I got up around 6:00 am and went to the American River Bend Park first just to check on mama Great Horned Owl and her owlets, then I was off to Mather Lake Regional Park to see how things were going there.

At the River Bend Park, I parked near the “owl tree” and immediately saw mama Great Horned Owl sitting on a branch to the right of the nest. She was dozing. Inside the nest I could see two owlets. One was standing up, while the other stayed down inside the nest; only the top of its head was visible.

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On the nearby lawn, the male Wild Turkeys were strutting for the females. In the early morning light, their iridescent feathers took on a deep copper tone. They’re really such beautiful animals.

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After taking several photos, I headed over to Mather Lake. All of the trees are starting to leaf-out including the willows, cottonwoods and oaks, so there were varying shades of green all around the lake.  One of the first things I saw there was a House Finch flying onto a nest she had under the roof of one of the kiosks. The nest had a mud base and was filled with spun dried grass.

The male Red-Winged Blackbirds were out in force, singing from the trees and tules; and a Great Tailed Grackle was joining in from an adjacent tree.

In yet another tree, I saw a Green Heron.  It was croaking at a second heron that I only saw when the two of them took off and flew out of the park.

Several of the Coyote Brush bushes and Willow Dock plants were infested with aphids; light green on the Coyote Brush and deeper, richer green on the dock… But I’m not sure of the species. There are so many different ones, it’s hard to tell. I’ll have to do more research.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

Along the trail I got a brief glimpse of a cottontail rabbit, and also saw a tiny pocket gopher running by.  Oh, I saw my first Western Kingbird of the season, and also saw my first Sankefly of the season, so those were cool.

The biggest surprise of the say, though, was seeing a muskrat swimming back and forth in the water several times. It was gathering greenery from the bottom of the lake, bringing it to the surface, and carrying it to the opposite side of the little island in the lake. I assumed it was taking the greenery to fill its nest, wherever that was. Maybe feeding babies?

Unfortunately for the muskrat, the island was being occupied by Canada Geese. Some of the geese chased the muskrat and nipped at him, and another goose stole the muskrat’s greenery and ate it! Poor little thing. Even with all the abuse, the muskrat kept focused on its task. I watched it go back and forth three times before I lost track of it.

On my way out to the parking lot, I noticed that two pairs of the Canada Geese had goslings with them — three babies each — and were walking them from the water’s edge, then back up onto the grass, where the adults tried to settle down to rest in the sunshine. Some of the goslings weren’t interested in napping, though, and rushed back to the water. Hah!  Brats!

On the way home, I drove down Eagle’s Nest Road beside the protected vernal pool area.  There’s no water out there that I could see, but some of the goldfields flowers and pan poppies were out blooming.

In another field, surrounded by temporary fencing, was a huge herd of Nubian Goats (the ones with the long floppy ears) working to clear the field. The herd included adult and baby goats, and when the baby goats ran, they looked like Cocker Spaniels running, ears flapping. One of the babies’ hide was covered in dots and splotches, and one of the splotches looked like a white heart on its side. How cute is that?!

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I was out walking for almost 4 hours. This was hike #34 of my #52HikeChallenge.

Species List:

1. ?? Ants farming the aphids
2. Aphid, Family: Aphididae [pale green on coyote brush]
3. Aphid, Family: Aphididae [rich green on willow dock]
4. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
5. Boxelder, Box Elder Tree, Acer negundo
6. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
7. Bur Parsley, Bur Chervil, Anthriscus caucalis
8. California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii
9. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
10. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
11. Cattle, Bos taurus
12. Cobwebby Thistle, Cirsium occidentale
13. Common Cat’s-Ear, Hypochaeris radicata
14. Cork Oak, Quercus suber
15. Coyote Brush Bud Gall midge, Rhopalomyia californica
16. Coyote Brush Rust, Puccinia evadens
17. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
18. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
19. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
20. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
21. Frying Pan Poppy, Eschscholzia lobbii
22. Goat, Nubian Goat, Capra aegagrus hircus
23. Goldfields, California Goldfields, Lasthenia californica
24. Goodding’s Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
25. Great Egret, Ardea alba
26. Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus
27. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
28. Green Heron, Butorides virescens
29. Hairy Vetch, Winter Vetch, Vicia villosa ssp. villosa
30. Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus
31. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
32. Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii
33. Lupine, Arroyo Lupine, Lupinus succulentus
34. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
35. Mossy Stonecrop, Crassula tillaea [red]
36. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
37. Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora [like white rock rose]
38. Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
39. Mustard Yellow Polypore, Fuscoporia gilva [like a bracket fungus]
40. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
41. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
42. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
43. Ribwort Plantain, Plantago lanceolata
44. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
45. Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
46. Snakefly, Agulla adnixa
47. Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica
48. Swainson’s Hawk, Buteo swainsoni
49. Swedish Blue Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Swedish Blue
50. Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
51. Wall Barley, Hordeum murinum
52. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
53. Western Fence Lizard, Blue Belly, Sceloporus occidentalis
54. Western Kingbird, Tyrant Flycatcher, Tyrannus verticalis
55. White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
56. Willow Dock, Rumex salicifolius