Birding with Ted

Mountain Birds of the Tahoe Sierras at Strawberry Lodge
2020-06-05 - 2020-06-07 | CA
Fri-Sunday, June 5-7
Historic Strawberry Lodge (from 1858) is located two hours east of Sacramento, on Route 50 at Kyburz village, portal to the Sierras. It’s located in the Crystal Basin Recreation Area and is part of the 85,000 acre Eldorado National Forest, just south of Lake Tahoe. This dramatic landscape of mountain lakes (Wright’s, Echo & Loon among many) and forests of gigantic pine and fir will be our HQ for this mid- summer mountain tour. Bird life and wildflowers will be at their peak, with sunny weather and warm temps. The area includes many resorts and campgrounds, with boating, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and canoeing as additional options for non-birding pals and partners. Mountain specialties include Western tanagers, Red-breasted sapsuckers, Townsend’s warblers, Nighthawks, Clark’s nutcrackers, Mt. bluebirds, Green-tailed towhees, Black-backed and Lewis’ woodpeckers, Evening grosbeaks and Mt. chickadees are among more than 50-60 species typically seen. We will also visit nearby South Lake Tahoe for water birds and vistas of the great lake at Emerald Bay, with shops and restaurants to sample. Birding will be primarily by car, with hikes leisurely and short. Re amenitites and prices at the lodge, go to www.strawberrylodge.com, or call (530) 659-7200. The tour is three days and two nights, meeting at 1pm Friday at the lodge.

Sierra Valley Tour: Woodlands, Birds & Wildflowers of the Sierras
2020-06-25 - 2020-06-28
Thurs-Sunday, June 25-28
The Sierra Valley, a secluded mountain area with miles of sagebrush, forests and marshes, is only a half hour drive north of I80 and Tahoe. For the last several years we have provided this tour (four days and three nights) to explore the valley’s wilderness and observe many different birds and wildflowers. Among 60-70 species of birds often seen are Sandhill cranes, White-faced Ibis, Bald eagles, Snipe, Osprey, Horned larks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds and many ducks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers and songbirds. We will visit the Iron Bridge marsh, Lake Davis, the village of Sierraville, the Feather River, Yuba Pass and the SFSU Field station near Bassett’s. We frequently stay in the little town of Portola at the north end of the valley, with many shops, museums, restaurants and even golf courses at nearby Blairsden. The tour package includes one class (optional) in Berkeley prior to the trip, on Weds. June 24th, 9-12am. Local campgrounds include Plumas-Eureka State Park, one of the best. Our favorite spot to stay in Portola, convenient to everything: the Sleepy Pines Motel; see www.sleepypinesmotel.com for more info. There are also many other motels and resorts in the area to choose from. Tour starts at Sierraville village at 1pm Thursday, and right after lunch we begin our tour of the valley. We say good-bye Sunday at noon to head home. Allow four hours travel from the Bay Area to Sierraville, right at the south entrance of the valley.

Monterey Birds, Beaches & Heritage Tour
2020-07-14 - 2020-07-17
Tues-Friday, July 14-17
The stunning natural beauty, museums, beaches, Aquarium and historic adobes of old Monterey are only two and a half hours away from San Francisco and the Bay Area. Over three days and two nights, we will sample the best of these cultural and wildlife treasures, including Elkhorn Slough for shorebirds and Sea Otters, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, the Steinbeck Center in nearby Salinas, Pt. Lobos coastal preserve and stroll the spectacular Monterey beaches. Among many local birds, we’ll search for terns, shorebirds, Oystercatchers, Avocets, ducks, cormorants and many songbirds. A half-day cruise for whale-watching is another possibility. Other potential late-afternoon sites to investigate include old Spanish churches, the Robert Louis Stevenson House, restaurants and galleries! Nature, historic and marine life photography opportunities galore! Accommodations: world-class and beach-front resorts, hotels and Airbnb rentals blanket the area. One favorite of ours, one block from the ocean, is the Monterey Bay Lodge (go to www.montereybaylodge.com) for more information on amenities such as their pool and restaurant. All in all, this is a weekend pretty close to paradise!

Yosemite, Mono Lake & Eastern Sierras Tour
2020-07-28 - 2020-07-31
Tues- Friday, July 28-31
This Eastern Sierra tour has become one of our most popular four-day trips! It includes visits to Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite, ancient Mono Lake, the Eastern Sierra forests and the legendary ghost-town of Bodie. The nearby 10,000-foot mountains and forests make for spectacular scenery, together with high desert sagebrush and volcanic landscapes that roll on for miles. We’ll explore Mono Lake and its tufa towers, Lee Vining village, Bodie ghost-town (now a state park), have lunch at the old pioneer village of Bridgeport, see Mammoth Lakes and hunt for warblers at Lee Vining Canyon. Mono is a magnet for several hundred bird species, including phalaropes, shorebirds, grebes, pelicans, ducks, woodpeckers and raptors. These include Osprey, Mt. Bluebird, Pygmy nuthatches, Clark’s Nutcracker, Wood ducks, Audubon’s warblers, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Red-breasted Sapsuckers and hundreds of others. Walking the sagebrush-covered hills at Bodie we’ll search for the enormous Sage Grouse, one of the great birds of the Western high desert. We meet Tuesday afternoon at Boulder Lodge on June Lake, 10 miles south of Lee Vining village, right off H395. The Lodge has a pool, barbeque area and lakeside boating; rooms are large, accommodate several people and have kitchenettes. Visit www.boulderlodgejunelake.com for more info. The spectacular mountain peaks, Mono Lake and pioneer-era villages are great for photography of all kinds. Easiest route from San Francisco and the Bay Area: take 120 across the valley to Yosemite, go over Tioga Pass and then south 10 miles on 395 to June Lake and Boulder Lodge. Tour begins after check-in Tuesday afternoon. Allow at least six hours from the Bay Area to June L
