Bird Watching > A Lovely Way to Experience
Lake Tahoe
Birding at Fallen Leaf Lake Near South Lake
Tahoe
Fallen Leaf Lake offers a variety of birds and
nice trails for birders. The best time of the year for birding
at Lake Tahoe is from April to July.
Mount Tallac (9,735 ft.) and nearby Taylor Creek
are marvelous habitats for specialty birds, including Blue
Grouse, Pygmy Nuthatch, Osprey, Western Tanager, Calliope
Hummingbird, and in the winter, Bald Eagle. Also, a lot of
types of woodpeckers, such as the Hairy Woodpecker and the
White-headed Woodpecker, live there along with a wide variety
of terns, sparrows, warblers and finches.
Just ask anybody who has ever lived in South
Lake Tahoe about the numerous woodpeckers there. You may get
a long response including their description of the extremely
loud drilling sound of a woodpecker pile driving holes in
the siding of their homes, and recommendations for siding
repair as well as ways fend off the birds so that they will
go back to the wild and drill tree bark instead of expensive
real estate. But, even the most annoyed homeowner will also
describe in detail the beauty of the woodpeckers!
When venturing out, you can visit the Visitor
Center on Hwy. 89 near Fallen Leaf Road for more information
about the trails and nearby birds. Take the Fallen Leaf Lake
Trail from the Fallen Leaf Road parking area to Fallen Leaf
Lake. The lake is an easy hike just about 1/2 mile from the
parking lot.
You can continue on the trail across the north
shore of Fallen Leaf Lake, about a mile, for a lovely 3-mile
out-and-back hike. Or, you can follow the trail another mile
toward the north along Taylor Creek to the Fallen Leaf Campground.
Another option is following the Rainbow Trail
located at the Visitor Center for an interesting 1-mile walk.
Take it easy here, remember you are at 6,300 feet elevation.
Once you have accomplished your birding, you
can stop off at the The Tallac Historic Site on the way back
to South Lake Tahoe, since it's only a mile away.
Birding at North Lake Tahoe & Truckee &
Donner Lake
The Donner Memorial State Park is a popular place
for birding, because it's a habitat for many birds. You can
find White-headed Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch and Williamson’s
Sapsucker, and in the summer you will see the Calliope Humingbird,
Flycatchers, Western Tanager, and lots of other birds, such
as the Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Spotted Sandpiper,
Chipping and Fox Sparrows, and also many types of Warblers.
The best time of the year for birding at Donner
Memorial State Park is Late April through July. This park
is located on Interstate 80, about a mile west of the Hwy.
89 junction at Truckee. To get there, take Donner Pass Road
to the park entrance.
You can also enjoy camping out here, since there
are 154 available camping sites. Or stay in town. Truckee
is the nearest town, with shopping, restaurants, resorts and
of course food, lodging and gas.
Birding at Carson Pass & Hope Valley
The Carson Pass and Hope Valley areas are great
places for viewing a variety of specialty birds, such as the
Townsend’s Solitaire, Cassin’s Finch, Mountain Chickadee,
Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and the Blue Grouse. Also,
during the season from June to October, you will see Prairie
Falcon, Hermit Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher, Mountain Bluebird
and the Green-tailed Towhee. Lest we forget, other noted birds
in this area include the Great Horned Owl and the Hairy Woodpecker,
the Dark-eyed Junco and during the summer the Warbling Vireo.
Four types of sparrows can also be seen, including the Fox,
Lincoln’s, Chipping and White-crowned Sparrows.
This area is high on the mountain pass near
South Lake Tahoe. The Carson Pass is 8,574 ft., so it's waay
up there! To get there from South Lake Tahoe, drive over Luther
Pass and take a right when you get to Picketts Junction (on
Hwy. 88). The easiest way to get directions is to just Google
for a map of South Lake Tahoe to Carson Pass.
You can also locate Carson Pass by traveling
55 miles east of Jackson on Hwy. 88. Restrooms are available.
Going this direction, Hope Valley is another 7 miles down
the road to the east of Carson Pass on Hwy. 88.
This is mountainous terrain and not a flat hike,
and the elevation can be between 7,100 feet and 9,000 ft.
in this area. Here you are surrounded by several higher peaks,
including Steven’s Peak, Red Lake Peak, Round Top, and Hawkin’s
Peak.
In the Carson Pass birding area are Red Lake,
Winnemucca Lake, Woods Lake and Round Top Lake.
Also the Hope Valley birding area has two wildlife
viewing areas, one at each end of the Hope Valley Meadows.
To get maps and more information before venturing out you
can contact the Carson Ranger District.
More Birding in Western Nevada
The Audubon Society lists 11 birding areas near
South Lake Tahoe and another 9 birding areas in western Nevada,
so this is truly a birder's paradise. Everywhere you go, you
will actually find unbelievable birding! May you experience
the thrill of an eagle flying across your bow as you cross
country ski next to Spooner Lake, or the excitement of watching
hawks dive bombing for dinner in the same location during
the summer.
More Nearby Birding Locations
Swan Lake Nature Study Area
Peavine Peak near Reno
Rancho San Rafael Regional Park
Verdi between Reno and Truckee
Oxbow Nature Study Area
East Truckee Meadows (University Farms)
Virginia Lake
Galena Creek Regional Park
Tahoe Meadows and Upper Ophir Creek
Washoe Valley and Carson City, Nevada
Spooner Lake at Lake Tahoe
We hope you have enjoyed this short introduction
to birding in the Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada area. Please
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equipment. Also, please visit this page again, because we
will keep updating it with more information and links for
birders. Thank you for visiting and enjoy your birding at
Lake Tahoe and Beyond!
-- Your Hosts,
Tom and Mary Kay
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