Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

I’m writing this post for a couple of reasons. Firstly, if you check the wonderful photo galleries here at 10000 Birds, you will find some excellent shots of the female Mountain Bluebird that Corey took in New York, of all places! I figured that it is only fair and right to include the male Mountain Bluebird (Sialis currucoides) for comparison. Click on photos for full sized images.

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

And secondly, I realized of all the posts I have written on birds of Lassen Volcanic National Park, I have never really given much detail on the park itself.

Mount Lassen erupted and exploded in May of 1915 sending ash and steam in a 6 mile (10 km) tall mushroom cloud, making it the largest recent eruption in the contiguous United States, until the explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980 (Photo courtesy NPS).

Lassen Peak Eruption

Lassen Volcanic National Park was established a year later on August 9, 1916. As the fifteenth national park established by Congress, it is one of the oldest national parks in the United States.

Rising to 10,457 feet, this is what Lassen Peak looks like today, across Manzanita Lake, from the North park entrance.

Mount Lassen From Manzanita Lake

Mountain Bluebirds can be found at several  locations in the park but when I want to be sure to find them, I head up to Bumpass Hell parking lot. It is just a short distance from the Lassen Peak Trailhead as you can see from the interactive map accessible from the left hand column of the Lassen Park website.

Bumpass Hell Map

Lassen Volcanic National Park is also home to approximately 57 species of mammals ranging in size from the tiny shrew to the North American black bear. At this location you will certainly find a few of the most common mammal species in the park including the American Pika…

American Pika

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel…

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

and the Yellow-bellied Marmot.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Along with the Mountain Bluebird, I come to this location to find the Cassin’s Finch (to be seen in an upcoming post)…

Cassin's Finch Male

and yes, that is his true color…

Cassin's Finch Female

and Clark’s Nutcracker.  Last June I found adult Nutcrackers feeding young at this location.

Clark's Nutcracker

Lassen Volcanic National Park provides habitat for approximately 216 species of birds of which 96 have been known to breed in the park, including the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, which I have yet to see. You can download their bird list here.

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

To get back to the Mountain Bluebird…

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

This guy was perched in a tree where I usually find them…

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

adjacent to the parking area. Then he would fly down to the ground…

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

to capture insects.

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

I never saw the female, presumably because she was nesting.

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

But this guy was very busy…

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

providing a great photo op for me.

Mountain Bluebird Male at Lassen Volcanic National Park

If you plan on birding Northern California in the early summer, I suggest you plan on stopping at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Make sure you check out that Lassen Park bird list to pick out some target birds, you won’t be disappointed!

Written by Larry
Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard. Building birdhouses and putting up feeders brought the avian fauna even closer and he was hooked. Larry wanted to share his passion for birds and conservation and hatched The Birder's Report in September of 2007. His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. He is a BirdLife Species Champion and contributes to several other conservation efforts, being the webmaster for Wintu Audubon Society and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Urban Bird Foundation. He is now co-founder of a movement to create a new revenue stream for our National Wildlife Refuges with a Wildlife Conservation Pass.