Today, we hit 499 for the 2025 species count. More about that in a minute.
The lower Owens Valley between Lone Pine and Bishop is an area I have wanted to get to for many years. I'm glad I finally did. The towns look like they are mis-placed Route 66 relics with their classic signs and buildings. This one is still advertising 'color tv' as an amenity.
We had the pleasure of meeting the head of housekeeping at our hotel in Big Pine.
The Alabama Hills have been featured in more than 400 movies since the 1920's, mostly old Westerns. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Randolph Scott and many others made movies here. TV series such as Bonanza, Wagon Train, and the Lone Ranger were also filmed in these iconic rock outcroppings below the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental U.S. at 14,505 feet above sea level. I'm showing my age but, it must have been fascinating to see so much golden age of Hollywood hubbub going on in such a remote area. This is where real movies were made in the real West by real movie stars. Not just people who star in movies like we have today.
We also spent an amazing day hiking the Methuselah trail around the Ancient Bristlecone Forest in the White Mountains at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet.
This barren forest consists of the oldest living trees in the world with some exceeding 4,000 years in age. Many of these trees were alive and well when Biblical stuff like the Hittites conquering Babylon, the Myceneans settling Greece and the emergence of the Minoan culture occurred. You can bet that Pharoah Amenemhet I did not have to deal with the fake news when these trees were saplings.
The views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains across the Owens Valley from the White Mountains are spectacular. This is why I don't get too excited about the mountains in the east.
And yes, we've been looking for birds too. The final countdown to 500 looked like this.
496 - We found Chukars (lifer 575) in the White Mountains foothills before dusk yesterday. They flushed from near where we parked to the hillsides where they made their way into the sagebrush and obscurity. This one provided sentinel duty as the others dispersed.
497 - This morning we found the Bell's Sparrow (lifer 576) in the dusty sage brush near Independence, CA.
498 - A few minutes later, we found LeConte's Thrashers (lifer 577) in their classic sage brush habitat as well. Jimmy Durante would be proud of the schnoz on this bird.
The morning could not have gone better. But wait, it did get better.
499 - Upon our arrival to the Bristlecone Forest Visitor Center, we found a flock of Red Crossbills. This is a species we looked for in Minnesota back in February. These birds use their uniquely shaped beak to pry open tough pine cones to get to the pine seeds.
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