“Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art.” – Izaak Walton
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The McVicar Trail at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, off Highway 53 between the City of Clearlake and Lower Lake, is a bird-lover's paradise.
The McVicar Wildlife Preserve, given to the National Audubon Society in years past (and sustained by our local chapter, the Redbud Audubon Society), is now a part of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
The trail is open, according to Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, or AMIA, " ... as a result of a Partnership Agreement between the Department of Parks and Recreation and AMIA."
The McVicar Trail is about three and a half miles long. After you enter the park by paying the fee (or parking along the road outside the park), take a stroll through the grasslands, then veer up the rise of oaks to the western border of the marsh.
The enchantment of the woods with its dramatic mahogany-hued manzanitas and old acorn caches that the woodpeckers “bank” in each season is an extravagance of nature.
The Pomo, Koi, Lake Miwok and other Indians made use of these and many, many more resources 14,000 years ago, as archaeologists have determined.
It is heartening to know that today their descendants continue many of the cultural traditions, thereby keeping the past alive.
The McVicar Trail is lush and green, with a wide variety of grasses and trees. If you look closely you may find fragrant wild mint, too.
After a walk under the tunnel-like foliage, you soon come to an opening where views of the iconic tules that line the marsh are in evidence, capped by a lovely mountain view in the background.
The trail is deliciously damp, and almost jungle-like in comparison to the open grasslands of Anderson Marsh.
The group of birdwatchers on our recent Audubon hike was friendly and knowledgeable. Leader Pat Harmon was ever-ready with both her binoculars and Leopold scope; she was well-prepared to locate the wide variety of avian species we viewed that day.
We saw mourning dove, Anna's hummingbird, Say's Phoebe, Canada geese, scrub jay, cedar waxwing, redtail hawk, and more.
To find out about future walks and more information on Anderson Marsh, see the Redbud Audubon Web site at www.redbudaudubon.org/ or the AMIA Web site at www.andersonmarsh.org .
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.