I need a word with the individual who turned off the heat in Arizona – we are NOT amused. We expect to get snow at home (and they ARE), but Ron and I have already birded in a snow shower down here and now 12 days into our migration, yet to wear a T-shirt much less a pair of shorts. The bright spot is we are getting looks at some good birds. Ron is at 106, I am at 100 species in the young year, which includes 6 lifers for me and 12 for my brother. That is plenty of great fodder for future posts. Meanwhile, Brad is going to take over while we get ready to move to our next basecamp (please be warmer, please be warmer!!). Take care everyone and for those stuck back at Intrigued HQ…throw and extra log on the fire (high is looking like 2 degrees (F) BELOW zero next week).
Take it away Brad…
It is Day One of our Southwest National Park Tour. Jan and I flew into Las Vegas and rented a car to drive to SoCal to experience a few National Parks. After all, we have the National Parks Annual Pass and want to wring every cent out of it. Truthfully, there isn’t much to see between Las Vegas and where we stayed in Fresno, CA. Unless you like desert scenes, Joshua trees, and gigantic citrus orchards as far as the eye can see. Anyone ever enjoyed Cuties or Halos? They are called mandarin oranges, or clementines, depending on where you live. The orchards where they are grown, and the “factory” that packages them, went on for miles. While those are enjoyable, for a few miles, we travelled to see mountains and trees and wildlife.
After a restful night, Jan and I drove to see Kings Canyon National Park at nearly first light. I was prepared for some very twisty-turny roads on the way to the park, and I wasn’t disappointed. However, the entrance was near the beginning of the curvy roads so I didn’t have to endure very many switchbacks. We arrived at Kings Canyon very early. How early was it? (remember the show Match Game from the 1970’s?) It was so early, the ranger stations at the entrance weren’t staffed yet. I still flashed our National Parks Annual Pass just in case there was a camera inside checking out cars and license plates on the way in. Kings Canyon is known for, well, a canyon. A very nice canyon to be sure. It is also known for some of the largest trees (by volume) in the world, the Giant Sequoia. Coastal Redwoods are certainly taller, by almost 100 feet, but are spindly in comparison to the Giant Sequoia trees.
On our way to see the General Grant Tree (268 feet tall), something caught our eye. As Jan and I wandered down the trail to see the General, there was a brilliant flash of yellow in the undergrowth. Keep in mind, we are just outside the parking lot where Giant Sequoia “seedlings” were towering over us (see Notes below). I had a hard time wrapping my mind around something so large when I’m used to oak or maple trees topping out at 50-75 feet tall after a hundred years or more; a Giant Sequoia is just getting started at that age. I also realized that by days end my neck would be stuck in the “looking straight up” position. Or normally what happens to me when we fly discounted seats and the headrest only hits the middle of my neck.
There was the flash again, hiding in a bunch of brambles near the base of a Sequoia, the tree not an SUV of the same name. Jan had the medium length zoom on her camera while I only had the short range zoom in hopes of being able to capture an entire tree in one photo. My camera setup was useless for something so small. Jan started snapping away and was able to capture the bright yellow flash.
Hit the jump to reveal the source of the bright yellow flash!
Continue reading Tall Trees and a Bright Flash…by Brad Marks
Life Intrigued 