Pygmy Nuthatches in the Bristlecone Forest

I don't see Pygmy Nuthatches (Sitta pygmaea) all that often. This is only the second post about them, and they are both from the same place: the Bristlecone Forest in the White Mountains east of the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley. It's almost a cheat to see them here for one particular reason: water. Specifically, there isn't very much of it.

The White Mountains are a huge mountain range, as high as the adjacent Sierra Nevada, but just as they are overshadowed in public perception by the Sierra, they are "rain-shadowed" too. The Sierra Nevada gets several times the precipitation from Pacific storms, and the only forest trees in the White Mountains are the drought resistant Pinon Pine, the Utah Juniper, the Limber Pine, and the ancient Bristlecone Pines, the oldest living trees on the planet. There are few sources of water in the high ridges where the Bristlecones survive, but there is a visitor center at the end of the paved road. The staff usually has a bowl of water set out, and that is enough to bring out a number of birds and small mammals.

If you are ever visiting the Owens Valley, find a half day to visit the Bristlecone Pine forest. It's incredible just to see the birds and the trees, but at 10,000 feet, the views are beyond belief.