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The Birds of the Santa Ynez Mountains LbNA #29844 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Dooriya
Plant date:Apr 6, 2007
Location:
City:Santa Barbara
County:Santa Barbara
State:California
Boxes:9
Found by: Woolfairy Clan (4)
Last found:Jul 20, 2008
Status:aFFFF
Last edited:Apr 6, 2007
Rattlesnake Canyon Trail (I have never seen a rattlesnake) is a very popular trail, so please use your letterboxer's highest discretion when stamping in. Like the flowers, I try to take you off the main trail for the boxes to see bits of the landscape that might go unnoticed otherwise, and to avoid curious eyes. It's a wet area with lots of poison oak, so be careful and seal all bags and boxes tightly.

A great map and trail explanation can be found here: http://www.sb-outdoors.org/Trails/index3.php/?ID=32
This helps a lot with understanding the main trail and its main features.

The Clues to the Boids:
(You can do this without the photos, but they help.)


1: The Shining Robe (I moved the Shining Robe to a better location before anyone found him...coincidently he is now after Mr. Bird Himself. See below for his clue.

2. The Bitty Blue Blur
Back on the main path - look for a boulder on your right with a blue railroad tie. Take the path on the left down to a waterfall. This is the Old Mission Dam. Where the path splits, turn right to go near the falls. At the next choice of paths, the left-handed one goes down to the falls. Take the right-handed one until you see a tree with two toes. Go around it down to the stream. Look for a giant sycamore near a metal pipe jutting out for this little fellow.

3. Little Orange Riding Hood
Up on the main trail, look for the split. Take the left-handed path that goes down to the water. Follow, follow, across the creek, up new switchbacks, until you can spy some giant boulders in a sloping meadow. Go to the south of the northernmost giant.

4. Palomita
Not far away from that little orange-muncher is a cooing fellow. He is hiding at the foot of a giant alder tree very near to the path on the right side.
Tricky tricky, here's a hint:


5. The Little Mother
Yet again, not far away from the last chirper lurks a benevolent predator. To find this oxymoron look for a steep trail on the left that goes up to a tiny clearing. Keep going into the forest to find her in the octopus tree. This image hidden in the forest is of a rescued bird who now helps raise young chicks in Kentucky. She has the same name as my beloved budgie who flew away near these canyons.

6. The Nutty Wooddweller
This noisemaker is tricky. As you walk on the main path through the forest, keep an eye out for a large angular boulder very close to the trail on the right side. It's in a small clearing that overlooks the creek, but is not on any secondary trail. If you reach the creek again, you've gone too far. Hint hint:


7. The Rock Climber
The creek again! The old Rattler trail sneaks across again. Cross to the east side and follow the trail arrow sign. Go up until you see a large smooth stone right smack dab in the middle of the creek. Hop on down to it. If you're lucky you'll see some trout in the pool at its foot. While facing south you may feel like you're being watched. Who's there? Look west to see the eye in the stone wall. Look for the little canyon dweller in the crevice near the eye. Oooh....



8. Handsome Hammy
The final stretch takes you through more cool canopy and bubbling waterfalls. And then suddenly it all clears. Locals call this place either "The Meadow" or "Tin Can Flats". From the book Santa Barbara Day Hikes: "There, a small cabin was built by a man named William O'Connor. The homesteading laws required that a dwelling be erected on each section...O'Connor went into town, collected empty five-gallon kerosene cans, flattened them, and had them carried back on a mule to a site he liked. Cutting branches from the nearby chaparral, O'Connor quickly put together a frame constructed from the branches and used the flattened kerosene tins to shingle the roof and tack up walls. The floor was provided by Mother Nature - the ground". The little bug-nipper is resting in the middle of the triangle near a big rock.
This meadow makes a fine picnic spot and final destination, but before turning round, keep going up the path just a little bit to...

9. Mr. Bird Himself
The Rattlesnake Connector intersection. There's a big sign letting you know where you can go. Depression Drive? Gibraltar Road? From here you can hike more north to a popular rock-climbing spot, or you can take the Rattlesnake Connector over to Tunnel Trail and drop down into Mission Canyon. 3 of my 6 Flowers of Mission Canyon can be found at the end of Tunnel Trail there. But before leaving this junction, look just behind the old sign for Mr. Bird (my favorite singer).



1. The Shining Robe Moved from the front to the back, this fellow flew all the way up the Canyon to a quarter of the way up the Rattlesnake Connector. Not too much shade along here, but this black bird found a giant tree on the north side of the trail to rest under. Look under rocks to find the Shining-Robed Wonder (Greek translation of his name).
Chirp deee dee:



From here you can turn around or go the rest of the way up the Rattlesnake Connector and then take Tunnel Trail back to civilization. I recommend the latter because of the beautiful views you will be rewarded with immediately upon reaching the Tunnel Trail connection off the RC.

Hike to the Tin Can Flats is 2 miles, so this is a 4 mile round trip.



First finder: Please cross out the name of Box 6 and change it to Nuttall's, and for Box 8, slip in Hammond's before the bird's name. I was a little flustered when I planted these two, so I'd appreciate your help with setting them straight!