A weekend in the Big Bear Lake City

It was the second weekend after the lockdown was lifted in California in June 2020.  We had been confined to our home in Los Angelis, for almost three months.  My grandson was about four months old then, and the new parents really needed a change of scene.  So we took this opportunity to drive down to Big Bear Lake City.

Big Bear City is about a hundred miles north-east of Los Angelis.  It was a work-from-home day for my son and daughter-in-law and a very busy one at that.  So it was almost 5 p.m., by the time we started our drive.  It was a pleasant day/afternoon), and it was my first visit to the place.  I was enjoying the scenery.  

Big Bear Lake is located in San Bernardino Mountain range.  By the time, we reached the foothills, it was dark. Half an hour later, we ran into a thick cloud cover, and it started to rain. It was a very heavy downpour and the wipers were struggling to cope with it.  By this time, the visibility was near zero and the mountain road, with its bends and turns, narrowed down to half as some repair/construction activity was going on!  And we had an infant on board to top it all.  You can imagine the atmosphere in the car must have changed, we had all fallen absolutely silent.  The cloud cover was so thick, it was really scary. After about half an hour, (which seemed endless to us), we came out in clear/open and heaved a collective sigh of relief.

The next day dawned bright and clear, to the accompaniment of bird songs.  Big Bear Lake is about 6700 ft, above the mean sea level.  The AirBnB cottage where we stayed was surrounded by various pine trees, cedars, spruces, and the other coniferous trees.  It is/was a beautiful place for morning walks.  The first thing I noticed when I opened the front door was the really large acorns lying in the patio.

Stellar's Jay (Juvenile)  

Stellar's Jay

The Steller’s Jays seemed to be in abundance.  They were quite bold, searching for seeds and nuts in the courtyard, not really bothered about the human presence.  I was thrilled to hear the melodious songs of the House Finch, Western Bluebirds, and giving them company were the Spotted Towhees, American Robins, Mountain Chickadees, woodpeckers, etc. I had a lovely time watching and photographing these birds.

House Finch  & Spotted Towhee (below)

Western Bluebird  & American Robin (below)

Gilded Flicker

Big Bear is a Ski resort.  We had visited in the first week of June, so of course, there was no snow, except some traces on the distant peaks.  There are many hiking trails for the adventurous.  The drive around the lake is (Was) really beautiful and picturesque.

We bade goodbye on Sunday Afternoon,  very reluctantly! I would have loved to spend some more time there and some more opportunities for birding.  But, our main aim was to have a change form the busy work schedules of my son and daughter-in-law, and have some relaxed time in the fresh mountain air.  The profuse blooms of wildflowers on the mountainside (slopes?) seem like saying “Au Revoir” (Hasta Maniyana) till we meet again.

We started our return journey, well-rested, and refreshed!  

Aditi Deshpande, June 2020