Field Trip: Wild Lake Ranch

Date: Friday May 07, 2010

Time: 6:45 AM

Trip report added 5/19/2010 (NSAS Event)

Details:

Leader: Murray Berner

Trip Report: by Murray Berner
A dozen birders hiked the northern trails at the Land Trust of Napa County’s Wild Lake Ranch, 3000 acres of canyons, forest and rock. Everyone saw a satisfying mix of resident, summer visitor and migrating birds, including Peregrine Falcon, Olive-sided Flycatcher and seven species of warblers. By prearranged agreement with the local chickadees, several mixed flocks assembled at intervals along the trail. Purple Finch, Western Tanager and Lazuli Bunting posed atop Douglas firs. Close views of a family group of Hutton’s Vireo upstaged the chorus of Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos, the two species that served as the day’s primary background music. Everyone in the group watched (as long as desired) a cooperative and endlessly calling N. Pygmy-Owl. Beyond the birds, the several trail side overlooks provided views of the Sierra Nevada, Snow Mt., Swartz Canyon, and the Palisades. It was a four mile hike, but it seemed much shorter.

eBird Report:

Number of species: 47

Mountain Quail 6
California Quail 5
Turkey Vulture 5
Cooper's Hawk 2
Red-shouldered Hawk (California) 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Northern Pygmy-Owl 1
White-throated Swift 2
Anna's Hummingbird 7
Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird 1
Acorn Woodpecker 8
Nuttall's Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Olive-sided Flycatcher 1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher 12
Ash-throated Flycatcher 2
Cassin's Vireo 13
Hutton's Vireo 9
Warbling Vireo (Western) 25
Steller's Jay 4
Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 5
Common Raven 2
Violet-green Swallow 3
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 10
Oak Titmouse 10
Bushtit 4
Brown Creeper 1
Bewick's Wren 5
Swainson's Thrush 1
Wrentit 5
Cedar Waxwing 5
Orange-crowned Warbler 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 13
Townsend's Warbler 11
Hermit Warbler 4
Wilson's Warbler 10
Western Tanager 13
Spotted Towhee 10
California Towhee 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 5
Black-headed Grosbeak 12
Lazuli Bunting 11
Bullock's Oriole 1
Purple Finch 8
Lesser Goldfinch 10

This list was generated automatically by eBird

Pre-trip Description: This week it's Wild Lake Ranch northwest of Angwin. This property includes Bell Canyon and most of the surrounding ridges. It's a hike that climbs a few moderate grades and totals about 4 miles. We'll go as far as we can toward Spud Peak about Swartz Canyon and then up onto a rocky flat with spectacular views of most of the known world. Birds include lots of Black-throated Gray Warblers nesting along the trail, gnatcatchers, pygmy owl, Mountain quail, California Thrasher, and the potential for lots of western migrants - this is the peak of the migratory season.

The Napa carpool leaves at 6:45am (click below for a map of the Napa carpool location). Bring lunch and water and plan for an early-mid afternoon arrival back in Napa. The Napa carpool will stop at the St. Helena campus of Napa Valley College, meeting there at about 7:15am. If the campus entrance gate is closed, be on the street outside the entrance. Everyone must carpool to Wild Lake.

Read more about these trips on the Friday Bird Walks page.

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