#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, General Blog, lichen, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Volunteering

Spider-Man in a Tree, 03-10-23

After the wind and rain storm that blew through yesterday, I was anxious to get out for a walk before the next raft of storms came into the area. It was overcast all day today, but we didn’t get any rain.

I tried first to go over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve because the County website said it was one of the few places that was open after yesterday’s storm. But when I got there, I found the gates were closed, so I couldn’t get in there. I then decided to go over to William Land Park instead.

There were hardly any cars in the parking lot, so I had my choice of parking spaces. At the WPA Rock Garden, adjacent to the park, I could tell right away that a lot of the trees and plants in the garden had been cut back, severely so in some cases, so the whole garden looked rather “naked”. I was hoping there would be some springtime blossoms there, but the cold has been causing a delay in flowering. There were a few plants in bloom, but everything else looked barren or struggling.

At the middle pond, I was happy to see that all of the lotus plants had been pulled out of the water so there were now places for the ducks and geese to actually swim. [See the before and after photos below.] It also means there will be more opportunities for dragonflies and damselflies to emerge and/or lay their eggs, and room for crawfish to roam around (and feed the larger birds like herons and egrets).

More species will visit the pond when the weather permits, but today I saw a few of the usual suspects: Mallards, Canada Geese, and Wood Ducks. On the lawns and in the trees, I saw other bird species including Crows, Western Bluebirds, Audubon’s Warblers, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Scrub Jays, and Robins.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

One funny moment of the morning was when I could see, at a distance, something red in the open knot hole on the side of a tree. I couldn’t tell what it was; it was too large and too red to be a kind of slime mold. When I got close enough, I realized it was a tiny Spider-Man figure “climbing” inside the hole. I usually don’t like it when humans “decorate” trees in the wild, but this was so unexpected it made me chuckle.

I was really hoping, as I was leaving the park through the WPA Garden, to see the little Hermit Thrush that can usually be found in the garden. I was happy, then, when I actually saw TWO. I don’t know if they were a male and female pair, or if it was two males, but one chased the other one out of its area and stood pumping its tail for a few seconds before going on with its own feeding for the morning.

This was walk #10 in my #52HikeChallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. Aloe, Aloe sp.
  2. Aloe, Candelabra Aloe, Aloe arborescens
  3. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
  4. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  5. Audubon’s Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
  6. Bee, European Honeybee, Western Honeybee, Apis mellifera
  7. Bicolor Cobra Lily, Chasmanthe bicolor
  8. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  9. Borage, Borago officinalis
  10. Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [tan to brown apothecia]
  11. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  12. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  13. Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  14. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
  15. European Dog Violet, Viola riviniana
  16. Field Elm, Ulmus minor
  17. Greater Honeywort, Cerinthe major
  18. Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus
  19. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  20. Italian Cypress, Cupressus sempervirens
  21. Lawn Daisy, Bellis perennis
  22. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  23. Mediterranean Spurge, Euphorbia characias [large plants]
  24. Mountain Grape, Berberis oiwakensis
  25. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  26. Mullein, Great Mullein, Verbascum thapsus
  27. Pepper-Spore Lichen, Rinodina sp.
  28. Pin-Cushion Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona polycarpa [bright orange, apothecia, close, piled]
  29. Pot Marigold, Calendula officinalis
  30. Powder-Edged Speckled Greenshield, Flavopunctelia soredica [pale green, lots of soredia]
  31. Quince, Cydonia oblonga
  32. Rosemary, Salvia Rosmarinus
  33. Shepherd’s-Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
  34. Shrubby Globularia, Globularia alypum [purple-blue puff center]
  35. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  36. Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  37. Star-of-Bethlehem Tribe, Tribe: Ornithogaleae
  38. Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus
  39. Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
  40. Summer Snowflake, Leucojum aestivum
  41. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
  42. Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
  43. Yellow-Edged Frost Lichen, Physconia enteroxantha [white/pale edged]

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#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, General Blog, lichen, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Volunteering

The Coyote was My Favorite, 03-02-23

After a disappointing walk yesterday, during which the weather thwarted our efforts to document wildlife, today’s walk was wonderful. It was in the 40’s without a hint of a breeze so I went over to the American River Bend Park again and walked a different trail than I did on February 23rd. It helped, too, that my cancer-related leg pain was very manageable.

Before I even pulled the car in to park somewhere, I saw Western Bluebirds and a red-faced Sapsucker, and caught sight of a coyote on the other side of a meadow trying to take out a deer. The coyote was trying to grab the deer’s face — which might have worked if there were other coyotes going after the flanks of the deer, but by itself it couldn’t effectively take the deer down. This whole scenario was taking place too far away for me to get any photos or video, but it was quite a way to start my walk.

There were a lot of recently felled trees all around. I’m assuming the County is continuing to cull trees to thin out the forest.

Felled Fremont’s Cottonwood trees, Populus fremontii

There were large groups of Wild Turkeys around, males and females all together, and I saw quite a few Jackrabbits. There were also several Red-Shouldered Hawks flying overhead, screeling at one another. Sometimes their sound came from almost every direction at the same time. Nature was enjoying the nice weather, too.

I could hear other birds all around me but couldn’t get photos of all of them. I did see/hear Northern Flickers, Spotted Towhees, wrens, Scrub Jays, Black Phoebes, Acorn Woodpeckers, and others.

I specifically wanted to check out the lichen on the buckeye trees because it’s different from those that are common on the oak trees. I was able to do that to some extent, but then my macro lens decided it didn’t want work anymore, so I couldn’t get all the close-ups I wanted.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

On my way out of the park I was surprised to see the coyote again. He was sitting quietly in the shade on a small hillock right near the side of the road. I thought he’d dart away when I approached, but instead he stayed where he was and watched the traffic on the road. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coyote that was as “silvery” as this one was. He was so handsome. It was a note on which to end my walk.

I was out for about 2 hours. This was walk #8 in my #52HikeChallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
  3. Bitter Wart Lichen Lepra amara [like rim lichen; white with heavy white apotheca]
  4. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  5. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  6. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
  7. Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [tan to brown apothecia]
  8. California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
  9. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  10. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  11. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
  12. California Quail, Callipepla californica [heard]
  13. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  14. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  15. Common Button Lichen, Buellia erubescens [black eyes on white]
  16. Coyote, Canis latrans
  17. Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  18. Farinose Cartilage Lichen,  Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
  19. Giraffe Spots Crust Fungus, Peniophora albobadia
  20. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  21. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii
  22. Lecidella Lichen, Lecidella elaeochroma [round black spots on white background]
  23. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  24. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  25. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  26. Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  27. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  28. Pepper-Spore Lichens, Rinodina sp.
  29. Poplar Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza hasseana [sunburst on Cottonwood]
  30. Powder-Tipped Rosette Lichen, Physcia dubia
  31. Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus ruber
  32. Red-Shouldered Hawk, California Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus elegans [flyovers, heard]
  33. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  34. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
  35. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  36. Speckled Greenshield Lichen, Flavopunctelia flaventior
  37. Star Rosette Lichen, Physcia stellaris [hoary, white/gray apotheca]
  38. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha [without soredia]
  39. Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  40. Western Bluebird, Sialia Mexicana
  41. ?? beetle galleries

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#52HikeChallenge, birding, Citizen Science, General Blog, lichen, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

Too Cold and Too Windy, 03-01-23

Oh my gosh, my friend Roxanne and I had such a rough time on our walk at Mather Lake Regional Park. It was about 34ºF and so windy we could hardly hold our cameras steady.

When we got to the park, we were surprised by how much water was on the landscape. There were puddles everywhere, some of them very large, and ponds where ponds had never been before. It must have POURED there.

We were also surprised to see so many felled. Entire areas were bereft of trees, and the tules and scraggly overgrowth were cut down and/or hauled away. It opened up the view, but I couldn’t help but wonder how many species were displaced by the aggressive culling of the trees and plant life.

There were hardly any birds to see, even on the lake, and I sure the intense wind and cold were partially responsible for that. It was so cold that it was difficult to get our hands warm enough to manipulate our cameras. And the wind kept knocking our cameras to the side when we tried to take photos. I was surprised that ANY of my photos turned out well and weren’t just big blurs.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

Because the weather was so unforgiving and the place was pretty much devoid of wildlife, we only walked halfway up one side of the lake before heading back to the car. It was a most disappointing trek. I don’t remember another walk that felt so… unsuccessful, so fruitless, so futile.

What was funny, though, was: when we got back to my house, there were about six different species of birds in the front yard including a Northern Flicker, a Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Mourning Doves, Audubon Warblers, House Sparrows, and others. There was more going on in the yard than there was at the lake. Hah!

This was walk #7 in my #52HikeChallenge for the year,

Species List:

  1. American Coot, Fulica americana
  2. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
  3. Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis
  4. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
  5. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis [den and sign]
  6. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  7. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  8. Brown Jelly Fungus, Leafy Brain, Phaeotremella foliacea
  9. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  10. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  11. Coyote Brush Bud Gall midge, Rhopalomyia californica
  12. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  13. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
  14. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  15. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  16. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
  17. Grebe, Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  18. Hooded Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza fallax [with soredia]
  19. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
  20. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
  21. Live Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Summer, asexual generation, Amphibolips quercuspomiformis [spiky ball]
  22. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  23. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  24. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
  25. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  26. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  27. Oak, Coast Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia
  28. Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  29. Powdery-Margined Cryptic Shade Lichen, Physciella chloantha
  30. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
  31. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  32. Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca
  33. Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  34. Sparrow, House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
  35. Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
  36. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  37. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
  38. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
  39. Willow, Salix sp.

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#52HikeChallenge, birding, Cancer, Citizen Science, galls, General Blog, lichen, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

Lots of Deer on a Birding Trip, 02-22-23

Around 9:00 AM this morning I headed out to the Gristmill Recreation Area for a walk even though my cancer was making my left leg hurt a lot (around a 7). I was hoping the movement would help to unbind the affected muscles in my thigh and hip area, but it actually started to make it worse. So I only stayed out there for about an hour.

In that hour, though, I saw quite a bit. There was a huge Bay Tree that was in bloom., the only tree in bloom besides the Almond Trees in the park. The Boxelder Trees were starting to push out their leaves and catkins, and the Mugwort plants and Manroot Vines were starting to come up.

The willow trees were all starting to “pussy” getting their early catkins. On the Arroyo Willows there were the old galls of the Willow Rosette Gall Midge, Rabdophaga salicisbrassicoides. They were all silvery black with age.

I saw a few birds including Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Lesser Goldfinches, Bewick’s Wrens, and a Nuttall’s Woodpecker. I also caught sight of a Red-Shouldered Hawk sitting in the top of a tree with her breast to the morning sun. I saw it just as a group of birders further back on the trail behind me saw the bird. One of the birders with a huge camera on a tripod tried moving in closer to the tree to get some pictures of the hawk. I was able to get one shot in before the bird, spooked by the approaching birder, flew away. The birder was still moving and didn’t get any photos.

I went back to the car and took some pain pills and waited for a few minutes before heading over to the nearby American River Bend Park. By the time I got to the park the pain pills had kicked in and I was able to walk more freely.

The first critters I encountered at the park was a bachelor group of Wild Turkeys. During this time of the year their coloring is especially brilliant. I know some people consider the birds a nuisance, but I think they’re such handsome birds.

There were also deer all over the place on both sides of the road: does, yearlings and bucks. Most of the bucks were younger ones, spike bucks and 2-pointers. But among them was a large 4-pointer (going on 5-). He was stunning.

When I was getting a video snippet of one group of the deer, I saw something zooming back and forth in the grass, and I didn’t know what it was. When I got a better look I realized it was Black-Tailed Jackrabbits chasing one another. I got a video snippet of one of them dashing around.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

There were Pipevine plants starting to show off with their calabash pipe flowers and heart-shaped leaves. They’re the precursors of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars.

Among the birds I saw were a Red-Shouldered Hawk, a Western Bluebird, Oak Titmice, Audubon’s Warblers, Acorn Woodpeckers [one of them chasing a Nuttall’s Woodpecker out of its granary tree], and a Northern Flicker. In the water, I saw Common Mergansers, Crows, Common Goldeneyes, a flock of Bufflehead flying over the river, Mallards, gulls, and a small Spotted Sandpiper.

On the other side of the river I watched some Great Egrets fighting over fishing spots, and a Belted Kingfisher nattering angrily at a pair of Canada Geese that decided to float through its fishing grounds.

As I was leaving the park, I came across a Eastern Fox Squirrel that was “bathing” itself on the perch of a tree stump. It was soooo cute!

I was out in the park for about 3 hours, so I walked for a total of 4 hours on this excursion. It was fun, and wonderful to be outdoors, but it was also very wearing and I crashed when I got home. This was hike #6 in my #52HikeChallenge for the year.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. Almond Tree, Prunus dulcis
  3. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  4. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
  5. Bay Laurel, California Bay, Umbellularia californica
  6. Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
  7. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  8. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  9. Boxelder, Box Elder Tree, Acer negundo
  10. Bufflehead Duck, Bucephala albeola [flyby]
  11. Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [tan to brown apothecia]
  12. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
  13. California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
  14. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica 
  15. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  16. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
  17. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  18. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  19. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  20. Common Chickweed, Stellaria media
  21. Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula
  22. Common Merganser, American Common Merganser, Mergus merganser americanus
  23. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  24. Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  25. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger [rusty belly]
  26. Flies, Black-Margined Flower Fly, Syrphus opinator
  27. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  28. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  29. Gull, Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
  30. Gull, Larus sp.
  31. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
  32. Mallard Duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  33. Manroot, California Manroot, Bigroot, Marah fabaceus
  34. Mistletoe, Broadleaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron macrophyllum
  35. Mosses, Bonfire Moss, Funaria hygrometrica
  36. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  37. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  38. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  39. Oak Apple, California Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
  40. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  41. Oak, Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  42. Oak, Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  43. Powder-Edged Speckled Greenshield , Flavopunctelia soredica [pale green, lots of soredia]
  44. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus elegans
  45. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  46. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
  47. Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
  48. Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus [heard]
  49. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  50. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
  51. Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus
  52. White Horehound, Marrubium vulgare
  53. Willow Rosette Gall Midge, Rabdophaga salicisbrassicoides [on stem]
  54. Willow, Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis
  55. Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii

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Travels of a Certified California Naturalist

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