Spring Delight! A Visit to the Western Sierra Nevada

This post is dedicated to my dad, Raymond Ross.  I have visited Yosemite and Sequoia with him in the past, and he would have loved to have gone on this trip with me.  He has been on my mind a lot this weekend.  This is the first Father’s Day since he died.  I miss him greatly.  You are with me, Dad, whenever I take Nature Pictures! Happy Father’s Day!

A SPRING VISIT TO THE WESTERN SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS

Yosemite National Park is one of my favorite nature destinations.  I have traveled there many times over the years, and I am always overwhelmed by its natural wonders. Given its proximity, I also visited Sequoia National Park in the past for short little excursions.  If asked back then of my impression of Sequoia National Park, I would have said, “Tree, Big Trees.”  And that impression is certainly correct.  Giant Sequoias are the star attraction of that national park. However, my visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in May 2014 emphasized for me that these parks offer much more than big trees, no matter how impressive those trees are.

Map from National Park Brochure

A LITTLE HISTORY

Sequoia National Park was created on 25 September 1890, making it the second oldest national park in the country, second to Yellowstone.  At that time, preserving areas for their scenic and recreational value was not a popular idea. Instead, Sequoia National Park was preserved to save the big trees from logging.  As John Muir noted when confronted with the idea of logging the Giant Sequoias, “[We] may as well sell the rain clouds and [allow] the snow and the rivers to be cut up and carried away, if that were possible.”  A week later General Grant National Park was named, eventually merging with Kings Canyon National Park when it was established in 1940.  Since 1943, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have been jointly managed.

Map of Sequoia & Kings Canyon in Park Newspaper

THE BIG TREES

The Giant Sequoias are impressive trees!  In fact, they are labeled the Earth’s largest living tree by sheer volume of wood.  As the Parks’ brochure explains, “At least one tree species lives longer, one has a greater diameter, three grow taller, but none is larger.”  Grant Grove and Cedar Grove are in Kings Canyon while Giant Forest is in Sequoia.  However, there are about 75 groves of these giant trees on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, the only place where these trees grow naturally.

General Sherman in National Park Brochure

The oldest tree in the parks is the General Grant, estimated at 3,000 years old.  But it’s the second largest tree, measuring 267-feet-tall and nearly 29 feet wide at the base.  The largest tree in these parks is the 275-foot tall General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest.  The details describing the General Sherman are also staggering:

• The trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons
• The trunk circumference at the ground is nearly 103 feet
• Its largest branch is almost 7 feet in diameter
• The tree is estimated to be 2,200 years old
• Every year, this tree grows enough new wood to produce a 60-foot-tall tree of usual size

Although the General Grant and General Sherman are the most well-known trees in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, all the giants sequoias are breath-taking and inspiring, worthy of being the cornerstone of these national parks. The Dogwood Blossoms popping up in the forest were also delightful!

THE CANYON AND THE HIGH SIERRAS

A friend and I visited Sequoia National Park in March 2014, experiencing the trees through the last stages of winter.  And they are impressive in the snow!  But we were equally impressed with the trees when we returned in May 2014. This spring trip took us back to Sequoia National Park but also into Kings Canyon National Park.  In the spring, it is impossible not to notice the steep canyon cut by the majestic Kings River. Highway 180 runs along the river down to the very bottom of the canyon.  At vista points, most of the impressive peaks of the Sierra Nevada can be seen in the distance.  My Whitney, however, the highest peak (14,505 feet) in the contiguous United States can only be seen from the western slopes from remote back country, accessible only on foot or horseback.  [NOTE: We did not go hiking or back-packing!]

Stock Photo

Black Bear National Park Newspaper

As we moved from forest to foothills, we found several wonderful meadows that would have been perfect for a bear sighting, but not one Black Bear cooperated.  By the end of the day, we really thought we were seeing some off in the distance.  We even saw a couple Marmots, but their lumbering gait helped them escape having a photo taken.   Fortunately, a few deer were cooperative. As we continued driving, the High Sierra Vistas were breath-taking, even if the sky was a bit cloudy.

THE FOOTHILLS

Driving through the foothills of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in the spring is delightful because of all the flowers!  This part of the visit is what was missing from our winter sojourn.  I especially loved the Yucca in bloom almost everywhere we looked—no wonder they are commonly called The Lord’s Candlestick.  Other flowers also punctuated the roadsides.  We watched a hawk soar for several minutes on the thermals and some quail scurry across the road in the late afternoon.  Occasional birds and lizards came into view, but mostly we were able to listen to birds chirping in the undergrowth.

It was a glorious day!

 

OH, YES, IT WAS A GLORIOUS TRIP TO EXPERIENCE MUCH MORE THAN JUST BIG TREES!

 

 

 

The Common Starling Is Really Rather Marvelous!

I am a birder.  That means I am a bird watcher.  Not just noticing birds everywhere I go—even though I do that—but consciously looking for them, admiring them.  I have binoculars and bird guides in the car, I keep a life list, and I stop along the roadside after spotting a good bird-viewing opportunity. It has been awhile, but I even go on vacations specifically to see birds I have not seen before.  I started this hobby in Texas, where I had the luxury of many, many birds living and migrating through the area.  Although I have not been birding a lot lately, several of my goals for this year would be well served by scheduling a birding trip (treks to nature, photographing nature).

Another of my goals for 2013 is to “express gratitude and appreciation more.”  This one I can address right now—without scheduling a trip—by sharing the video posted below.  I do not have to take the photos/videos myself to be amazed at the wonder of Nature being shared.  This video was shot in November 2012 by Wildlife in Cornwall and captures the phenomenon of a large flock of birds dancing across the skies.  Such a video is not new.  Many have captured this vision over the years in many locales, and those videos can be found on YouTube as well.

But this video—“The Ultimate Starling Murmuration”—is one of the best I have seen, and it was taken fairly recently.  This sighting was captured in Cornwall, England, where Starlings are natives. There are many types of Starlings, so I am not certain what type is captured in the video.  If the video had been shot in the United States, it would be a fair guess that the birds are European Starlings, also called Common Starlings.

Here is a little background information on the bird itself in America:  Today, Common or European Starlings are fairly common across the United States.  They are considered an “invasive species” because they are not native to our habitats.  In 1890, several hundred were released in New York’s Central Park by the American Acclimatization Society—and the many, many flocks have grown since then.  The Society explained that birds mentioned in Shakespeare (specifically Henry IV, Part I) should be evident in the United States, so they took action!

If you live in the United States, I am sure you have seen Starlings in your area.  These birds are roughly 8 inches long with a glossy black plumage.  At times during the year, white spots can be seen on the plumage as well.  Beak color varies from black to yellow as well.  They mainly eat insects and fruit.  They group together in a large flock called a murmuration.  Although they prefer open fields, I have seen them in front yards and gardens as well as at places like zoos, where they can pester visitors for food with all the other birds.  I have seen small flocks of birds in the fields performing their own ballet—they could be Starlings.  Probably are. But nothing I have personally seen is as wondrous and detailed as shown in the video:  “The Ultimate Starling Murmuration.”  ENJOY!

BTW:  Wildlife in Cornwall is a great website.  When you visit there, you will discover many wildlife videos as well as tips on where to go to see the images yourself.  As the website explains, “’Wildlife in Cornwall’” has been created to help people discover the best locations in Cornwall to see birds and wildlife. It has been created so locals and visitors can explore the wonderful wildlife of this beautiful part of the world.”  Do yourself a favor and go visit this site—and then get to Cornwall eventually too