I like to take a morning walk. If I get a few bird photos, that is a bonus. This article lists some of my favorite locations for walking and photographing birds.
For each location I will give the driving mileage from downtown Bishop at the junction of Highway 395 (Main Street) and Highway 168 (Line Street). The Bishop Creek Canal and the Buckley Ponds are my favorite places for bird photography because they are close to my home and the walking provides great views with few vehicles.
Downtown Bishop. I’ve photographed Red-shouldered Hawks and Coopers Hawks within three blocks of downtown. Most areas of Bishop have some birds. The Vons parking lot, Schat’s Bakery, and Great Basin Bakery are favorite places for Brewer’s Blackbirds.
Line Street. Red-shouldered Hawks have a lease on West Line Street from the Hospital to Mumy Lane. Other visitors include Great Egrets and White-faced Ibis.
Bishop City Park. 0.5 miles. The pond has Mallards, American Wigeons, and California Gulls. Visitors include White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, and a variety of waterfowl.
Bishop Creek Canal. Southeast of downtown, 1.5 miles. I include the Canal from Line Street to Warm Springs Road, plus Airport Road, the sewage treatment ponds, and Gus Cashbaugh Lane. The area has open fields, sagebrush flats, canals, and Fremont Cottonwoods.
Buckley Ponds. 4.1 miles. Drive east on Line Street, past the airport. The cemetery with its trees will come up on your right. Then the road drops down a short hill; turn sharply right at the bottom of the hill onto a dirt road heading south between two sturdy metal posts. This road follows the Rawson Canal on its west side, then crosses a culvert to the east side, and continues to the 3 ponds. The hike around the 3 ponds follows dirt roads for 2.4 miles.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir. 9 miles. Drive north on 395 and turn right on Pleasant Valley Road. Go past a county campground to a fence below the dam. Park here, walk through an opening in the fence. You can then walk several miles on a paved road. There is serious danger of rockfall on this road; don’t go here during or right after rain or snowfall, which can dislodge rocks onto the road. You can always find Double-crested Cormorants here, plus Bald Eagles, Canyon Wrens, and a variety of waterfowl. You will need a good telephoto lens as the birds are usually far from the road.
Klondike Lake. 13 miles. The dirt access road is located east of Highway 395, 13 miles south of downtown Bishop. I like to park where you first get to the lakeshore. Then walk the road that goes around the south and east shore. Wear shoes that can handle salty mud.
Mono Lake. 60 miles. The South Tufa parking lot is 65 miles from Bishop. Also consider the Mono County Park on the north shore and the Old Marina on the west shore. A map of these and other areas can be found in Marie Read’s book: Sierra Wings: Birds of the Mono Lake Basin. Buy a copy at the Mono Lake Committee Bookstore in Lee Vining. When I look at her pictures I feel a mix of generous admiration and spiteful jealousy. Also visit the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center on the north edge of Lee Vining; Cliff Swallows build nests on the east side of the building. Mono Lake is a nationally-known birding area. The Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is held in Lee Vining in June.
Owens Lake. 75 miles. Owens Lake has a vast complex of roads built by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Large trucks use these roads, so be careful out there. It took me several trips to find places where I could get reasonably close to birds. One spot is the pump-back station at the north end of the lake. The Owens River ends here and the water is pumped west to the LA Aqueduct. To get to the pump-back station, drive south of Lone Pine on 395 to the Boulder Creek RV Resort on the east side of the highway. Turn as if to enter the resort. To the right (south) of the resort boundary is a road that heads east. Follow this several miles until you see the pump-back station on the left; this is a large, chunky building about two-stories tall. Cross a large concrete bridge; there is a sign here with information. A short walk to the north leads to a pond that often has waterfowl. Or head east, then south, on a gravel road; follow this for about 10 miles. You will pass dry salt flats, reeds, and ponds. Sometimes you will go more than a mile and see nothing. In other areas you may get lucky and find interesting birds. The Owens Lake Bird Festival is held in April.
For additional ideas, see the book by the Heindels, mentioned in my essay about bird books.
Peter Cummings
Published March 2, 2024
Birds of Bishop 