The Lake, Zim Zim, and Two Lucky Hikers

We had a beautiful day of  bird watching and hiking last Tuesday, January 3rd.  At Lake Berryessa, we watched 5 or 6 eagles, one pair even tumbling in the air over the water.  The lake area was virtually deserted.  We also saw a white pelican, hawks, grebes, coots, geese, ducks, and other birds in splendid, still weather.

After leaving the Lake, we drove farther into the hills and hiked to Zim Zim Falls in the afternoon.

Gail leads the way through the parched valley.  We saw another eagle farther up the trail.

We had to stop and play with the hedge apples!

The falls were barely running, but still awesome.  Nearby, in the bushes, we discovered an area littered with bones from deer and other animals - a little spooky as dusk approached.  Later, Gail spotted another deer carcass off the side of the trail that was fresher.  On the drive back towards the Lake, we watched a bobcat walk across the road, then hunt nearby in the grass.  We were ecstatic!