Camping at Sycamore Grove

The weather forecasters put a scare on us about severe winds for today, so we just sort of hunkered down in the motor home this morning.  We did have a lot of wind which completely “raked” all the leaves for me leaving us with a clean campsite, but I noticed that now all the leaves are all piled up against the restrooms. The only other campers left this morning, so we now have this 30 site campground all to ourselves.  By eleven o’clock we were getting cabin fever so decided to walk to the store for some milk.  We thought it would be about a mile and a half.  Turned out the closest convenience stores were two and a half miles, but no milk, so it was a half a mile further to the grocery store, so now a three mile walk, which meant a six mile round trip. But hey, we needed the excise and a break from birding.

Birding at Red Bluff

When we arrived at the Red Bluff Recreation Area yesterday afternoon temperatures were just shy of 70 degrees.  After selecting a site in the Sycamore Grove Campground we set off for some birding. In an hour’s time we identified 19 different species. Northern Flickers (top photo) were the most numerous, easily over 2 dozen.  The Red-tailed Hawk (lower photo) was the most impressive of the four different species of hawks we saw.  This is an area that we love to bird in since discovering it in 2009.  The campground is never crowded, as in this visit, there is only one other camper plus the hosts in this 30 site campground. Rates are unbelievable low, 16 dollars a night, which we pay half. And there are miles of trails and the Sacramento River. Everything meets our criteria of a perfect place to stay and bird.  The plan is to stay here two more nights before heading to Chico for Tony’s birthday on Thursday.

What a View!

You might think I am talking about the view we had of Mt Shasta during lunch at a rest stop, or the view we have at our campsite at Sycamore Grove Campground tonight, but actually what I want to give accolades to is our new Winnebago View motor home.  This was our first trip south over the Siskiyous in this motor home.  Climbing over the Siskiyous is something I had come to dread with our past motor homes built on Chevy and Ford chassis, it has always been a struggle up the steep climbs and a serious matter to pay attention to on the steep declines.  But, the handling of this View with its Mercedes Benz chassis was a whole new experience today.  Plenty of power for climbing, smooth shifts from the transmission, lots of margin on the braking, and precise control with the steering. It was a pleasure to drive all the way.  And on top of that, the fuel costs are half of what the others were.

Seven Feathers Casino

We took off today on our annual migration to the south in search of warmth and sunshine. We had planned to leave tomorrow, but by mid-day we were packed and ready.  A little head start on tomorrow’s goal of Sycamore Grove Campground in Red Bluff sounded like a good idea, so we drove as far as the Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville.  We are set up in the parking lot where they allow RV’ers to stay for free. A free shuttle is provided to take you to the casino, but we walked since we wanted the exercise. Buster seemed to take an interest in the Salmon & Eagle sculpture at the main entrance. I love seeing the success the Native Americans are having with casinos.  The “taxation” that has built these elegant entertainment centers is purely voluntary. I don’t care to be taxed, so I am able to enjoy these facilities for free!  

Jake Learns Birding

My six year old grandson Jake is shown this morning using binoculars to be able to describe a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a distant tree.  He and his mom Lisa and brothers William and Luke are here in Elkton for Thanksgiving. We all took a walk this morning to check out the new playground equipment at the grade school. Of course a walk means a birding experience for Grandpa.  Jake was a good student.  He has a keen mind which was demonstrated on the way back home when he pointed out the exact tree where we had spotted a number of Steller’s Jays.  

Eagle Eye

I took this photo of a young Bald Eagle yesterday, which sort of gives me the idea of where the expression “eagle eye” comes from.  We took advantage of a dry day to go hiking, and the coast looked warmer than inland, so I chose the Carter Lake area and made a loop with the Carter Dunes Trail and the Taylor Dunes Trail. We had bright sunshine the whole way and in the end were rewarded with this young Bald Eagle, which I believe to be a second year bird. It takes four years for them to fully develop the white head and tail.

A Black Phoebe

I took this photo of a Black Phoebe on a country fence yesterday during my walk.  I first became aware of Black Phoebes some years ago along the Coachella Canal in Southern California near the Salton Sea.  I have since enjoyed them every year while wintering in California and Arizona. I was pleased but a little surprised to see this bird yesterday.  It seemed as though he should have been further south by now.  As I reflect on that sitting in my den on this cold rainy morning,--so should have I.