Nothing New Really, 11-01-20

Time change. Daylight Savings Time ended, yay! “Fall back” one hour.  I got up at 6:30 (which is the old 7:30) am and headed over to Mather Lake Regional Park for a walk.

I didn’t see anything new today, and only got to see and hear the usual suspects: geese, Pied-Billed Grebes, Mute Swans, and suchlike. There were a lot more Coots in the water than I had seen recently. And I got to see a small flock of Lesser Goldfinches eating the tiny seeds from the willowherb plants.

Otherwise, there wasn’t much going on while I was there.  I walked for about 2½ hours and then headed home.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

Since Tuleyome is closing the naturalist group on Facebook, I created for them, I created one myself called the Nature A-List (“naturalist”) group, and invited others to join it. Here’s the introductory blurb I wrote for it:

            Welcome to the Nature A-List (“naturalist”) group! We invite you ask questions and share stories, photos, and information pertaining to certified and amateur naturalists throughout California. This is a closed group (which means you have to apply to join it). But feel free to invite anyone who you think might be interested!

            Here are the types of posts we like to see:

  • Photos you’ve taken of species throughout California
  • Easy-to-get-to places to view wildlife and plants in the region
  • Opportunities for citizen science
  • Opportunities for naturalists to volunteer
  • Books, videos and other resources of interest to naturalists
  • Existing or upcoming coursework, seminars and lectures of interest to naturalists

            Please note that we reserve the right to delete any off-topic posts, posts that are designed to solicit donations or advertise fundraisers, political posts, and posts which are in any way offensive or objectionable to this group’s administrators. If you have any questions, let us know.

            By the end of the day, I already had 25 members signed up for it. Yay!

Species List:

  1. American Coot, Fulica americana
  2. Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [pink flowers]
  3. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis [sign on trees]
  4. Bull Thistle, Cirsium vulgare
  5. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  6. California Quail, Callipepla californica [heard]
  7. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  8. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
  9. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  10. Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum
  11. Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata
  12. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  13. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
  14. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  15. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  16. Golden Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  17. House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
  18. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
  19. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  20. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  21. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
  22. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  23. Panicled Willowherb, Epilobium brachycarpum
  24. Pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium
  25. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  26. Red Sesbania, Scarlet Sesban, Sesbania punicea
  27. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus [heard]
  28. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis