Twice, I’ve visited this alpine community towering at an elevation of 8400 feet over the 4100 foot Owen’s Valley below, where the town of Bishop is located. Bishop, a small town of less than 4000 residents, is the only incorporated city in Inyo County. This region attracts tourists and usually receives up to 30,000 visitors each year.
Only a few miles away, some of the highest peaks in the lower forty-eight states rise to over 14,000 feet. Westward is the Sierra-Nevada’s Mount Whitney (14,505’) and Mount Williamson (14,389’), and to the east, is White Mountain (14,252’) in the Inyo Range.
My first adventure to Aspendell was on 2009-03-13. I read that we can find rosy finches there in the winter. Residents sometimes provide seed and suet to birds. On advice from the grapevine, I brought a bag of mixed seeds with me on the trip. Upon discovering a yard with bird feeders, I sought permission to photograph the birds in their yard, and they willingly gave it to me. To show my gratitude and respect, I delivered the seeds to the lady who granted my access. Despite the 10~12 inches of snow on the ground, I enjoyed a fruitful visit and a sunny day with the local birds.
On 2017-07-19 I returned for a summer visit. I found a yard with feeders near the street, and parked long enough to sample the avian community. The rosy finches were harder to find on this visit, but I found one anyway.
Being it was summer, there were more open roads to explore. The road to Aspendell follows Bishop Creek, the water source for the folks in the valley. The road ends at Lake Sabrina, 2.2 miles southwest of Aspendell. The views from there are spectacular, and well-worth the drive.
Brown-Headed Cowbird(Molothrus ater) |
|
Description: Yard birds in Aspendell are different than most folk's yard birds, but most folks don't have yards at over 8400 feet in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 11:08 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BrownHeadedCowBird_D5X0151-Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Yard birds in Aspendell are different than most folk's yard birds, but most folks don't have yards at over 8400 feet in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 11:10 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: GrayCrownedRosyFinch_D5X0179-Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Clark's Nutcracker(Nucifraga columbiana) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 15:44 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: jcd4385.ClarksNutCracker |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:20 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: jcd4418.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cassin's Finch(Haemorhous cassinii) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:29 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 |
File Name: jcd4456.CassinsFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:32 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: jcd4459.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:32 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: jcd4461.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:45 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: jcd4490.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:47 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/400 |
File Name: jcd4514.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Cassin's Finch(Haemorhous cassinii) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 16:56 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: jcd4562CassinsFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Mountain Chickadee(Poecile gambeli) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:08 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: jcd4595.MountainChickadee |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:08 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: jcd4600.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Pygmy Nuthatch(Sitta pygmaea) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:11 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: jcd4616.PygmyNuthatch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Pygmy Nuthatch(Sitta pygmaea) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:14 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: jcd4633.PygmyNuthatch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Pygmy Nuthatch(Sitta pygmaea) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:20 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/100 |
File Name: jcd4638.PygmyNuthatch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch(Leucosticte tephrocotis) |
|
Description: Aspendell, California. West of Bishop in Inyo County is a high elevation community at 8441 feet elevation.. |
Date Taken: 2009:03:13 17:29 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: jcd4645.GrayCrownedRosyFinch |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Bishop Creek Valley(Scenery) |
|
Description: Scenery from the roads above Aspendell in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 13:05 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: XT1575, 4.67 mm, f/2.0, 1/900 |
File Name: NorthLakeRoad_20170719_130505_Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Purple Finch(Haemorhous purpureus) |
|
Description: Yard birds in Aspendell are different than most folk's yard birds, but most folks don't have yards at over 8400 feet in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 11:11 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: PurpleFinch_D5X0205-Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Purple Finch(Haemorhous purpureus) |
|
Description: Yard birds in Aspendell are different than most folk's yard birds, but most folks don't have yards at over 8400 feet in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 11:17 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: PurpleFinch_D5X0285-Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Sabrina Lake(Scenery) |
|
Description: Scenery from the roads above Aspendell in the Eastern Sierras. Near Bishop California in Inyo County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:19 13:17 |
|
Location:
Aspendell |
|
Camera Information: XT1575, 4.67 mm, f/2.0, 1/640 |
File Name: SabrinaLake_20170719_131720_Aspendell |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Click map markers to reveal further information
