I’ll go to Beethoven’s Ninth any time it comes around. You may never have listened to the whole thing (though I hope you have!) but you likely know many of the high points and big moments. But amid all that wonderful drama, there’s an oasis of calm: the third movement. It’s a chance to slow down, to reflect, to catch your breath before plunging into the fourth movement in all its choral glory.
Yosemite and the Ninth are inextricably linked for me*. If the falls, cliffs and expansive valley views provide the drama and excitement, Foresta is the perfect third movement. Last weekend, I reveled in the quieter wonders of this seldom visited corner of the park.
I was introduced to Foresta on one of my first trips to Yosemite, during a class on raptors, when we had a picnic lunch on a large flat rock in the middle of Crane Creek, then hiked down to Foresta Falls.
For years, I have said that if Foresta Falls was anyplace other than Yosemite, it would be the centerpiece of a park. It’s a lovely cascade, with a wooden bridge just downstream that allows you to take in the views while being cooled by the spray. On a hot day, it’s a welcome respite.
We were in Yosemite for a Conservancy class “Day of the Woodpecker” which we’ve previously attended. In the past, it’s been held in early November but since it was in October this year, our usual hotel was about $100/night more so we found a rental in Foresta instead.
All of our previous visits had been mid-day, mid-summer. Seeing Foresta at dawn and sunset was a treat.
We started Friday morning in Big Meadow, poking around in the barn and birding by Crane Creek. From there, we walked around the top of the hill. As we climbed, the valley’s landmarks came into view — nice to enjoy them without having to drive.
The habitat is more open; grassland, post-burn scrub and stands of trees. It was pretty birdy, with lots of Spotted Towhees, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows, Nuttall’s and Hairy Woodpeckers, Flickers, Creepers, Western Bluebirds, Stellers and California Jays, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Mountain Chickadees and more. What started as “let’s take a quick walk before we head to the high country” became “do we really need to go anywhere else?”
We stopped back at the cabin and grabbed some provisions, then headed down toward the trail toward the falls.
[ this was supposed to be the WHWO photo but I uploaded the wrong one! ]
Our first stop was at those big flat rocks to get some lunch. It’s always nice to have friends join you for lunch, so we were happy to have a White-headed Woodpecker hop down to some rocks on the other side of the creek. Seeing one is always high point on these trips.
Another visitor hopped into view, an American Dipper. We always had them right next to our deck at our usual hotel, so it was great that changing lodging didn’t mean a Dipper-less experience. This one evidently found good pickings because it stayed for at least fifteen minutes — it was still gleaning as we left.
We spent the afternoon on the falls trail, and then spent a bit more time around Big Meadow. The only other people we encountered were some park biologists taking a class on tracks and sign. It was a wonderful, relaxing day.
We started the Day of the Woodpecker in El Portal, just outside the park. We tried for, and succeeded in seeing, some lower elevation species like Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Red-breasted Sapsucker, as well as other species that we’d see throughout the day like Acorn Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. (They weren’t cooperating for photos) Our group included many newer birders, so it was fun seeing people’s joy at picking up lifers.
Our next stop was the Cascades Picnic Area, along the Merced River to try for Downy Woodpecker (they prefer to be near water) — heard but not seen, alas. The picnic area is another stop that most people overlook; a great place to have a quieter Park experience.
From there, we headed to the Tuolumne Grove of giant sequoias along Tioga Pass Road (Highway 120). We had our fingers crossed for Williamson’s Sapsuckers or Black-backed Woodpeckers- two species who like higher elevations but come lower as winter approaches.
It was quieter than usual on the trail to the grove (we only went about halfway — it’s a long walk back up that trail) but we did get some nice looks at a White-headed Woodpecker working the loose bark of some enormous trees.
We had hoped to see Pileated Woodpecker there but no luck, so we headed to “Chevron Meadow”. Despite its nickname (for the station across the road), it’s a great spot for birding, with a banding station in the spring/summer. We’ve often had pileateds calling there so I was hopeful, but we didn’t even need to go all the way to the meadow. One of the newer birders heard a call and managed to find a Pileated on a gigantic snag. Better still, it eventually perched near a cavity — and a second one popped its head out!
We finished in the valley with a short walk along the river near the campgrounds. No new woodpeckers, but at least we got to the fourth movement, metaphorically speaking. The valley was at its best — waterfalls still flowing, trees blazing with color. A great end to the class.
On our return trip, we tried a new route through Coulterville then on Highway 132 past the big reservoirs and across the valley to Modesto, finally stopping at San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge. We walked a double loop that took us through wetlands and willows, and also special bunny habitat.
One last photo that didn’t fit in elsewhere, from a stop at Merced NWR on the drive out:
*Fun fact: If you’re heading to Tuolumne Meadows and enter the park at the Big Oak Flat entrance on Highway 120, start the Ninth just as you leave the ranger station and you’ll hit peak chorus as the sweeping views open up at Olmstead Point, and you’ll get the finale as you cross the ridge into Tuolumne.
Beethoven’s 9th, performed by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is made up of young Israeli and Arab musicians.