Please note: this area was severely damaged by the 2007 Witch Creek Fire, with almost no vegetation left intact. Based on data gathered during previous post-fire surveys, most of the chaparral specialties probably won't start recolonizing until 2009-2010, but fire-followers such as Black-chinned Sparrows and Lazuli Buntings could spike in the next year or two. Look also for an increase in Rock Wrens. The reservoir, of course, still attracts waterfowl and even raptors. Click here for pictures of the damage.
Sutherland Dam Road is paved up to the dam, where the road becomes a good graded
road to the intersection with Black Canyon Road.
Approximate Length: 4 miles.
Approximate Birding Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Traffic: Very light.
Facilities: There are restrooms at the lake itself, but this area is only open on weekends; during the week there's a porta-potty outside the gate.
Directions: Take I-8 west to El Cajon, taking highway 67 north towards Ramona, where 67 turns into highway 78 east. Once through Ramona continue on 78 for about 6 miles to Sutherland Dam Road on your left.
This is a good road to bird in conjunction with Black Canyon Road, as the two intersect at the Black Canyon Bridge. The road begins in rural/agricultural habitat, where you can look for Western (summer) and Cassin's Kingbirds, both Say's (winter) and Black Phoebe, Northern Mockingbird, Western Meadowlarks, Western Bluebirds, American Kestrel, Phainopepla, Bullock's and Hooded Orioles (summer), and blackbirds of various sorts. The road then climbs into oak woodland and chaparral, where you can listen for Wild Turkey in spring, both Lesser and Lawrence's Goldfinches, White-breasted Nuthatch, Costa's and Anna's Hummingbird, Wrentit, Hutton's Vireo, Ash-throated and Pacific-slope Flycatchers (summer), Scrub Jay, Oak Titmouse, California Thrasher, Acorn Woodpecker, both towhees, Black-chinned Sparrow (summer), and California Quail. Scan the skies for swallows in summer or migration, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Osprey, and White-tailed Kite. Sometimes you can spot a Cooper's Hawk on the telephone lines! Sutherland Reservoir is open only on Fridays and weekends, but you can still get a good overview of the lake along the road and scan from there; in summer the pickings are lean, but you can still look for Caspian and Forster's Terns, Mallards, Great Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egrets, and American Avocets and other over-summering shorebirds. In winter, coots and cormorants are abundant, and occasionally flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls can be found. This is also a good place to look for Common Merganser as well as other ducks and grebes, and occasionally Belted Kingfisher and even both Bald and Golden Eagle on the rocks! Listen also for Rock and Canyon Wren around the dam area, and Red-shouldered Hawks in the trees around the buildings. Tree Swallows nest behind the dam, and Mountain Quail can be heard "quark"ing from the higher hillsides. Listen for Common Yellowthroats from the wetland vegetation below. Continuing on the dirt road to Black Canyon Bridge, look for more oak woodland birds such as House Wren, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak (summer), and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. At the bridge (which is being restored as of this writing--April 2007), listen for Yellow Warbler (summer) and Song Sparrows in the riparian areas and Rufous-crowned Sparrows in the nearby chaparral.
Oak woodland along Sutherland Dam Road
Back side of the dam
Personal Checklist ●=small numbers █ = large numbers (10+)
Please keep in mind that these lists are NOT comprehensive, and that some months may have had poor overall coverage.
*This survey was conducted two months after the Witch Creek Fire.