Date: 3/22/26 6:50 pm From: Kimball Garrett via groups.io <cyanolyca818...> Subject: [LACoBirds] Big Rock Creek notes
Birders,
The road up Big Rock Creek from the Big Pines Hwy in Valyermo has finally reopened after the December/January storms. The good news is that there is now access to the Big Rock Creek riparian (from the National Forest Boundary upstream to Sycamore Flat Campground) and to the Big Rock Creek Campground area. The bad news is that the hordes of weekend revelers who trash the creek are now back in full force, so expect a bit of chaos if you visit on weekends. However, almost nobody goes to the end of the paved road (at the Fenner Canyon Prison Camp) to bird the BIg Rock Campground area, and it is quite birdy right now. [It looks like the gate on the road up to the South Fork of BIg Rock Creek is closed and locked.]
The gate to the road to and beyond Big Rock Campground is closed and locked, so you can't drive into the campground or up to Angeles Crest Hwy. at Vincent Gap. Not that you could do that anyway since the winter storms completely obliterated the road from shortly beyond the gate to the Icy Springs tributary confluence and beyond, You can make your way on foot (being careful in several areas where what used to be the road is now a set of ravines with lots of rocks of various sizes and shapes). This morning I walked about a mile up the road and had lots of bird activity. There were at least eight singing territorial Black-throated Gray Warblers (similar to Naresh's experience yesterday on the Angeles Crest beyond Chilao). Also at least six singing Western Warbling-Vireos, a Western Flycatcher, several Townsend's Solitaires, and an active Hutton's Vireo nest. See my eBird list here: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S312148398
Lawrence's Goldfinches have been common and conspicuous through most of the Valyermo/Juniper Hills/Pearblossom area in the past few weeks (with some at Big Rock as well). Scott's Orioles are just now showing up in force in the Joshua tree/juniper woodlands.
Not much movement of vultures and Swainson's Hawks yet (a couple of big vulture days a few weeks ago, but the only Swainson's I've seen in the desert foothills was a single bird yesterday in Juniper Hills that had likely roosted the previous night in the area).
