Date: 1/18/26 10:50 am From: Kent Johnson <kentjohnson...> Subject: [MBBIRDS] Re: Panoche Valley
A few people have responded to my post suggesting they may want to visit the area; here is some more information for those who do.
Roads are not always well marked and the names on Google Maps may not be posted on the ground. This is true at least for Yturiarte Road, which is a gravel road that crossed Little Panoche Road between Panoche Road and the solar array. Watch the mailboxes for the names of the ranches.
There have been reports of many Mountain Bluebirds and other goodies on the BLM lands access road near Mercey Hot Springs, but this road is closed to the general public.
There have been reports of Sage and Bell’s Sparrows on Panoche Road in the Ephedra fields east of the creek crossing. The creek is running high. I had no problem fording it in my small SUV, but I am not sure I would want to try it in a smaller vehicle. The road beyond the creek does have some spots where I was glad to have a car with a bit higher clearance than most street cars. I went looking for those sparrows, but just as I came to the area I was passed by a group (A cacophony? a deafening? not sure what is the appropriate collective term) of about 40 ORVs and it seemed doubtful any sparrows would remain nearby.
I did not find any Chukar, but there have been a few reports of them this fall and winter at Shotgun Pass.
Here is a guide to birding the area: https://scvbirdalliance.org/self-guided-birding/panoche-valley And here is an article by Debi Shearwater about the area: https://santacruzbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/63-3.pdf.
Kent Johnson
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From: <mbbirds...> <mbbirds...> on behalf of Kent Johnson <kentjohnson...>
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2026 11:08 PM
To: <mbbirds...> <mbbirds...>
Subject: [MBBIRDS] Panoche Valley
I visited the Panoche Valley area today, and found most of the specialties of the area without too much trouble. The area has dried out, and there was no problem with mud. On Panoche Road leading to the valley, two Phainopeplas were at Miller Ranch. They may have been many other places, I did not stop often to look for them. A Rufous-crowned Sparrow was right at the eBird Rufous-crowned Sparrow Spot hotspot – there are actually many places along the road where they may be found. Yellow-billed Magpies were at multiple places along the road and in the valley at McCullough Ranch and the Spanish Cattle Company. Also at the Spanish Cattle Company were three Cassin’s Kingbirds. There were four or five Ferruginous Hawks scattered about the valley floor. A Prairie Falcon and a Merlin were both on Yturiarte Road near Little Panoche Road. I think it must have been a male Merlin and a female Prairie Falcon; at one point they were close together and the size difference was really extreme. A Golden Eagle was first seen near Recalde Road, but soared off far to the south-west. I saw 16 Mountain Plovers also at Recalde Road; other birders there before me said there had been more earlier. A few Mountain Bluebirds were along Panoche Road near the Silver Creek Ranch and along Little Panoche Road near Mercey Hot Springs. Horned Larks and American Pipits were several places on the valley floor. Savannah and Lark Sparrows were widespread.
Kent Johnson
