While in Idyllwild, we made two trips to Fulmor Lake because my son wanted to try his hand at fishing. He's just learning and I thought this small lake would be a great place for him to practice while I scoped out the birding opportunities. It's a beautiful spot, but neither of us would have much luck there.
On our first trip, I was so focused on getting our lunch and all his fishing gear packed and into the car that it wasn't until we arrived at the lake that I realized....I forgot my camera. Of course, that was the day that birds were everywhere! Red-winged blackbirds sitting right on the dock railing within inches, Chickadees and Tree Swallows filling the branches, ducks on the lake, etc. So frustrating.
Ryan was equally frustrated with the fishing as he lost several lures to the overhanging trees and never got a bite. So, together, we hatched a plan to come back very early the next morning in hopes that the fish would be more cooperative and I would remember my camera.
We got up early the next morning and headed out to the lake. This is a view of the trail that runs down one side.
Although the flashy male Red-winged Blackbirds had been abundant the day before and I could hear them singing everywhere, they were staying hidden deep in the reeds this morning. I did get a few shots of this female.
The girls are not nearly as exciting to look at as the males, though. Most of the rest of the birds stayed WAY up at the tops of the VERY tall trees making good shots nearly impossible. Those that did come down were in heavy shade. I saw Tree Swallows, Mountain Chickadees, and one Robin. Did not get a good shot of ANY of them.
Finally, this Yellow-rumped Warbler took pity on me and came down from the heights for a few seconds.
He looks a little scruffy in this shot...not sure if he's molting or if it's just the camera angle. I'm kinda partial to these guys as it was one of these birds that sparked my interest in bird watching/photography just about a year ago when it showed up at my back yard feeder. They are nearly all gone from my home neighborhood now and won't be back until fall.
About this time, Ryan announced that he was ready to go after another frustrating attempt at fishing. We had to have the whole "that's why it's called 'fishing' and not 'catching'" talk and that we saw many fishermen there who were older and more experienced who also didn't get even a nibble. Then I promised him pancakes for breakfast when we got back to the cabin and that restored a smile to his face.
As for birding, I would have loved to make a third visit to see if my observations that the birds are very active in the morning, but stay up high in the tree tops and come out lower down later in the day would hold true. Unfortunately, the weather would take a turn for the worse after this day so we didn't make it back to the lake to test out my idea.
KJ
5 comments:
If you ever get up this way, we'd love to take Ryan fishing. We know some of the best places in the area and can almost guarantee he'll have a fine time and get his limit. We fish at least once a week.
That Yellow rumped Warbler is a lovely looking bird.
Nice to see a female of the species they don't always get photographed as much as the males do.
Sorry to hear the birds (and the fish) weren't so accommodating on your return visit.
I think photographing birds and fishing have a lot in common - most of your time is spent doing something else, even when your doing them (if you see what I mean!)
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
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