Mt. Elwell, Long Lake, and Mud Lake
This past week I was able to go for a hike by myself up in the Helgramite Lakes area. It was fabulous to be back in the Lakes Basin, and on my own. I saw SO much! For this blog I'm starting at my end destination and working back to the beginning of my hike (and a surprise sighting!).
The Helgramite Lakes Area
This was the view I had while I ate my lunch! Such beauty! I had planned to do a strenuous loop hike that day, but I had tripped and whacked my leg a few days before and it was a bit painful. So I decided to not hike the loop and to just explore the meadow and ridges above Helgramite Lakes, one of my absolute favorite areas. I had never had the time to really check this area out. So I lingered and explored for hours! It was delightful!
Rocky Ridge
In the north east end of this area there is a rocky ridge that has dropped incredible squared-off giant boulders! The boulders are huge, and some of the surfaces are as flat and even as sliced rocks! I have yet to hike to the top of the ridge, but would love to do it some day soon!
Hemlocks and rockface
The "holes" in the above slab of rock are probably where some of these boulders came from. It's quite incredible to see!
Hemlocks and rockface
In the rockface above you can see where a giant squared off piece of rock has fallen off! I have no idea what has happened here geologically. I'll see if I can find out!
Looking east at the meadow and Upper Helgramite Lake
I also walked up a usually flowery slope, to the west of the meadow and Upper Helgramite Lake. Almost everything had gone to seed, except for a few asters and paintbrush.
Garden of California Fuchsias
However, to my delight I found a small garden of a thousand California Fuchsias! In person, the flowers were a shocking brilliant orange-red! Unfortunately my camera didn't get it right!
California Fuchsia - Epilobium canum ssp.latifolium
This close-up shot gives you a better idea of their brilliant color!
The Meadow wetland and tracks
The Meadow was still quite green but not as wet as it usually is. I was able to walk in the grasses out to the edge of the water. Surprisingly there were some tracks in the mud, which abruptly ended! I tried to get close to the tracks but sunk about a foot deep into the mud and turned around. Perhaps a duck took off in flight, and that's why the track ended???
Upper Helgramite Lake and Mt. Elwell
Upper Helgramite Lake was still quite full and had several Mallards feeding in it!
Helgramite Lake
Helgramite Lake was also full!
Mallard (juvenile) - Anas platyrhynchos
One lone juvenile Mallard was on the lake. I watched it for some time as it foraged along the shoreline!
Yellow-Bellied Marmot - Marmota flaviventris
To my delight I saw a Yellow-Bellied Marmot lounging on the top of a rock, between the two Helgramite Lakes! I looked like it had a lot of bulging fat reserves that it will live off of during its winter hibernation! How cool to see one of these uncommon mammals!
Mountain Bluebird - Salia currucoides
There were LOTS of birds perching in the trees and shrubs along the trail. Mountain Bluebirds, Townsend's Solitaires, Dark-eyed Juncos, and surprisingly Lewis's Woodpeckers!
Townsend's Soitaire (adult - juvenile) - Myadestes townsendi
Dark-eyed Junco - Lewis's Woodpecker
Junco hyemalis - Melanerpes lewis
Cooper's Hawk (juvenile) - Astur cooperii
This is the surprise sighting I saw at the beginning of my hike that day, a juvenile Cooper's Hawk! WOW!!! It landed in a tree about 15 feet away, and 30 feet up the trunk, and stared at me!!! Then it moved back into the branches for a few seconds, and then flew of to a more distant tree. It stayed there a few more seconds and then flew of into the forest! I managed to get some bad photos of it in the seconds that I had! I am amazed at the length of its tail! So cool and rare to see one of these gorgeous raptors! It was an exciting sighting, one of the several I had that day!
Lincoln Meadow 8/17/26
Lincoln Meadow
My husband and I went up to Lincoln Meadow to have a picnic and enjoy the beginning of fall color. We weren't disappointed! The meadow grass was turning yellow green, the bushes were a variety of yellows and ochres in color, and lots of dry grasses were blowing in the wind!
On the distant edge of the meadow, some kind of tall whitish grasses created beautiful cresting waves in the wind!
While my husband sat and enjoyed the view, I cruised around in the meadow, and along its edge. I found a tree with five nest holes in it! Two of the nest holes had a large area around the nest hole where the bark had been removed. The Black-backed Woodpecker is known to peel the bark off around its nesting hole! So maybe... The weren't any woodpeckers around, the nests were empty of residents. But maybe last Spring they raised some young here. That would be so cool! I'll have to come back next Spring to see if they're reusing or making new nests!!
Nesting Material
One of the nests, that didn't have the bark peeled off around the nest hole, was packed with this nesting material. It was kind of silty and "dirty" feeling. Kate Marianchild described finding this nesting material in the nest of a particular bird, which I can't remember. She was stumped as to what the nesting material was, until she figured out they were collecting owl pellets and making a nest out of them! Maybe the fine silty powdery stuff is good at killing feather mites! I'll have to email her and ask what bird was using the owl pellets!!!
Creek in Lincoln Meadow
There's a lovely little creek in the middle of Lincoln Meadow.
Rainbow Trout - Ochorhynchus mykiss irideus
I also enjoy looking for Rainbow Trout in this little creek, and I always see some! I wonder how they got there?
Before we headed home after several hours of soaking in the beauty, I spent an hour destroying a giant fire ring right on its edge! I carried all the rocks rimming it to distant places. I also tossed all the burnt branches into a remote area. Then I covered it all up with dirt and dry grasses. I hope no one reuses that fire ring, especially now when the fire danger is so high! Glad they didn't start a fire!
Hope to be back there again soon! Next time I'll bring a shovel, with fingers crossed that I won't have to use it!
What's happening on the River?
What's happening in the Lakes Basin Meadows?
Check back in two weeks, on Sept. 6th, for the answers to these questions and more!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!
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