Out of the Fog: Summertime Birding at Garland Ranch in Carmel Valley
- Freya Sommer
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
Living under the persistent blanket of marine layer in summertime Pacific Grove, it is always nice to escape to the blue skies and sunshine of Carmel Valley. Even more so when birding is involved! This was the first trip co-leader Claudia Sawyer and I had ever led as volunteers for the Monterey Audubon Society, and we were excited to meet the people who had signed up to join us on the easy Lupine Loop trail, and looking forward to sharing our love of birds and nature with them on such a gorgeous day.
Claudia and I arrived early to scope things out. Western Warbling Vireos and Purple Finches were singing their hearts out, a Red-Tailed Hawk was rising on a thermal, and Dark-eyed Juncos and Spotted Towhees were busy in the nearby bushes. It was going to be a good day! As our group began to show up, we were happy to see that one was our friend Lisa S., who spends a ton of time in the field and is so good at finding birds. Three of the other participants had some local birding experience, and one, Yvonne, was a beginner with a great affection for her backyard birds and squirrels. During our introductions, it was clear that everyone loved being outdoors and experiencing nature with all the senses... which was great, because Claudia and I wanted to include birding by ear in the adventure, always something good to fall back on when a bird is difficult to spot. And who doesn’t love a good mnemonic, like “quick, three beers!” (Olive-sided Flycatcher) or “sweet sweet sweet I’m so sweet!” (Northern Yellow Warbler).
We set out along the Lupine Loop trail, along the Carmel River at first, then up a small hill into the shadier wooded area. More hearing than seeing at first, but gradually we began to pair sounds with visual observations, always satisfying! One Western Flycatcher completely eluded us, though... so vocal and close, teasing us for a good while with its calls, but either invisible or a really good ventriloquist. After a small detour to the barn and surrounding area, we decided as a group to extend our walk to the Rancho trail to see what the eucalyptus grove had to offer. We were not disappointed! As we turned onto that trail, Lisa spotted an Ash-throated Flycatcher, one of the birds she had been seeking on this walk. It obliged us with a display of typical flycatcher sallying behavior, went into a tree while carrying food (young nearby?), then perched on a wire and sang for a while, such a treat.
Heading into the deep shade of the eucalyptus grove, we heard Wilson’s Warblers singing their loud staccato chattering song. Often challenging to see, sometimes all you register is a brief streak of yellow disappearing into the undergrowth. However, this time our beginning birder spotted one sitting still, singing right in front of us! As we exited the grove, yet another delight presented itself to us... we saw a family of Black-headed Grosbeaks working the understory, parents feeding a couple of youngsters who were soliciting with wing-fluttering. After watching them for a while, we had to start heading back in order to return by noon. In the open space on the way, we had an exciting raptor sighting... it happened so fast that not all of us saw it. A Peregrine Falcon shot by, fairly low, close enough to see it had prey in its talons. So powerful, so fast, so impressive!
Back at the Visitor Center, we did our tick checks, reviewed highlights of the walk (stopping and listening often, learning the calls and songs of various birds, seeing the Wilson’s Warbler and the Ash-throated Flycatcher singing, watching the Grosbeak family, and exploring nature in general). It was wonderful seeing all the smiling faces, knowing that everyone had thoroughly enjoyed themselves being part of a team effort in outdoor exploration!
All photos by Freya Sommer.
Garland Ranch Regional Park, 700 W Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel Valley, CA 93924
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