Winter in the Coachella Valley ~ California

Winter is different in this part of the country and brings sights that we would not see during winter months in the north.   The arid climate and countryside offers some beautiful sights and visitors for us to enjoy when we spend time in these areas. 

Desert blooms

Desert flowers have made their appearance but are a bit later than usual due to the cooler weather and the rain but that was helpful in creating even more blooms.  We visited Joshua Tree Park when the blooms were just beginning.  Late afternoon sun was coming quickly but gave us a chance to see some desert blooms before we left.

Cholla cactus blooming

I believe this is the Teddy Bear cholla but it is very similar to the Silver cholla so this could be either and is just showing buds.  The Teddy Bear grows to be about 5’ tall and is usually surrounded by a ring of discarded spines and flowers.  One does not want to touch one of these, they look fuzzy but they are not.  They adhere to anything and can be very difficult to remove due to the reverse barbs. 

Blooms and windmills

Lower altitudes and a few more weeks offer a bit more warmth to contribute to the bloom and these ones light up the field of windmills with yellow.  Snow can still be seen on the mountaintops of the San Jacinto Mountains and that adds to the charm of the scenery.  The Coachella Valley and local area has much to offer.

Hummingbird

Winter months does mean fewer flowers to feed on until the spring does arrive so the hummingbirds that are here for the winter always appreciate finding a feeder.  They tend to be quite territorial so once they decide this is ‘their’ feeder, there are few visitors who won’t get chased away.

Cormorants

Cormorants are one of over 300 bird species that come to the Salton Sea, south of this area on their Pacific Flyway during these winter months.  They dive deep for their fish, which is plentiful in the deep Salton Sea.  I do not know what would bring them to this pond as if there are any fish in here, they’d be very small and I feared they might break their neck should they try to dive, the pond is not deep, lol, but no injuries claimed.  I have written information on the cormorant in an earlier post, click here if you wish to read more.

American White Pelican

Pelicans are another annual visitor to the Salton Sea but this is the first time I’ve seen one visit this pond.  A welcome sight he was and he’s been seen by others.  I think this pond is one of his stops while he tours around the valley.  Others have usually been seen in larger ponds.

Pelican fishes for food

The pelican swam around and scooped up whatever he fancied.  I don’t think he found much of a dinner but he swam the pond and was able to find something. Pelicans are one of the largest birds that do much soaring in their flight.

Decisions to make

I’m waiting to see him fly away, to see the big wing span and the black feathers he has.  It looks like he is thinking about doing that now,  he’s cleaned out the pond as best he could, so I wait patiently to see it happen and it did.

Pelican has left the pond

He wasn’t here for long but I did watch him fly away.  The wing span can be up to 45” wide and the black on the wings is not very visible until they fly.  He jumped from the edge of the pond, made a couple of bounces and then was making his way to his next stop.  There is much more info on a post I’d done on their visit to the Salton Sea.  Click here to see more.

Pelicans ~ Salton Sea ~ California

The Salton Sea is one of the world’s largest inland seas and at 69m (227 ft) below sea level is also one of the lowest places on earth.  35 miles long and 15 miles wide, the Salton is located just south of Palm Springs on Hwy 111 and considered one of the world’s most vital avian habitats so that sounds to me, like a great place to take my camera.



The Salton Sea, California

History of the sea goes back zillions of years but it became a barren dry bed until a temporary diversion of the Colorado River caused flooding and began filling it in 1905. They began finding breeding colonies of several birds and the rest is history.  The water comes in through 3 rivers which all contain levels of salt but water evaporates leaving behind the salt, which with such high levels now does cause problems.  For more on that, click here.


An egret on the Salton Sea, CA

We are here to see the birds and there are plenty of birds to see, some of them slightly different from those we are familiar with, others are very different.  I love to see birds as long as they keep their distance and not get too close to me and I think they feel the same way.  A great zoom lens is going to be my favorite accessory today!



Yellow footed gulls on Salton Sea, CA

We’ve visited the Salton Sea State Park in the past and had seen many gulls but it wasn’t until I began reading my info that I realized that these gulls are not the same as our Western gulls back home but are a yellow footed gull and this is the only area in the U.S. where you will find them.  Now that makes them special.  These gulls, with a population of 60,000 are slightly larger than the Western gull with a wing span up to 140-160cm (55”-63”) and I’m sure we saw most of them here today. 

A Snowy Egret overlooks the fish in Salton Sea.

The Snowy Egret can usually be found at the Salton Sea and we often see one in our RV park when he stops to visit the pond.  They get a green neon patch on their face and the long plume on their back for breeding season and it was due to the plumes that the Snowy Egret almost became extinct.  In the days previous to the late nineteenth century, the plumes were used for ladies hats and this had to be stopped to save these beautiful birds.

Four Great Blue Herons at Salton Sea State Park, CA

The Great Blue Heron can usually be seen any season of the year and they nest here in the springtime.  They are the largest of the herons of North America with a wingspan up to 2m (6.6’) and stand almost as tall as a 6’ person.  They can live in saltwater and fresh water, open coasts, marshes, riverbanks and even backyard fish ponds and we’ve seen that happen while visiting friends in Lake Arrowhead, CA.



Snowcapped mountains surround the Salton Sea, CA

I had read that pelicans are among the thousands of birds that flock to the Salton Sea so I am anxious to see some of them on our adventure of the day.  We had seen both brown and white pelicans on our travels on the Texas waterfront a few years ago and have seen a few white ones as they’d passed through Kamloops, BC but I was hoping to see a lot more of them today.



Flock of White Pelicans at the Salton Sea, CA

I was not disappointed in my pelican search!  What was a white mass of birds way down on a secluded part of the beach turned out to be a flock of Great White Pelicans.  I stayed far enough off the water’s edge behind some shrubs so as not to disturb them as I made my way down there, found myself a good hiding spot and took 160 photos within minutes. To say I was excited would be an understatement! 

White pelicans with all eyes right!

Up to 80% of the White pelican population has been seen on the Salton Sea.  These pelicans are the second largest bird, (the largest is the California Candor) and have a wing span of 240-300 cm (95”-120”), now that is a huge bird.  I was thankful to have a good zoom lens which meant I could stay quite a long way away from these beauties.

Pelican coming in for a landing on the Salton Sea, CA

The pelicans look all white but they have the black tips on the wings which show when they fly, and I was able to get some in flight in those 160 photos, loving that zoom lens. (:  I sure don’t want to be anywhere near flying birds, let alone really big ones, but they seemed oblivious to me, and were staying on the water’s edge on this windy day. 

The beaks are getting brighter

The white pelicans bill, eyes and feet all turn a brighter orange color during breeding time then those colors fade out afterwards.  They also have a ‘horn’ on their upperbill that will fall off after they breed and lay their eggs. There are differences in the colors of these pelican’s bills in the photos, some are brighter than others as breeding time is coming. 



Feathers on these pelicans are bright white

Their feathers are a beautiful bright white at this time of year but that will change a bit after breeding time and the breast feathers become a bit yellowed.  That doesn’t happen till May or June so I am disappointed we won’t be here to see the babies that will come from this flock.  They'll be all grown up before we see them next year.

White Pelicans on the beach of the Salton Sea, CA

I had a difficult time choosing only a few photos to share of all that I had taken but those White Pelicans do all look alike.  I only hope I was able to show what an incredible sight this actually was, one I shall not forget.  Blue sky, sunshine and pelicans! What a wonderful way to spend some time at the beach!

Kootenay Lake, B.C.

The entire region surrounding Kootenay Lake offers incredible RV'ing opportunities. So many sights to see with a great history to enjoy. We have RV'ed in many places but not all of them yet. We still have lots to see and enjoy but we will share some of the great pictures we have and stories we've learned about the towns and communities that enjoy the grand Kootenay Lake and all it has to offer.

Kootenay Lake, B.C.

Kootenay Lake is 144 km (90mi) long and is bound by the Purcell Range on the east side and the Selkirk Mountain Range on the west. The average width is 4 km (2.5 mi) and 8 km (5 mi) at the widest part and is up to 152 m.(500 ft) deep. The lake was formed during the ice age which created the farmlands around Creston rich in glacial till.

This beautiful lake also has wetlands at both ends of the lake as well as at Crawford Bay. There are 7000 hectare in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area which is host to over 260 species of birds, which include pelicans and swans. The fact that the lake remains ice-free in winter makes it available year round.

There are large populations of coyote, mountain goats, deer, elk, moose, bear and cougar that share this wilderness with the many people that live and tourists that visit this incredible part of the country. One needs to remember that and respect the wildlife and their habitat.

                                                            SS Moyie sternwheeler

Some of the many communities, towns and villages that surround Kootenay Lake were accessible by sternwheelers only until the 1950’s, Highways now link them all but ferry service makes some trips much shorter by offering free ferry service across the lake. That means more opportunity to see the lake with incredible mountain views to enjoy. The SS Moyie, located in Kaslo, B.C., Canada, started service in 1898 and discontinued ferry service in the 1950's.