Lake Tahoe Trip Report: Day 3

            

On day 2, I had gathered lots of valuable information. On day 3, I would use that information to have an even better day. One important thing was that I should not go out too early -- the birds begin to get active only at around 7:30. Going out earlier only results in getting completely frozen, and only hearing birds, but not seeing them.

       So, on the second day, I exited the house much later, and the trees were already filled with action. I kept on hearing more RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES. As I was trying to get a good look at the chickadees, a bird flitted across the road and landed in the Manzanita shrubs. It called, looked, and flew somewhat like a White-crowned Sparrow, but I realized that a pine forest would be a strange place for one. It foraged in the bushes, calling actively, and then jumped out right onto the edge of the road. I focused on it, but could hardly believe my eyes - it was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW! I didn't remember its range exactly from my Western Sibley, but I knew that it was a rare bird in Santa Clara County, and resided mostly in the eastern states. I didn't know if it was common at Lake Tahoe, so I tried to snap photos to put on eBird for confirming if the sparrow was a rarity. My camera was running out of battery, and after at least ten failed attempts,  this was the best shot I got :p

Rare White-throated Sparrow

         As I was puzzling over whether the sparrow was a rarity or not, I heard a woodpecker knocking from across the road. I focused on the top of a snag and realized it was a WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER, my second lifer of the day for me! Here's a bad shot I took:

       That morning, I also got much better looks at Mountain Chickadees, and finally managed to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch. I also saw WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and more White-headed Woodpeckers, along with GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. Well, that concludes it for Day 3. Here's the eBird checklist for that morning: ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15776042
It did turn out the sparrow was rare, in fact, even rarer than if I had found it in Santa Clara County!

        We went on a three-mile hike in the evening, on which my camera ran out of battery almost immediately, so I couldn't take any photos. 

       I'll post the rest of the days in one single report.