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PERSONAL TRIPS
Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Cedar Breaks NM, UT/Red Rock Canyon NV 07-27-04 to 08-02-04
While we didn’t intend this to be a birding trip it should be no surprise that we ended up do just that for a good portion of the time... Cricket’s parents, Kaz and Aiko had generously given us a week at one of their time shares in Saint George, Utah which served as our base camp for almost a week. We landed in Las Vegas, NV, picked up our car and drove about two hours to reach our condo, passing first through a portions of Nevada and Arizona. During our time at the time share, where we had Lesser Nighthawks each evening, we visited Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks National Monument all of which were in Utah, followed by Red Rock Canyon which was just outside of Vegas in Nevada. It seems odd that we made no stops in Arizona, but the area we passed through was the extreme northwest corner and the drive through it lasted something like 10 minutes.
Because we were “camped” (I say that factitiously because camp included a king-sized bed, a living room with fireplace, patio with gas barbecue, washer and drier, a full kitchen and a lavish bathroom with tub—not the typical camping experience in other words) a full hour from the park, our hikes never began as early as they probably should. It’s quite hot in Utah in July and by 10:00 temperatures were already in the high 80s. By noon they pushed 100 degrees and it was a good thing we each carried 2 liters of water!
In Zion we hiked first the Emerald Pools trails (Lower, Middle and Upper), which took roughly 3 hours and passed through beautiful combination juniper and pinyon pine slopes. The area was dry and exposed, but small steep drainages punctuated the arid landscape with lush areas where bird activity suddenly increased. At trail’s end, three shallow basins at different elevations collect rainwater from the cliffs 1000’ above and become green with algae, hence the romantic name. Dribbling water from above created dark mineral deposits on the sloping walls above and a strange rain forest magic. Species encountered included numerous Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Black-capped Chickadee and Juniper Titmouse. The Titmouse actually seemed grayer than our familiar Oak version, and we felt quite cheeky that we could see a difference. Rock and Canyon Wren were heard at various locations along our way as well.
The shuttle carried us back toward the parking area, but we opted to get off 1.5 miles before the stop and take the easy Pa’rus trail along the Virgin River. Birds were hard to find along this route at high noon, but we did manage a female Blue Grosbeak, a presumed Cordilleran Flycatcher and a Summer Tanager that Cricket tracked down near the campground.
The next day we hiked to the Canyon Overlook, which was pretty easy considering the sweltering torture we had been through the day before. It took us through some sheltered riparian woodland and ended atop an exposed roost that overlooked the canyon below. A 1000’ foot drop seemed a suitable spot to reflect and of course we did, our thoughts accompanied only by the beautiful song of Canyon Wren perched at the edge of the cliff. After our meditative break, we decided to pursue some real punishment.
We knew the Watchman trail would be hot, because it was just about noon. The ranger had said almost mockingly, “It’ll be hot up there, you know…” He warned us again before we showed him our backs. With the temperature hovering near 100 degrees, we began the hike, drinking water through the blue plastic hose of our new camel backpack every few yards. The trail led us up through arid scrub, each step a task, and deposited us on a mesa overlooking the entrance to the park. From there we could see a great distance north and south. It was quite a view! A pair of Peregrine Falcons chased and dove at each other at top speeds overhead, and we could hear their cries echoing distantly off the cliff walls. Along the trail leading up we had earlier located Gray Vireo, but gotten only brief glimpses of this subtle species. Identification had been rather academic, relying considerably on the elimination of similar birds and the individual’s song. The heat and thirst detracted from the thrill of seeing this uncommon bird, but I would become excited hours later.
After descending from this blazingly hot trail, we dipped our feet in the river and watched in amazement as two Black-chinned Hummingbirds drank while they suspended themselves above the rushing water. Yellow Warbler also made an appearance among the many willow trees along the banks. We later collapsed beneath a great tree in front of the lodge and considered what to do next. Perhaps an early dinner…
On our last day in the Zion area we absolutely had to do something special. We began by making the drive up to the Kolob Canyons area in the extreme northwest portion of the park. We were hoping to escape the crowds of people and the shuttle traffic. There we hiked the Taylor Creek Trail and the habitat changed decidedly from arid hillside to low-lying, cottonwood riparian. As we walked along the creek, crossing it no less than a dozen times, we found ourselves sheltered from the sun by the sheer cliffs rising above us on both sides. We were, in fact, driving straight into a deep channel carved by the centuries of flowing creek. The threat of flash floods seemed remote, but still it gave us pause. Along the way we compared Black-capped and Mountain Chickadee in close succession. This seemed a rare opportunity to find the species together and I struggled to think of another area where we might do it again. We also located more Black-throated Gray Warblers than we’ve ever seen, perhaps 20, sometimes several in one tree. Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and 2-3 Virginia’s Warblers were also located as well as a gleaming Broad-tailed Hummingbird male and numerous Plumbeous Vireo. One Vireo sang in full voice just 6’ from us, quite bold I’d say. At the end of the trail we found a vast cave with blue columbine flourishing on the shaded floor. Fed by dripping water from above, a small pool gathered and slowly drained into the creek. No one was around except a single Black Phoebe that kept us company as we ate our sandwiches in silence.
From this quiet paradise we returned to the relative frenzy of the southern entrance. Taking the shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava we hiked to Narrows, a trail completely submerged by cool flowing river water, a strange chalky green. The surreal beauty of this place is hard to describe. True, there were other people walking beside us, up the gentle grade and into the canyon, but no one was making very much noise. It was strangely free of the chatter and goofiness you might expect from a crowd of people sloshing up a shallow stream. It was almost as if everyone was searching, drawn calmly toward something. I suspect people were struck by the profundity of the place, gazing up through the narrow passage at the sheer cliff walls rising a thousand feet above, the warm red and orange glow, the cool blue echoes and the Jules Verne-ian unknown of the place… I should just stop right there, it’s just too hard to describe without sounding corny. But for those who recognize the clues, it should be no surprise that we saw an American Dipper bouncing up and down a rock almost as soon as we arrived.
The next day we got an early start. We drove two hours to Bryce Canyon only to find that the crowds had still beaten us there. As beautiful as the Queens Garden, Navajo Loop and Wall Street trails were, with their bizarre orange hoodoo formations rising from the valley floor like chimneys, it was hard to feel like we were by ourselves. We wished we had arrived even earlier in the day, or perhaps earlier in the season to get the proper experience of the place. It was wonderful nevertheless. We located a few new birds while there such as Clark’s Nutcracker croaking in the pines, Violet-green Swallows and White-throated Swifts whizzing above the gorge as they foraged for insects, and a lone Pygmy Nuthatch tooting incessantly along the trail. After winding up the zigzagging switchbacks we rested on a bench overlooking the entire area. A Rock Wren watched as we ate our sandwiches on the edge of the drop.
On our way back to camp we made a few stops. One such location a small fishing pond called Duck Lake. There we found most of the waterfowl encountered during the whole trip. American Coot, Mallard, Gadwall, Cinnamon Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup. In the vast meadows nearby we spotted Mountain Bluebird, Western Meadowlark, Chipping Sparrow and Canada Goose. The scenery reminded us both of Tuolumne Meadows, but perhaps not quite as high.
Following Eric and Jody’s recommendation, we saved time to tour Cedar Breaks National Monument. The view from the observation point was spectacular. The canyon below resembled both Bryce Canyon and Zion, falling somewhere in between I suppose in the architecture of the formations. Here more than any other location, we were struck with the severity of recent drought. For nearly a decade the lack of rain has strained the trees immunity and made them vulnerable to a plague of wood-boring beetles. A friendly ranger showed us some of the larvae preserved in a small bottle; tiny immensely destructive creatures. These insects have invaded the weakened trees and killed a full half of the forest. We’ve never seen so many dry gray trees in an area, it was an utter wasteland in places, appearing as if the entire landscape had been poisoned. The forest will eventually recover from this natural disaster and the episode will fade into the forest’s history like so many forest fires or mudslides. But it will take time.
This dark situation however, has not been without some bright points. The abundance of wood-boring beetles and the larvae they lay, have provided ample food for the population of Nuthatches and Woodpeckers, resulting in uncommonly high numbers of each. Most notably, the Northern Three-toed Woodpecker, a bird that is never abundant, is relatively easy to find in the monument. Cricket and I set out on the recommended trail which passed through a sloped woodland of mostly dead trees and a small alpine pond. Despite the constant hum of biting mosquitoes we stood motionless, watching as a female foraged on a dry just 30’ away. We feared the bird would be too subtle to confidently distinguish from the Hairy Woodpeckers in the area, but we can now safely say that there was little to be confused about. The bird is much darker overall and has only the faintest hint of a supercilium. It’s back is noticeably blotchy, not a clean white. The really cool thing about this bird is that we found learned it could be located here only a few hours earlier. I had purchased the "Southwest Utah Birding Trails" map at the Bryce Canyon visitors center just for future reference and happened upon the information. Yeah! The description of Cedar Breaks, a place we had already planned on visiting, clearly said the bird was pretty dependable there. Local information really is power! Without it we would have missed a lifer! Anyway, elsewhere on the trail, dozens of Rufous Hummingbirds fed on the nectar of mountain wildflowers. Among the familiar trilling of the Rufous’ wings, we also hear the slightly higher cricket-like trill of another Selasphorus, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Our first and only Red-breasted Nuthatches were also seen along this trail. We made a brief stop at the campground near the entrance to search for Gray Jay and Pine Grosbeak, but were unsuccessful. We did fine a small flock of Pine Siskin however.
The last wilderness area we visited was Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area just outside of Las Vegas. Low-lying sagebrush and several species of cactus adorned the easy hills of the basin. Above towered great stony hills with pinyon pines growing where ever they could find purchase. We looked in the Willow Spring picnic area first and while the heat kept most birds in hiding, a single Crissal Thrasher appeared fleetingly before ducking back for cover. Black-headed Grosbeak, Says Phoebe, and Rock Wren were the only other birds encountered here, I believe. We also explored the Pine Creek Canyon trail where conifers descended from the cliffs to the valley floor. Numerous additional birds were logged here including Black-throated Sparrow, a female Phainopepla, Gambell’s Quail, Loggerhead Shrike and Cactus Wren. The Gnatcatchers we heard and saw turned out to be the familiar Blue-gray variety and not the hoped-for Black-tailed. Another Virginia’s Warbler showed as well, but despite our efforts we could not turn it into a Lucy’s… Just as we reached the car the dark clouds overhead rumbled and it began to rain. It was time to move on.
There were only two unpleasant parts of this otherwise glorious vacation. The first was the $100 bribe we received for sitting through a one hour presentation by the timeshare sales person. Despite all her efforts to get us to sign on, we held our wallets and refused to give in. It was more difficult that it might seem to say no, since we were alone with the rep, whose name was Patti, and she was very good at her job. She presented things in such a way that it was difficult to argue that it wasn’t a good value. When she failed to convince us to invest, she brought in “the heavy”, a big man named Doug. He proceeded to make us both feel guilty and stupid for not accepting their offer. “If you understood even half of what you’ve been told, you’d sign right now while the offer is open…” Well, that’s the kind of insult that makes me furious. I dug my feet in and we took the $100 gift on our way out, feeling violated for the rest of the evening.
The other unpleasant part of the trip was the entire time we spent in Las Vegas. Let’s just say, I never want to go back there again. The place conflicts with everything I value--trees, soil, quiet dark nights, peace and honesty. Enough said. At least we got to eat prime rib and lobster for $14. Oh, yeah. We also had an American Kestrel flying over the strip as we drove out of town.
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Gadwall
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Gambell’s Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Lesser Nighthawk
White-throated Swift
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Three-toed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood Pewee
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Loggerhead Shrike
Gray Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Western Scrub Jay
Clark’s Nutcracker
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Juniper Titmouse
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Rock Wren
Cactus Wren
Canyon Wren
Bewick’s Wren
House Wren
American Dipper
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Mountain Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Crissal Thrasher
European Starling
Phainopepla
Orange-crowned Warbler
Virginia’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco “Gray-headed”
Blue Grosbeak (female)
Western Meadowlark
Great-tailed Grackle
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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