I stopped by and talked to the folks at the lake today on my way down the hill. I was told all the trails but one are under four feet of water and that means we won't be seeing them any time soon. Water is still coming in at a higher rate than they can release it so the lake is not going down. The trail that is NOT underwater has a sinkhole with 20-foot-deep sides that has a pipe running through it. They cannot repair the situation, they say, until water goes down and it was estimated this will be 1.5-2mos from now. Yikes.

So ... whatever species you were hoping to find at the lake, you may need to find an alternative.

You can call the office there periodically and see if there's any update: 714-649-9111.

Still nothing significant in the forest that I found other than one single Tennessee Warbler however I did see a pair of Hairy Woodpecker at the bowl area above stream crossing (SC or SX) 5. They were transiting the bowl there and were kind enough to stop almost right in front of me. The area where the woodpeckers visited/nested for a couple years lost most of the standing dead alders downstream of the crossing (SX2) where they and the wrens nested. This is also where the hummers amassed last year in the greatest numbers including Calliope. Above SX5 towards the top of the straight away (the top is the bowl) is where I usually see/hear the Hairy (though often I come up empty handed there) but end of the pavement (3mi from gate) area is also a good area to hear and sometimes see them without leaving the paved road.

Along the roadway, song is picking up as are flowers, but far to go. No hummer amassing anywhere at stream crossings.

The stream crossings are still pretty deep and if you are not driving through them, plan on getting wet feet or wear HIGH hiking boots that are waterproof.

USFS has been giving tickets to people in the paved area w/o parking passes (Big 5 or buy them online here: Cleveland National Forest - Recreation Passes & Permits (usda.gov) ). As well they are ticketing for parking in unmarked spots. Trust me, we have been overwhelmed this year and at one point there were hundreds of cars stuck in a giant traffic jam from the closed gate WAY downcanyon. HOWEVER, you do NOT need a pass to park just inside the gate on the side of the road or to drive in the forest. The pass only entitles you to park in the "improved" paved circle at the gate with the porta potty (which is almost always unusable), picnic table, marked parking stalls and currently closed Visitor's Center. This is the result of a court decision some years ago. The fine for not having a pass is the $5 to get a pass. (!)

Monday I plan on walking the Silverado Motorway (sometimes erroneously called the Bedford Trail and yes, at one time this was a vehicular road that was eventually abandoned due to constant maintenance needs) to see what's up. I hear that the poppies way up are really beautiful. This is a pretty area which in the right conditions has a lot of warblers, lazuli buntings, flycatchers and other migrants. It has a few sections of scree and gets pretty steep in spots so wear appropriate shoes if you intend on walking 1 mile+ up but even if you just go a mile, it can be pretty productive. Go early in the day as the farther you go, the less shade is available until there is no shade. The first big turnout past the first stream crossing on the left is parking next to the trail (which is somewhat hidden and generally a single track) though you can park on roadside there as well. Mountain bikes and hiking only on this trail (no motorcycles and technically no eBikes). Much quieter walk than on Maple Springs and after maybe a quarter of a mile, the trail will parallel a riparian area for a bit. Black-chinned sparrow was found here last year (I did not hear/see it here but I have hearing deficit in one ear) by others and I have found hairy woodpecker in this area and the area near the circle in the past. Last year someone found hairy near the Visitor's Center in the parking lot.

FYI, rattlesnakes are already out in some number and poison oak, while not overgrown yet, promises to be epic. Watch your step.

If you plan on going off pavement up to the seep or beyond, the road isn't any worse than usual which is to say it's never good but not horrible. I was up there last Sunday before the gate opened. I did see some vehicles with parts hanging off yesterday but I see that on a regular basis. YMMV.

Happy birding and be safe out there!

Sherry Meddick
Silverado