Hi Notes

Greetings from Hi Mountain Lookout. Since my postings have been sporadic, I’ll do some catching up on past happenings and sightings from the top of the world:

9/1/04 Mountain Lion sighting and 10 minute observation (already posted). There are castings of the tracks at the lookout for those who would like to see what they look like. I’m assuming that Cal Poly
student Jeremy White made the castings, as they are dated 9/2/04 and that was part of his ‘four day shift’. Good job, Jeremy! Tues. 9/14/04: Took a short walk down the trail leading to Hi Valley,
looking for the Sage Sparrows we had been seeing for several weeks. Nothing exciting to report….except…. Wed. 9/15/04: Tony Kent came up to the lookout and we took the same short hike and found mountain lion tracks on top of my tracks! The lion had probably gone down the trail late that night or early the next morning since the tracks were on top of all my tracks, both coming and going to the lookout. We also saw some very good prints of a bear near the gate. Never did find the Sage Sparrows!

Tues. 9/21/04: Arrived at lookout and immediately picked up signals from four Condors as they headed toward the lookout from Hopper Mt. Three of the four (#164, #168 and #190) continued to Big Sur, but one (#204) spent the night at Huff’s Hole. We TRIED REALLY HARD to get a visual sighting on the bird, but he flew to the West of the lookout and probably remained behind the ridge, out of view. He continued on to Big Sur also. Interestingly, all four Condors are males. It must have been the guy’s night out! Also seen Wed. were a flock of Cedar Waxwings and the first White- crowned and Golden-crowned sparrows for the fall.

Tues. 9/28/04: Tony came up to the lookout again (he has become addicted to the beautiful views and allure of this special place, just like most everyone who visits Hi Mountain!). We hiked down to Hi
Valley for a sneak preview of the birds that we might see on Sat. Oct 2 at the Open House. A short list includes Fox Sparrows (the first since last year), Woodpeckers (Nuttall’s, Acorn and N. Flicker), Kestrel, Hutton’s Vireo, White & Golden-crowned Sparrow, and all the usual suspects (Towhees, Thrashers, Goldfinches…etc.). If you are planning to come to the Open House (and I hope you are!), you will have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, the ocean and a beautifull star-filled sky at night. Bring warm clothes (parka, gloves, hat) for the evening, as it does get chilly in the late afternoon.


See you Saturday October 2, 2004 for a fun and very interesting Event Filled Day and Evening!
Kathleen