Up at about 5:30 this morning after a fairly good night’s sleep.  I was out the door by 6:30 am to head out to Lake Solano Park with my friend and fellow naturalist Roxanne. Roxanne did all the driving for this trip (which she does a lot) and we stopped first at the Putah Creek Café for some breakfast.

When we were done with breakfast, we went on to Lake Solano Park, and before we even got to the gate we had a photo opportunity with a Great Blue Heron standing on the shore of the river. 

Once we got into the park and parked the car, our next sighting was of an otter swimming in the water (!). I had seen something moving under the surface and then the otter raised his head up to the surface to catch his breath.

We started walking along the campground side of the road and were happy to see that the Cliff Swallows are back now and building their mud nests under the bridge.

We were surprised to see so many California Blackberry vines growing along the river. Usually, we see nothing but the invasive Himalayan Blackberry everywhere, so, seeing the native plants is a big deal. 

There were lots of Pipevine plants coming up all over the place, along with Manroot Vines, Mugwort, Chickweed, mistletoe, and Poison Oak.  All the new leaves and growth were nice to see. 

• 

• 

Little California Buckeye trees were coming up, too, and we even found one that was still attached to its chestnut. In the lawns, we found some Giraffe’s Head Henbit, stork’s bill,  and the tiny blue flowers of Bird’s-eye Speedwell.  The Miner’s Lettuce was also starting to get its flowers on it.

There were a couple of Cottonwood trees near the bank that were scarred by beaver teeth. I looked around for scat, but couldn’t see any. Their dropping are like balls of sawdust. 

At one spot, Roxanne found a web by an orb-weaver spider but couldn’t get the threads in the web to show up enough for a photograph. I handed her my little spritz bottle so she could mist the web, and it became much more visible. (An “old naturalist trick”.)

We saw a lot of Great Blue Herons and Bufflehead ducks in the water, some American Wigeons, Pied-Billed Grebes, and Canada Geese.  We also found a hybrid that was part Canada Goose and part Greater White-Fronted Goose. 

As we were walking back toward the bridge again, I noticed a male Phainopepla in a tree, eating bits off the mistletoe plant in a tree.  The bird came out a bit and posed for photos before flying off again. They’re such cool-looking birds.

A little while later, when we were almost back to parking lot to put our jackets in it (because it was warming up so quickly outside), we stopped at a bench so I could rest a little bit.  I was just about to make a remark about the Great Blue Heron on the opposite bank when I saw a “black animal” on a green patch near the river.  At first, I thought it might be a cat, but then it “unwound” its body, and I realized it was another otter (!).  I was able to get video and photos of it as it worked its way down the bank, over some rocks and into the water.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

After we tossed our jackets in the car, I showed Roxanne how we could drive to the other end of the park where the “owl tree” is.  I was stunned to see heavy truck after heavy truck along that road.  They’re ripping up all of the dead oaks and walnut trees along there and mulching them.  I was worried that the road was going to be completely blocked, but were able to make it through to the parking lot closest to the tree. 

The little Western Screech Owl hadn’t been therefor months, so we weren’t sure if it would be there today.  We had to check, though, and were very happy to see him napping in his tree.  We were able to get quite a few photos of him. 

We then walked on down the bank to where we usually find the Giant Horsetail Ferns.  The new green non-reproductive parts of the ferns were just starting to come up, but we were able to find quite a few of the yellow spore-bearing parts of the plants – which to me are really more intriguing than the green parts.  The green parts do all the photosynthesis for the plant (which lives underground), while the yellow parts house the reproductive system. Sooooo interesting.

When we were heading back to the car again, I once again had to stop to rest, so Roxanne checked out the little fishing pond area. There wasn’t much water in it, so, I didn’t miss much, Roxanne said.

Heading back home, we stopped to get something cold to drink. We pulled our species lists together and got up to over 120 different species seen or heard today! It was such a fun and productive trip. All together, we were out for about 7½ hours.

Species List:

2019 Instructions for Form 8962

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Almond Tree, Prunus dulcis
3. American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
4. American Plantain, Plantago rugelii [large plantain with rounded leaves]
5. American Wigeon, Anas Americana
6. Arundo, Giant Reed, Arundo donax
7. Audubon’s Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
8. Azolla, Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides
9. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis [signs only]
10. Bedstraw, Velcro Grass, Cleavers, Galium aparine
11. Bird’s-eye Speedwell, Veronica persica
12. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
13. Black Walnut Tree, Juglans nigra
14. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
15. Blue Oak, Quercus douglasii
16. Bordered Plant Bug, Largus californicus
17. Boxelder Tree, Acer negundo
18. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
19. Broadleaf Cattail, Typha latifolia
20. Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola
21. California Blackberry, Trailing Blackberry, Rubus ursinus
22. California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
23. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
24. California Manroot, Bigroot, Marah fabaceus
25. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
26. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
27. California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica
28. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
29. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
30. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
31. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
32. Capillary Thread-Moss, Rosulabryum capillare
33. Cherry-Plum, Prunus cerasifera
34. Chickweed, Stellaria media
35. Cinder Lichen, Aspicilia cinereal [light gray on rocks, with or without small black dots]
36. Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
37. Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
38. Common Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
39. Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
40. Common Goldspeck Lichen, Candelariella vitellina [bright yellow with rimmed apothecia on rocks]
41. Common Groundsel , Senecio vulgaris
42. Common Hedge Parsley, Torilis arvensis
43. Common Orange Lichen, Xanthoria parietina [yellow-orange,on wood/trees]
44. Common Stork’s-Bill, Erodium cicutarium
45. Cottonwood, Fremont Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
46. Crater Lichen, Diploschistes scruposus [gray/dark grey on rocks with dark apothecia]
47. Crown Whitefly, Aleuroplatus coronata
48. Cumberland Rock-Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia cumberlandia
49. Dark-Eyed Junco (Oregon morph), Junco hyemalis
50. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
51. Eurasian Collared Dove, Streptopelia decaocto
52. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
53. Farinose Cartilage Lichen, Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
54. Flat-Topped Honeydew Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis eldoradensis
55. Frosted Rim Lichen, Lecanora caesiorrubella [light gray with light gray apothecia on wood]
56. Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp.
57. Giant Horsetail Fern, Equisetum telmateia
58. Giraffe’s Head Henbit, Henbit Deadnettle, Lamium amplexicaule
59. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
60. Great Blue Heron, Ardea Herodias
61. Great Egret, Ardea alba
62. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia capera
63. Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca
64. Hairy Vetch, Winter Vetch, Vicia villosa ssp. villosa
65. Himalayan Blackberry, Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus
66. Hoary Lichen, Hoary Rosette, Physcia aipolia
67. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
68. Indian Peafowl, Pavo cristatus
69. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
70. Interior Sandbar Willow, Salix interior
71. Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Veronica hederifolia [has tiny white flowers]
72. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii
73. Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta
74. Long-Jawed Orb Weaver, Tetragnatha sp .
75. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
76. Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata
77. Musky Stork’s Bill, Whitestem Filaree, Erodium moschatum
78. Non-biting Midges, Family: Chironomidae
79. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
80. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
81. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
82. Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
83. Oak Leaf-Roller Moth, Archips semiferanus
84. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
85. Oakmoss Lichen, Evernia prunastri
86. Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus
87. Phainopepla, Phainopepla nitens
88. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
89. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
90. Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa
91. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
92. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
93. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
94. River Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
95. Rock Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia conspersa
96. Ruptured Twig Gall Wasp, Callirhytis perdens
97. Scattered Button Lichen, Buellia dispersa [gray/off white on rocks with black spots]
98. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen Polycauliona candelaria
99. Sidewalk Firedot Lichen, Xanthocarpia feracissima  
100. Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
101. Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
102. Split Gill Fungus, Schizophyllum commune
103. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
104. Stereum, Stereum sp.
105. Stonewall Rim Lichen, Lecona muralis [pale green/gray thallus with rose/tan apothecia gathered in the center; color can be quite variable]
106. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
107. Strawberry Tree, Arbutus unedo
108. Streambank Springbeauty, Claytonia parviflora
109. Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis [dead]
110. Sunburst Lichen, Xanthoria elegans
111. Tall Flatsedge,  Cyperus eragrostis
112. Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia
113. Tule, Common Tule, California Bulrush, Schoenoplectus acutus
114. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
115. Two-Horned Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus dubiosus
116. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
117. Velvety Tree Ant, Liometopum occidentale
118. Western Bluebird, Sialia Mexicana
119. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
120. Western Screech Owl, Megascops kennicottii
121. Western Spotted Orbweaver Spider, Neoscona oaxacensis  [web]
122. White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
123. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
124. Yellow-Billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli
125. Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp, Sceliphron caementarium [nest]