Modoc National Wildlife Refuge

Henry and I have found that visiting national wildlife refuges along our journeys enhances our experiences.  I am actively searching for nearby refuges along our route.  US HWY 395 goes right by Modoc National Wildlife Refuge and our first looks were from the highway.  A friendly police officer told us about the refuge roads. The next couple of hours were spent driving, stopping, and photographing refuge inhabitants. 

The Modoc Refuge is 7021 acres with wetland, reservoir, riparian, sagebrush-steppe, and cropland habitats.  It is both a migration and staging area for wetland birds during migration and a nesting area for ducks, geese, sandhill cranes, and several species of marsh birds.

The land was owned by the Dorris family from 1870 acquired ruing the U.S. Homestead Act.  In the 1930's they created a reservoir to provide water storage for their ranch.  The family operated the land for 90 years when it was acquired by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission in 1959 and became a National Wildlife Refuge to manage, protect, and produce migratory waterfowl.  Originally 5,360 acres, more land was acquired over time to reach the current 7021 acres. 

Highlights were the Marsh Wren at its nest and the Virginia Rails. 

Much of my photography these days is documentary work - how many of the species I see can I document - even if they are far away.  I am currently using a Canon Powershot SX540 with its 1200mm optical zoom.  Eventually I hope to replace my Nikon P900.  

Western Pond Turtle

Virginia Rail, another life bird for me

Marsh wren with her nest

Canada goose and goslings

The Canada Goose Family

America Avocet

American Coot

Black-billed Magpie

Mr. & Mrs. Northern Shoveler

Mr. & Mrs. Mallard

Red-winged Blackbird

Mr. & Mrs. Gadwall

Cinnamon Teal

Ring-necked Duci

Pied-bill Grebe

Wilson's Phalaropes

Sandhill Crane

Lupines

Wild Teasel

The Animals at Mono Lake - June 8, 2021

There were not a lot of birds at Mono Lake - other times of year have many more nesting birds.  But I had never seen a Violet Green Swallow . . . I think that there were also two different kinds of Canada Geese - one may be a subspecies Lesser Canada Goose - shorter neck. 

Violet Green Swallow, A Life Bird for me!

 Brewer's Blackbird

Canada Geese

Canada Geese

Nesting Osprey

California Gull

Common Sagebrush Lizard

Mono Lake

Mono Lake has always called to me because of the interesting features that surround the lake.  I think I saw it briefly in passing in 2004 or so.  It was on my list if we were going to drive up HWY 395.  I was hoping for sunrise or sunset, but the drive did not work out for that.  In retrospect, I think sunrise would offer better photographic opportunities because the sun sets in the west behind mountains not allowing that golden, magical light.  

It was later in the afternoon, but not “magic light” time, when Henry and I headed down the walking trail to the lake’s edge.  In some ways I wish I had taken the Canon 5D MKII and tripod, but since the light was still harsh, I only carried my phone and my field camera.  The Tufa Towers are incredibly photogenic even when the lighting is not ideal. 

Mono Lake is known for its unusual formations: Tufa Towers. This formations grow underwater as freshwater springs with calcium react with the lake water that is rich in carbonates forming calcium carbonate which is limestone.  The calcium carbonate precipitates out and over centuries the tufa towers grow. 

Today the lake level at Mono Lake is much lower than in the past because Los Angeles drew water from the tributary streams beginning in 1941.  The water level got so low that the lake's salinity was too high for the life forms in it.  The dry lake bed had natural toxins that were stirred up by dust storms. California gulls needed higher water to be able to succesful nesting.  When we were there, the lake was not at its desired level, but it is higher now than it was when they made the decision to quit transferring water from the streams. 

Mono Lake has not natural outlet, so the water is salty, 2-3 times saltier than the ocean.   It has no fish, but it has brine shrimp and alkali flies which feed the migratory birds each year.  I did try to photograph the tiny shrimp and flies, but I don't see any in the photos.  The lake itself had interesting patterns with white foam on the waves. 

The birds at Mono Lake deserve their own post   But as we left, there were flowers that called to be documented:

Freemont's Phacelia

Bigelow's Monkeyflower

And here we are . . . 

Manzanar National Historic Site

 On my first longer visit to Death Valley, a chance encounter with another visitor introduced me to Manzanar.  We were not going to be on that road again for a long time, so as we were traveling north on US HWY 395, I was determined to stop and see Manzanar.  When I was growing up and going through high school, by the time we got to May we were just barely getting to World War II and maybe the Korean War.  Knowing that now kids have 50 more years of US history to cover in one year makes me know that it is hard to cover everything.  Regardless, in my high school and college history classes, no mention was ever made of the US Japanese internment camps like Manzanar. he lady that told me about her visit talked about the gardens and what remained and how the Japanese there tried to make something beautiful and that one could still see their efforts so many years later. 

My visit was during the afternoon on a day with wind warnings.  Stepping out of the car, the sand whipped and stung my face and skin blown by the strong winds.  It reminded me of Texas Panhandle winds that you had to lean into to walk.  It was a warm day in the desert.  

Manzanar sits in the desert with the Sierra Nevada mountain range close on one side.  

For those of you like me that have not heard about places like Manzanar, the bombing of Pearl Harbor started the United States involvement in World War II.  We had Japanese people that were already living in the United States.  Many were citizens with jobs, businesses, families, etc. Many owned property.  Beginning shortly after Pearl Harbor in 1942, more than 110, 000 men, women, and children were ordered to leave their homes and were detained in ten remote, military-styled camps.  10,000 Japanese Americans spent their time during World War II at Manzanar.  

The visitor center was closed, being renovated and painted. The visitor center has a film available on YouTube. I just finished watching it:  Remembering Manzanar This documentary has interviews from people who were there.   

 

COVID restriction notices were posted on each doorway.  Only one family group at a time was supposed to enter the buildings and masks were required.  It was not a busy time at Manzanar when we visited.  There were only a few other people, but at the end of my visit a busload of teenagers showed up. They began playing basketball.  

I did not make it to some of the remains of the beautiful gardens they created, but I did go in all the restored buildings. Most of the buildings are gone with only the foundations and the walkways remaining.  

There was no privacy for using the bathroom or for showering.

Manzanar means "apple orchard."  They grew much of their own food and they prepared food to serve this large number of people. 

Most  of the buildings are gone.  But the sidewalks and paving stones are left.  I did not see a path to where the remnants of the decorative gardens remain.  The desert is not kind to plants.

The next day we drove by the Tule Lake National Monument.  It was late and closed. It has a different story to tell. This is where George Takei of Star Trek fame spent his World War II childhood.