by Doug Drynan, Vice President of Carrizo Plain Conservancy
In early December, I was on one of my random trips out to the Carrizo Plain, ostensibly to check on some areas that were burned during the Madre fire in July, but mostly the trip was to get a dose of Carrizo sun and solitude. As with all my trips to the Plain, I’m pleasantly surprised by what I encounter out there during my random wanderings, usually something I wasn’t anticipating. During this trip, one such surprise was a close-up encounter with a large herd of Tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes).
I was heading south on Soda Lake Road, nearing the turn off to the KCL Campground, when to my west I saw a dust cloud building along the base of the Caliente Mountains, near the Washborn Ranch . At first, I thought this might just be caused by a vehicle traveling at high speed and kicking up dust, but after stopping my car and scanning with binoculars I soon confirmed it was a herd of elk running in a tight formation.
There were a lot of animals. On a quick scan of the heard I estimated at least 300 individuals, most appeared to be cows, with a few obvious bulls. I quickly pulled off to the side of the road, aiming my vehicle toward the herd so I could stay in my car, using it as a blind to watch the animals without startling them. They soon slowed to a trot and then a walk. I watched as the entire herd crossed over Soda Lake Road and proceeded to graze in the grassland to the east of the road. It was a magical moment – sitting in my vehicle and just watching this magnificent herd grazing the Carrizo, now with the Temblors as their backdrop.
I have seen herds of elk out here before, but never this large, and never this close. I appeared to be the only person out there, with not another vehicle in sight. I watched for a while but then decided to leave because I wanted to complete a quick hike on the trail to the west of the KCL Campground to see some of the effects of the fire, while there was still some daylight. On my way back North after that hike the herd was still there.
As the sun set in the west it painted a swath of sunshine on the wrinkled hills of the Temblor Range, and the high ridge of the Caliente’s cast the valley in shade. I stopped to snag a few more pictures and just watch, with my windows down, listening to the silence. Amazed that so many animals could produce so little sound. It was hard to leave, but I had a long return trip ahead of me, with plenty of pleasant surprises sure to appear before my adventure was over.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has a web page dedicated to Tule elk. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Elk/Tule-Elk
This California endemic species has an amazing story of recovery since their precipitous decline in the mid-late1800’s. This link has several maps showing population estimates from both the 1970’s and then in 2017. These maps display an impressive recovery. The Carrizo Plain National Monument (and all the conserved properties in the region, including CPC lands) constitute part of a great conservation success story!
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Here are a few more pictures from that wonderful day of “surprises”:
The way sunlight shone that day made for some particularly good images. I snapped this Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) photo as it was hunting from the tops of electrical poles in the Northern Carrizo, near the California Valley subdivision. This is one of my “go-to” spots to see this species this time of year, as they are fairly abundant – giving the local California ground squirrel population just one more thing to worry about!
This prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) was spotted in the same area of the Plain as the elk herd. There are a series of wood posts here that mark a buried underground cable along the east side of Soda Lake Road, and on most of my visits I almost always observe a falcon hunting from these perch points late in the day. During this visit I was not disappointed as the falcon was very cooperative and didn’t budge as a I slowed for a picture. Using my car as a blind, I then watched this bird for a while, and at one point it landed even closer to me, allowing for good up-close pictures out my car window.
Happy New Year from all of us at the Carrizo Plain Conservancy!