Date: Monday, February 18, 2019
Time: 7:30 am to 11:30 am
Temperature: 31° to 53°
Weather: Sunny, clear, breezy, cool
Location: Effie Yeaw Nature Center, 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, CA 95608
Lat/Log: 38.6174656, -121.3115716

Narrative:  This walk was an impromptu walk for the Tuleyome CalNat course which I led.  We had 16 people, along with my co-worker Nate, Eric Ross (a former Tuleyome naturalist graduate, who’s now working to become a docent at Effie Yeaw), Mary Messenger (a volunteer “trail walker” at Effie Yeaw) and about a dozen students. One of the students also brought along a friend to participate in the walk. It was good group.

The first thing we saw when we entered the preserve was a trio of Eastern Fox Squirrels doing a ménage à trois thing right out there in front of God and everybody. Everyone joked that during the walk we witnessed instances of fornication, urination, evacuation, and mastication. Hah!

We saw lots of different fungi, identified quite a few plants and trees, saw several species of birds, and saw a lot of Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, including does and several bucks (including a spike buck, split-prong buck with only one antler, and some 4- and 5-pointer bucks. We got to see one of the larger bucks performing the “Flehmen Sniff” while he followed after a female. CLICK HERE for an article I wrote about the bucks and the sniff. CLICK HERE for the full album of the photos I took today. (When I’m leading a hike, I take far fewer photos than when I’m walking alone, but I get more”people” shots in the mix.)

We walked for about 4 hours and covered about 2½ miles.

Species List:

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Audubon’s Warbler, Setophaga auduboni auduboni, Yellow-rumped Warbler, “Butter Butt”
3. Barometer Earthstar fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus
4. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
5. Black Jelly Roll fungus, Exidia glandulosa
6. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus cerulea
7. Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii
8. Brown Jelly Fungus, Tremella sp.
9. California King Snake, Lampropeltis getula californiae
10. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
11. Canada Geese, Branta canadensis
12. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
13. Common Jelly Spot fungus, Dacrymyces stillatus
14. Common Merganser, Mergus merganser, female
15. Coyote, Canis latrans
16. Crust fungus, Phlebia sp., Stereum sp.
17. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
18. Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon morph), Junco hyemalis
19. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
20. Elfin Saddle, False Morel, Helvella lacunosa
21. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
22. False Turkey Tail fungus, Stereum ostrea
23. Gall of the California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
24. Gall of the Live Oak Wasp/Gallfly, Callirhytis quercuspomiformis
25. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix sp.
26. Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
27. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
28. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
29. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii, California state lichen
30. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
31. London Planetree, Platanus × acerifolia
32. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
33. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
34. Mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris
35. Nutthall’s Woodpecker (sound only), Picoides nuttallii
36. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
37. Oakmoss Lichen, Evernia prunastri
38. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
39. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
40. Rock Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia sp.
41. Spider, unidentified
42. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
43. Sunburst Lichen, Xanthoria sp.
44. Turkey Tail fungus, Trametes versicolor
45. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
46. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
47. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
48. Western Sycamore, Platanus racemosa
49. White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
50. White Horehound, Marrubium vulgare