentioned in my previous blog, our primary purpose in going to Big Morongo Valley was to look for the Long-eared Owls and their nest. We easily found it at the Marsh Trail between markers 6 and 7. However, when we got there only a single chick was on the nest staring at us with almost human-like eyes.

Scanning the surrounding area, we located a second, albeit older, chick, again staring at us with wide open eyes.

It took us a while before locating an adult (which was thankfully pointed to us by the leader of the birding group that were also watching the owl family). It was sleeping deep inside the tangle of vegetation.




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Meals, Interrupted

We had just completed the Marsh Trail loop at Big Morongo Valley and I was bit exhausted. I was carrying my big lens set-up and it has started to make a dent (literally) on my shoulders. We had already added four more species to our year list. Not only that, we had photographed the bird we came to see - the baby Long-eared Owls. The adult, unfortunately was sleeping deep in the tangle of branches, leaves and vines that taking its picture was next to impossible. (More on this in another blog).

And so Cynthia and I decided to take a break. We headed to the parking lot. While we were enjoying some crackers and soda sitting at the tailgate of our Jeep, a Greater Roadrunner came dashing in front of us carrying a huge gecko in its beak. Before reaching its destination at the other side of the parking area, it was spooked by a young couple who had alighted from their car. In panic, the poor roadrunner dropped the gecko and scampered for cover back from where it originally came. This happened so fast that I didn't have time to react and just stood there open-mouthed watching this sight unfold before our very eyes.

As we resumed our snack, I told my wife that the roadrunner will return for its food. I mean this is one huge gecko and definitely worth coming back for. I pointed my lens at the gecko and waited. Sure enough, about ten minutes later, when the bird determined that the coast was clear, it shot out of the bushes, braked in front of the gecko, gave us a quick look, decided we were harmless, picked up the gecko and sped to the other side of the parking lot. Thankfully, I was able to get three (ok, two-and-a-half) shots before the roadrunner beep-beeped away into oblivion.

(the feet were not even touching the ground!)

Just like the speedy bird, we then continued with our meal in complete satisfaction.

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Flycatchers and Friends

Reports that not one, but three (2 males and a female) Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were seen at the feeders at the Big Morongo Preserve gave us a good excuse to go back there on Saturday, May 19th.

This time I purposedly left my big gun, the 500mm, at home. I wanted to give my new 100-400 zoom lens a real workout, so to speak. Cynthia thought that having a 1.4 extender attached to her 300mm slowed down the autofocusing somewhat so she went back to her original set-up

Just right after we got off the jeep we both immediately caught a glimpse of the bright red of the Summer Tanager flash overhead. And there perched on the fence by the parking area was its less gaudy but also beautiful mate giving us the eye.

We joined the bird walk led by Dee Zeller (who also gave us the bad news that the grosbeaks were gone). Just as we were entering the boardwalk at the start of the Marsh Trail, we were greeted by a very tame Gambel’s Quail doing a morning call. Soon, Margaret, a member of our group started listing names of birds heard along the trail.

“That’s a Verdin.” There’s a Bell’s Vireo, and another one on the opposite side”, she would announce to the group. It was quite frustrating for us photographers since these birds were all hidden among the foliage around us. The highlight of the walk was an Olive-sided Flycatcher (also located by Margaret) which was a lifer for us. We eventually tallied 38 species, but unfortunately, only a few good shots. Throughout our walk on the Marsh Trail we were accompanied by a pair of Western Scrub Jays staying close to us that you could almost touch them. They are having their own people-walk, seems like.

Still being early, we decided to go to Luckie Park in Twentynine Palms to try to locate the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher recently sighted there. We parked at the northwestern side of the recreation area close to the ballfields. There were lots of birds; Great-tailed Grackles, Brewer’s Blackbirds and tons of Horned Larks, even a pair of White-winged Doves, but no Scissor-tail. In our perambulations, we met Matthew Baker who has been scouring the area looking for the same quarry but have not had any luck either. We whiled away the time shooting at the Horned Larks. It was almost noon and we were beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. Visions of McDonalds soon began dancing before our eyes. Our reveries were suddenly interrupted by shouts of “There it is! There it is!” Matthew finally spotted the long-tailed bird and we all rushed to where it was perched. This was one of those moments when I wished I brought along my 500mm lens. Nevertheless, our mission was accomplished and we now proceeded to satisfy one of man’s basic needs. An Angus third pounder never tasted this good!

Back at Morongo, after a well deserved repast, we settled into a more sedentary activity. We sat by the feeders watching and photographing the comings and goings of various avian species which included a Mountain Chickadee, Bullocks and Hooded Orioles, Costa’s Hummingbirds, a Nuttall’s Woodpecker and the usual denizens of House Finches, Anna’s Hummingbirds, and Lesser Goldfinches.

Around 2:30 pm, we decided to give the Marsh Trail one more look-see. By the spillway, we discovered the Bell’s Vireo and its nest. Along the route, we bumped into several kinds of Flycatchers whose identities completely buffled us, particularly those darn empidonax species! Near the end of the loop, several birds were playing king of the hill, or in this instance, king of the bare limb. A Western Kingbird, a Brown-crested Flycatcher, an intrepid young Western Tanager and a feisty Western Wood Pewee would perch into this bare limb after hawking some unfortunate insect, only to be dislodged by the next species. Once in a while a Black Phoebe would even join the fray. Warbling Vireos and Wilson’s Warblers, on the other hand, were busy working the surrounding greenery.

We hated to leave such interesting antics but we still have some 120-odd miles to drive. It was a fun day, made even more enjoyable by finding new friends who share our passion for birds.

And by the way, this was one session where my wife had the better shots.

Sun Scorching and Soul Searching

I had a couple of days off to rest. And so on Saturday, Apr. 28th, we drove the 120-odd miles to the Big Morongo Valley Nature Reserve. It was foggy when we left South Pasadena at 6 am. It was a tad windy when we had our usual stop-over at Cabazon for breakfast at McDonalds. When we parked at Big Morongo a little after 8 am, something just didn't feel right. There were already quite a number of birders making the rounds of the various trails. We thought that it was the unusual density of human beings that somehow upped the ground temperature.

We started off going clockwise on the Marsh trail, spotting a Verdin and some noisy Bewick's Wrens. Luckily, most of the birders were already on the way out, presumably to more productive (and more pleasant) environments. Even then, although we saw a number of birds, they were mostly hidden among the leaves and never venturing out in the open, much to our frustration. All along the trail, we could hear the maddening chatter of the Yellow-breasted Chat. But the large warbler, despite it's yellow color might as well be invisible. I finally got a shot at him, but it's not something to crow about.
We got glimpses, and really bad shots, of the colorful Tanagers (Western and Summer). As we returned to the shed at the beginning of the trail, we noticed the temperature reading 95 degrees and it was only about 10 am. It would go even higher at midday.

After resting and a quick lunch of hotdog sandwiches, we explored nearby Covington park. It was not very birdy - only a few warblers and the resident Vermillion Flycatcher was there and he was not as cooperative as before.

At around 4 pm, we decided to give the Marsh trail one more try, still hoping to get better views of the birds. A couple of Ash-throated Flycatchers were busy hawking flying insects out in the open. I pity these birds, having to endure the intense heat of the afternoon sun, just so they can eat. Even the seed-eating (and therefore less active) House Finches were panting.

We took the hint and called it day. Just as we were approaching the parking lot, Mr. and Mrs. Gambel's Quail paraded in front of us.

As we were driving home, thoughts played in my head. Am I getting too old for this? It seems that I now tire a lot more. I think carrying about 20 lbs of camera gear over my 60-year old frame over park trails is starting to take its toll on my body. I need to do some serious planning in the coming weeks.

Seeing Red

It is Father's Day today but since we had our lunch with my daughter and her family yesterday, and my son is still out of town, my wife, Cynthia, and I decided to go to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve for some birding/photography. We left Pasadena at around 6 am and arrived at Big Morongo at 7:30. Just as I was unloading my camera gear, my wife shouted, "Look at that red bird!". I peered through my binoculars and my heart skipped a bit. It was a Summer Tanager, a life bird for me, and it is actually quite rare in southern California. I managed to grab a few shots before it flew away. The shots didn't turn out that well, probably because my hands are shaking from the excitement or because the lighting wasn't that good. 

The day progressed quickly and I managed to see the Summer Tanager again, this time it was backlighted, but still good enough for a couple of shots. I also got some pictures of yet another colorful bird, the Vermillion Flycatcher.

At about 10, we left the preserve and proceeded to Yucca Valley to attend the service at the Calvary Chapel in that town. After the service we had a sumptuous lunch at Sizzler's where the food is outstanding and the service is superb!

We came back to the Preserve after lunch but light has become harsh and the birds scarce so we decided to call it a day and headed for home.

It was a wonderful Father's Day experience for me.