Category Archives: Citizen Science

#52HikeChallenge, Citizen Science, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

Eagle versus Otters, 01-07-21

I went to Mather Lake Regional Park and walked for about 3 hours.  I was looking for the osprey again, but didn’t find it. I was surprised by other things, though – including a Bald Eagle! 

It was foggy and damp, around 43° when I got to the lake, and the temperature didn’t change much while I was out there. Everything seemed to be made of varying shades of gray and silver and black. I took photos of a couple of kinds of lichen, including Poplar Sunburst, and some mushrooms, including Mica Caps (a kind of ink cap) and Oyster mushrooms.

  • Mica Cap, Coprinellus micaceus
  • Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus

The Mute Swans were out in force on the lake, but I didn’t see the Tundra Swan this time. I wonder if it moved on in its migration. There were also large numbers of Coots, some of them sticking together in large covers while they were feeding on aquatic plants. I also saw some of the usual suspects: Double-Crested Cormorants, Mockingbirds, Canada Geese, Pied-Billed Grebes, and a Great Egret.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

I caught a glimpse of a muskrat as it was swimming across the surface of the water, and also saw about five river otters. The first otter I saw was a lone one, but then I saw a group of four.  All of them were swimming and feeding on the fish they were able to catch. It’s always exciting to see them.  I was hoping they would come up onto the shore at some point so I could get some full body shot of them, but I guess they were too focused on breakfast.  Several of them popped up long enough to look directly at me and snort loudly at my presence.

I was following this same raft of otters in the water, then saw the Bald Eagle over my head in a tree.  Although eagles are historically not uncommon at the lake, they hadn’t been spotted there for years. So, I was very surprised when I saw it. More surprising, though, was when the otters gathered in the water underneath where the eagle was perched and huffed and snorted loudly at it.

  • Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
  • Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Then the eagle swooped down off of its branch and flew low over the water. All of the otters ducked but didn’t fully submerge. The eagle approached one of them and literally raked its talons cross the top of the otter’s head before landing in a tree further down the bank. I didn’t get the impression that the eagle was trying to catch the otter; rather it seemed like it was flicking the otter hard on the head to show it who was boss.  Of course, my camera wasn’t focusing on anything at that moment; all I got was a blur, dang it! [When I got home, I made sure to log my sighting with the River Otter Ecology Project]

Other raptors noted today were two White-Tailed Kites, a Red-Tailed Hawk, and a Red-Shouldered Hawk (heard).

A White Tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus, with a very full crop

Along one part of the trail, I came upon the broken skull of what I think was a small vole. It was alongside some scat that I couldn’t identify because it was too degraded. It might have been from a coyote. I know mink eat voles, but I don’t know if otter eat them as well. The scat definitely looked “mammalian”; not something that was part of a bird pellet.

A small vole skull, I believe

As I was leaving, I came across a man with his unleashed, old, Yellow Lab.  The man was walking back to his car, and the dog was following its owner with a soggy tennis ball in its mouth.  At one point, the dog stopped and put its ball on the ground. The man, realizing that his dog was no longer following him, turned to look at the dog, and the dog started whining loudly and “mouthing words” at the man. 

“No, you can’t go in the water,” the man said to the dog. “It’s too cold. Pick up your ball and come on.” The dog picked up the ball and continued to follow the man to the parking lot. Even as much as I HATE seeing unleashed dogs in public areas, I had to laugh at that exchange.      

I walked for about 3 hours before heading home. 

Postscript:

In response to my “otter spotter” submission on the otter versus eagle moment today, Megan Isadore at the River Otter Ecology Project emailed me:

“…Thanks for that very interesting sighting! I’m not sure if you’ve seen our series on Otter and Bald Eagle at Jenner a couple of years ago? Here’s my favorite shot of the group; the eagle had tried to “share” the otter’s prey, which he’d dragged up onto the rock. The otter prevailed…”

Photo by Bill Barrett…Jenner, Ca.

Wow!

Species List:

  1. American Coot, Fulica americana
  2. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  3. Azolla, Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides
  4. Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
  5. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis [sign]
  6. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  7. Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus
  8. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  9. Bufflehead Duck, Bucephala albeola
  10. California Quail, Callipepla californica
  11. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
  12. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  13. Common Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  14. Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata
  15. Crisped Pincushion Moss, Ulota crispa
  16. Cytospora Canker, Cytospora chrysosperma [bright orange fruiting body, looks like frozen dodder]
  17. Dog, Canis lupus familiaris
  18. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
  19. Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens
  20. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  21. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  22. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  23. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  24. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
  25. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  26. Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus bifrons [white flowers]
  27. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  28. Mica Cap, Coprinellus micaceus [an inkcap, tan cap, dark gills]
  29. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura   
  30. Muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus
  31. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
  32. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  33. Northern Harrier, Marsh Hawk, Circus hudsonius
  34. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  35. Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus
  36. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  37. Poplar Sunburst Lichen, Xanthomendoza hasseana [on Cottonwood]
  38. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  39. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
  40. River Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
  41. Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
  42. Say’s Phoebe, Sayornis saya
  43. Sheet Weaver Spiders, Family: Linyphiidae
  44. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  45. Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
  46. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  47. Star Moss, Syntrichia ruralis
  48. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  49. Water Vole, Arvicola amphibius [skull]
  50. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
  51. White Tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus

Hike #1 of my #52hikechallenge. Miles: 1.32

Citizen Science, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Volunteering

Dos Coyotes, 12-30-20

I got up around 7:00 this morning, and headed out to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk. (And, yes, Vincenzo started right up, so the battery issue is no longer an issue.)

The full moon was still out, but heading down into the clouds on the horizon, so I only got a fast photo of it through a tree in the neighbor’s yard.

Full moon over the neighbor’s house.

I got to the preserve around 8:00 am. It was 33° at the river when I got there, but crept up to about 53° by the time I left. In the shaded areas, frost was still heavy on the ground.

The first thing I saw was a Scrub Jay being harassed by two Yellow-Billed Magpies. I don’t know what their argument was about, but I couldn’t get any photos of them because they were high in a tree among all the stickery branches. What I saw the most of today (besides lichen) were the Columbian Black-Tailed deer.

I counted fourteen deer throughout my walk, including a couple of spike bucks, two 4-pointers and a 2-pointer buck. I was hoping to see some jousting, but no such luck. Among the spikes, I saw two of them with sort of “mirrored” antlers. One had a long spike on the left and a short one on the right, and the other had a long spike on the right and a short one on the left.

I got a few photos of the bucks doing their “Flehmen Sniff” thing, where they curl their upper lip, suck the air and pull the scent into their mouth through their upper teeth to the organ in the roof of the mouth that can parse out the data in the scent: the age of the doe, the state of her health, is she reading mating… Amazing.    

The “Flehman Sniff”

Towards the end of my walk, I came across one of the large 4-point bucks just sitting in a field, in the tall grass, with his back to the trees. Just sitting there, watching all the humans go by. He was quite impressive.

Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Most of the birds were being very elusive – hiding behind grasses or twiglets, or flitting away just as I was focusing the camera on them. The frustrations of a nature photographer.

While I was trying to get photos of a Spotted Towhee, though, two deer walked up behind me on the trail and crossed over to climb a hill on the opposite side. I didn’t even know they were there until they started their ascent. Sneaky! I got a few pix of them just before a young spike buck arrived to sniff the other two deer up. That hillside it pretty steep, so there was no way I could follow them up it, but I did get a few photos of them from the base of it.

There were Fox Squirrels all over the place, eating or hiding acorns, and chasing one another around the trees.

Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger

About halfway through the walk, I stopped at a bench to rest for a minute and saw a sign taped to the bench that warned that it was under surveillance to keep people from vandalizing it. The first thought that went through my mind was, “damn those vandals!”, and the second thought was, “I guess I’d better watch what I do while I’m out here resting,” hah!

When I got up from the bench, I was startled to see a doe and a buck with vegetation stuck in his antlers, racing past me toward another part of the preserve – and a huge, thick-furred coyote chasing after them. Even at her rate of speed, there was no way the coyote was able to catch up with the deer. They were just too long-legged and moving too fast. I then saw the coyote break off and start chasing a jackrabbit, but she wasn’t successful in getting that either. Of course, while all this action is happening, I’m not able to focus on or film any of it.

When the coyote gave up on the jackrabbit, it turned around and came toward where I was, and I got a little bit of video of it through the grasses and trees. The coyote was really panting by then, so I don’t know if she had enough energy for another chase right away.

Later, I saw a real mangy coyote (almost devoid of fur) crossing the rocks near the river’s edge. It’s tail was just a long naked rope trailing behind it. He was NOT a healthy boy.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

Along with the tree and rock lichen I photographed today, I also came across some of the first mushrooms of the season: some Oak-Loving Gymnopus and some Honey Fungus. I was hoping to see some nice Barometer Earthstars, but only found a few very small specimens.

I walked for about three hours and the headed back home.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  3. Bark Rim Lichen, Lecanora chlarotera [looks like Whitewash Lichen but has apothecia]
  4. Barometer Earthstar fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus
  5. Bay Laurel Tree, Laurus nobilis
  6. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
  7. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  8. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  9. California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
  10. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  11. California Sycamore, Platanus racemose
  12. California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
  13. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
  14. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  15. Chinese Pistache, Pistacia chinensis
  16. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  17. Common Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  18. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  19. Coyote, Canis latrans
  20. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
  21. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  22. Farinose Cartilage Lichen, Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
  23. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  24. Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  25. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  26. Honey Fungus, Honey Mushroom, Armillaria mellea
  27. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens
  28. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  29. Lords and Ladies, Wild Arum, Arum maculatum
  30. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  31. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  32. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  33. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  34. Oak-loving Gymnopus, Gymnopus dryophilus [tan-orange with pale gills; cap can be flat or curved up as it ages]
  35. Paltry Puffball, Puffball Fungus, Bovista californica
  36. Pin-Cushion Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona polycarpa [bright orange, apothecia, close, piled]
  37. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus [heard]
  38. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  39. Rock Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia conspersa
  40. Sheet Weaver Spiders, Family: Linyphiidae
  41. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  42. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha [without soredia]
  43. Sunken Disk Lichen, Aspicilia sp. [like crusty patches on rock, tan to black]
  44. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  45. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  46. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
  47. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
  48. White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
  49. Yellow-Billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli
Citizen Science, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Surprises, Writing

Quite a Few Surprises, 12-26-20

Woke up around 4:00 am in pain, and took some meds, but couldn’t get comfortable, so I couldn’t get back to sleep before 6:00 when I had to get up to get ready to go out birding with my friend Roxanne.

We were initially going to go to the Yolo Bypass, then changed our minds but got on the wrong freeway – D’oh! – and ended up instead going over to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area.  The length of the drive was about the same, just in a different direction. As happens sometimes, we saw more wildlife along the highway and in the ag land areas than we did in the wildlife area itself… including over 30 hawks  along the way (mostly Red-Tailed Hawks, a couple of Red-Shouldered Hawks, and a Cooper’s Hawk).

I thought it was going to be drizzly and foggy, but it was actually a lovely day, weatherwise, with intermittent sunshine and lots of poufy clouds.

Along the more rural parts of the highway, we were surprised to find a dirt-filled lot that had Western Meadowlarks and Yellow-Billed Magpies in it, a field that had Tundra Swans in it, and another field that had Sandhill Cranes in it.  The big surprise was seeing a Bald Eagle sitting on the ground in yet another field with Turkey Vultures sitting to one side of it and a small flock of Crows sitting on the other side. All of them must have been there to scavenge something, but I couldn’t see any evidence of what it was that had brought them all there. 

Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus; Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura; and Common Crows, American Crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

Elsewhere, hawks decorated the trees and telephone poles, and more were inside the wildlife area. Most of them seemed to be the ruddy-red “rufous” morph Red-Tails.

There were more vultures throughout the wildlife area, including one that was displaying oddly to another vulture. At first, we saw it bowing in front of the other vulture (which was sitting on a post), with its wings arched downward and its tail lifted up with the tail feathers splayed wide.

Both birds flew off a short distance to other posts where the display continued. After a while, the posturing bird hopped off its post and walked off a few steps where it then sat on its feet.

From the head and beak, I think the posturing bird was younger than the other bird. Its head was still a bit dark and the tip of its beak wasn’t pure bone white yet. I don’t know if the posturing bird was a youngster begging for food or if was trying to initiate courtship or what. I’d never seen anything quite like it.

A young Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura,sitting on his feet after “dancing”

I know that vultures sometimes sit on their feet to conserve heat, but I tried looking up the crooked-wing display in Cornell’s. The only thing I could find was references to courtship and, “…Wing-spreading and hopping also occur during gregarious dance performed by Turkey Vultures in early spring, but function unknown…”

Some of the folks in the Facebook birding groups suggested it was courtship behavior, but I can’t imagine a younger bird trying to court an older one. So I’m still stumped.

Anyway, another surprise of the day was seeing a Red-Breasted Sapsucker in a tree along the auto tour route. And a female Northern Pintail with a band around her leg. I could only see a portion of it, but I reported it anyway.

Northern Pintails, Anas acuta, a banded female and a male.

After we left the wildlife area, we took Highways 45 and 20 back to the interstate. Along the way we stopped at one spot where there was an animal carcass in the road – a newly killed raccoon.

  • Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
  • Roadkill Raccoon, Procyon lotor

There were vultures on the side of the road, eyeing it, and a Red-Tailed hawk on the telephone pole on the side opposite the vultures. Then we saw a second hawk on the ground in the weeds, eating his fill of a part of the carcass he’d managed to pull over there. I took some photos, then quick ran out to pull the rest of the carcass out of he middle of the road to the side of the road, so the birds could eat it later without getting run over by cars.

At another spot, we saw a Red-Shouldered Hawk off a little ways from the road, and stopped to get some photos of it. Rox turned her hazard lights on to make the car more visible. We were only stopped there for maybe a minute, and these guys in a massive truck with an American flag mounted in the bed came up and yelled, “Are you in trouble?”

Rox told them politely, “No.”

“You’re in the middle of the road!” they shouted. You’re on a rise! No one will see you!” [Untrue. They could see us just fine.] “Get out of there!”  [If we had been MEN in the car, they would never have used that tone with us.] I don’t think I would have minded their “bullying concern” if they hadn’t been what I consider right-wing psychos – which are prevalent these days. I’m pretty much burned out on these pseudo-patriots in their gas-guzzling pick-ups waving their flags in my face. I was glad to see them gone.

As we cut through Colusa, heading to the interstate, we stopped at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. There were more geese there than at Gray Lodge: Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese and Greater White-Fronted Geese. Lots of Coots, too, and it seemed to us that the Coots we were seeing all seemed “young” and rather thin. Nothing much else to see there, today, so we headed on home.

A view of the Sutter Buttes from the Colusa preserve

We were out from about 6:30 am to 4:00 pm,9½ hours. A long day, but we saw a lot of different and unexpected things, and that was fun.

Species List:

  1. American Coot, Fulica americana
  2. American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
  3. American Pipit, Anthus rubescens
  4. American Wigeon, Anas Americana
  5. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  6. Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
  7. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  8. Black-Crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
  9. Black-Necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
  10. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  11. Bufflehead Duck, Bucephala albeola
  12. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimu
  13. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  14. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  15. Common Crow, American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
  16. Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata
  17. Common Raven, Corvus corax
  18. Cooper’s Hawk, Acipiter cooperii
  19. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
  20. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  21. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  22. Gadwall duck, Mareca Strepera
  23. Goodding’s Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
  24. Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
  25. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  26. Greater White-Fronted Goose, Anser albifrons
  27. Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca
  28. Green-Winged Teal, Anas carolinensis
  29. House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
  30. House Sparrow, Passer domesticus
  31. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
  32. Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus
  33. Long-Billed Curlew, Numenius americanus
  34. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  35. Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris
  36. Mistletoe, American Mistletoe, Big Leaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum
  37. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
  38. Northern Harrier, Marsh Hawk, Circus hudsonius
  39. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  40. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
  41. Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata
  42. Pampas Grass, Cortaderia selloana
  43. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  44. Raccoon, Procyon lotor
  45. Red-Breasted Sap Sucker, Sphyrapicus ruber
  46. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  47. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
  48. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
  49. Ring-Necked Duck, Aythya collaris
  50. Ring-Necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus
  51. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  52. Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis
  53. Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
  54. Smartweed, Persicaria lapathifolia [white]
  55. Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens
  56. Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
  57. Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
  58. Sora, Porzana carolina
  59. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  60. Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus
  61. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  62. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
  63. White Tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus [kiting over a field]
  64. White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
  65. White-Faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi
  66. White Horehound, Marrubium vulgare
  67. Yellow-Billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli
Citizen Science, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

The Water Mower and an Osprey, 12-18-20

I got up around 6:00 this morning, and was out the door with my friend Roxanne around 6:30.  We headed over to Mather Lake Regional Park. Our last trip there had been so successful, we were hoping for another good day of nature watching…

Before I left the house, I’d let my dog Esteban outside to do his potty thing. As he was coming into the house, I could see movement across the fence across the back of the yard. At first I thought it was one of the neighbor’s cats, but as it drew closer, I realized it was a Striped Skunk! Ignoring me, the skunk proceeded to squash its body underneath the bottom of the fence and disappeared into the neighbor’s yard. Welp, I gotta shore up that spot at the base of the fences, that’s for sure. Hah!

It was in the 30’s, frosty and foggy when we got to the park. We were struck by how “little” we saw in the way of wildlife this time around (compared to our last trip there.) So, the photo album will be a bit thin on this one.

Along with the usual Mute Swans, Coots, and Pied-Billed Grebes, there were a lot of the tiny Ruby-Kinglets flitting through the trees. They’re moving in for the winter months, and seem to be everywhere. But they’re so small and move so fast, it’s really difficult to get any clear photos of them. I’m seeing mostly females, and have yet to get a photo of a male with the red-crown. It’s frustrating.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula

I was upset to see a large machine sitting in the water right near where we think the beaver lodge is, and where the otters like to fish. I didn’t know what it was, and railed about human interference again. But my anger was misplaced. We learned later, when we saw the machine working its way around the stand of tules, and came across one of the workmen who was there, that the machine was a “water mower”.

            “…[It’s] mounted on a pontoon that’s designed for inland water management. The harvester is hydraulically driven to travel through clogged ponds and lakes.The sizeable floating machine has reciprocating blades underwater located on the harvesting head. The blades cut and harvest different vegetation like reeds, weeds and aquatic plant life that’s causing detriments to your lake or pond. Removing plants from a body of water is called aquatic harvesting. First, the weeds are cut vertically, then horizontally, to separate the mass. A harvester removes aquatic weeds about two to three meters below the water’s surface. It also removes algae and other forms of debris that’s built up in the system. Once the weeds and reeds are cut, they move to the conveyor system on the machine’s deck. The conveyor fills over time and stores the biomass, packing it tightly. The vegetation then transfers to your lake or pond’s shoreline or a truck for other uses. If being reused, the plants are pressed to remove any moisture…”

With all the noise made by the mower, the some of the wildlife had left for the morning.            

The workman we talked to was in the truck with the flatbed trailer on the back.  He was waiting for the mower to come up and dump its load on the flatbed, so he could drive it over to a drying area. He said if we walked up over the shallow hill on the side of the park, we’d see all the refuse that had already been set out there. I wanted to go look at the piles to see if there was any aquatic life that had been pulled up with the weeds, but by that time, I had already been walking for several hours, and didn’t have the strength to climb the hill.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

In the trees near the back of the lake, we could see large raptors sitting. One was a White-Tailed Kite and the other one, surprisingly, was an Osprey! I’d never seen an osprey around there before, so that was a cool discovery. Of course, the birds were so far away, I couldn’t really get any clear photos of either of them. Sighting the osprey was a first for this year.  We eventually walked around to the opposite side of the lake from where we were in the hopes of getting a closer look at the osprey. And it did fly in closer – but was completely backlit, so we still couldn’t get a clear shot of it. *Sigh*

None of the photos today were very good of the Osprey, Pandion haliaetus

The lake is stocked with bass, trout and bluegill, and they’re confined in a small area, so that would make for easy pickings for a hungry osprey. I hope it sticks around so we can see it again.

When trying to get closer to some Northern Flickers and a Kite, to get photos of them, Rox took the low road over a field and I took the high road along a graveled path, hoping to catch the birds between us. My photos were not great, because the birds were at a distance from us up in the top of trees, and the Kite took off as soon as I lifted my camera. *Double-Sigh!

Certified California Naturalist, Roxanne Moger, going through the field to get photos of the birds in the trees.

As I was walking along the graveled path, I saw some wild turkeys on the opposite side of a chain-link fence.  They were walking near a large coyote brush bush, and I could hear quail complaining from under the dense bush. Hah!  I never saw the quail, but it was funny to listen to them fuss.  Along that path, I DID see a Downy Woodpecker and could hear a Red-Shouldered Hawk calling, but could get a clear photo of it as it was hidden behind a mass of twigs and sticks.

Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens

In the lawn near the picnic tables there was a flock of Great-Tailed Grackles – and all of them looked like females. We also saw some Brewer’s Blackbirds, Canada Geese and Mallards. 

A female Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus

Much of the trail that leads along that side of the lake looked like it had just been re-cut; it was all naked, rutted and muddy. 

I thought we’d see more lichen on the trees on that side of the lake (on mostly older willows and oak trees), but was surprised to find there wasn’t much. And among what we did see, there was nothing new. I’m feeling an urge/need to find another source of lichen – maybe go up to Kenny Ranch again?

Common Sunburst Lichen, Golden Shield Lichen, Xanthoria parietina; Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata; and Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]

After heading back to the car, we took the long way home, taking photos of birds as we saw them along the road: Meadowlarks, sparrows, a Shrike, and a Red-Tailed Hawk sitting up on top of a mound.  In one spot we saw about fifteen Turkey Vultures “kittling” overhead. So cool.

Not including the drive, I think we walked for about 2½ hours before heading home. It was so clear outside by then that we were able to see the snow on the Sierras along the horizon. So pretty!

Snow on the Sierras

Species List:

  1. American Coot, Fulica americana
  2. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  3. Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus [pink flowers]
  4. Beaver, American, Beaver, Castor canadensis [signs]
  5. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
  6. California Black Oak, Quercus kelloggii
  7. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
  8. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  9. California Praying Mantis, Stagmomantis californica [ootheca]
  10. California Quail, Callipepla californica
  11. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  12. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  13. Common Sunburst Lichen, Golden Shield Lichen, Xanthoria parietina [yellow-orange,on wood/trees]
  14. Cork Oak, Quercus suber
  15. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
  16. Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens
  17. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  18. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  19. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  20. Goodding’s Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
  21. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  22. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
  23. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  24. Holstein Cattle, Bos taurus v Har. Holstein
  25. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  26. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
  27. Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus
  28. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  29. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor
  30. Narrowleaf Willow, Salix exigua
  31. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  32. Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos
  33. Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
  34. Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
  35. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
  36. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  37. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
  38. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  39. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
  40. Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
  41. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  42. Star Moss, Syntrichia ruralis
  43. Star Rosette Lichen, Physcia stellaris [on wood, hoary colored, black apothecia]
  44. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  45. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  46. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
  47. White Tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus
  48. White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
  49. Yellow Starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis
  50. ?? Unidentified orb-weaver spider web

Citizen Science, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

The Deer Were Just Lovely, 12-16-20

I got up around 6:30 this morning and headed over to the American River Bend Park for a walk, hoping to see lots of lichen and the first fungi of the season. I was disappointed to see that all of my favorite haunts in the park had been “bulldozed” and “razed”: fallen trees and limbs removed (along with the fungi and micro-critters were making their home on and under them), grasses mowed down, plants pulled out, some fields overturned (decimating the earthstars)… Soooo sad. Stupid humans. There were gigantic blue trash bin everywhere that interfered with the view in some spots.

The photo of this Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, doe is ruined by the sight of the big blue dumpster in the background.

When I drove into the horse-trailer area, I found that the fallen trees that are usually a great source of Witches’ Butter jelly fungus were all cut up and carried away. *Sigh* — But I did get a glimpse of a large, fat Black-tailed Jackrabbit bounding away from me through the grass.

It was foggy when I first got there, but the fog burned off after the sun had been up for a little while.

Foggy!

As bummed out as I was about not seeing the regular fungus and lichen stuff, I was very happy to see a small herd of deer which included several does, two bucks (3- and 4-pointers) and a young spike buck. I was able to get some buck-and-doe together photos, as well as single shots. They were such lovely creatures!

Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Looking more closely at my photos, I could see that one of the bucks was sporting wounds from a recent fight. A spot behind one of his antlers was torn open and there was dried blood in his hair, running down his neck. The injury didn’t seem to impair him; he was standing tall by the does, and staring down the other buck nearby. Sometimes jousts can be ugly.

Head injury to a 4-pointer Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, buck

Then when I was walking along the trail that overlooks the river, I saw a Great Blue Heron, a male/female pair of Common Mergansers, a tiny Spotted Sandpiper and a Belted Kingfisher.  The water in the river is real low right now (for the spawning salmon) so there are a lot of exposed rocks for the waterfowl to sit on.

CLICK HERE for the full album of today’s photos.

On some rocks next to where the heron was, there was a pair of Common Mergansers, a male and female. A second female approached them, wanting to sit on the rocks, too, but the first one tried to scare her off by gaping at her. The second female just found a different nearby rock to sit on.

Female Common Merganser, Mergus merganser.

Male and female Common Mergansers a are good example of sexual dimorphism: their coloration and feathering is totally different. Females are a dirty buff-color with a white breast, and they have a crested rusty-red head. Males are black and white with a dirty buff-colored tail and a dark iridescent greenish head.

Common Mergansers, Mergus merganser: female on the left, male on the right.

As I headed back to my car, I saw some Western Bluebirds and a Red-Breasted Sapsucker (which I hardly ever get to see).

Red-Breasted Sap Sucker, Sphyrapicus ruber

I ended up walking for about 3½ hours.

Species List:

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. Barometer Earthstar fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus
  3. Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
  4. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
  5. Black Jelly Roll fungus, Exidia glandulosa
  6. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  7. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
  8. Brown Jelly Fungus, Jelly Leaf, Tremella foliacea
  9. Bryum Moss, Bryum capillare
  10. California Buckeye Chestnut Tree, Aesculus californica
  11. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
  12. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  13. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
  14. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  15. Common Merganser, Mergus merganser
  16. Common Sunburst Lichen, Golden Shield Lichen, Xanthoria parietina [yellow-orange,on wood/trees]
  17. Coyote, Canis latrans [scat]
  18. Crust fungus, Byssomerulius corium
  19. Dead Man’s Foot Fungus, Pisolithus arhizus
  20. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
  21. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  22. False Turkey Tail fungus, Crowded Parchment Fungus, Stereum complicatum
  23. False Turkey Tail fungus, Hairy Curtain Crust, Stereum hirsutum
  24. Farinose Cartilage Lichen,  Ramalina farinacea [like Oakmoss but very thin branches]
  25. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  26. Giraffe’s Spots Fungus, Peniophora albobadia
  27. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  28. Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
  29. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  30. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
  31. Lace Lichen, Ramalina menziesii
  32. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
  33. London Plane Tree, Platanus × acerifolia
  34. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
  35. Mistletoe, American Mistletoe, Big Leaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum
  36. Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  37. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  38. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  39. Red-Breasted Sap Sucker, Sphyrapicus ruber
  40. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  41. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  42. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  43. Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
  44. Star Moss, Syntrichia ruralis
  45. Star Rosette Lichen, Physcia stellaris [on wood, hoary colored, black apothecia]
  46. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha [without soredia]
  47. Sulphur Shelf Fungus, Western Hardwood Sulphur Shelf, Laetiporus gilbertsonii
  48. Tree-skirt Moss, Pseudanomodon attenuatus
  49. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  50. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  51. Western Bluebird, Sialia Mexicana
  52. White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
  53. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
Citizen Science, Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, Volunteering

Looking for Spider’s Webs, 12-14-20

I got up around 8:00 am to a very foggy morning, and decided to gout to the Cosumnes River Preserve in the hopes of finding fog-enhanced spider’s webs along their River Trail. I got there around 9:30 and ended up walking for 4 hours (!). I went from the nature center to the edge of the river and back again (about 3 miles).  There’s a truss bridge for the railroad at the end of the trail that crosses over the Cosumnes River where it meets the Mokelumne River.

Union Pacific Railroad truss bridge at the confluence of the Cosumnes and Mokelumne Rivers.

I didn’t see many webs at all – and it made me wonder if there really were fewer spiders out in the summer, as I suspected. I suppose the rain from yesterday could have wiped them out, but then… why didn’t effect ALL of them? No, I really believe we didn’t see as many spiders this year as we have in years past.

Orb-weaver web

And Nature pretty much played “keep away” from me all during my walk. Less than a handful of spider webs, unable to get photos of birds when I saw them including a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet with his red crown flashing and Spotted Towhees, and an otter. Yeah. I saw an otter. It was sitting on the side of the trail near a shadow-covered pool, and as soon as I lifted my camera to get a photo of it, it slipped into the dark water and disappeared.  In another area, a hawk flew right out at me from a tangle of branches alongside the trail, and ducked in behind a tree, so I could only make it out in silhouette. Grrrrr!

I did get quite a few lichen photos, though, and some photos of Fox Sparrows and a Great Blue Heron.

  • Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, and American Coot, Fulica americana
  • Common Sunburst Lichen, Golden Shield Lichen, Xanthoria parietina, and Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha
  • Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

The stand-out moment for the day was being able to see this little Fox Squirrel adding leaves to her nest (“drey”). She didn’t get leaves from the ground, she took them from the tree so they weren’t wet and mushy. She’d place them in her mouth horizontally, and carry them up to the drey to carefully place them inside.

Squirrel drey

 This was all I could get on video. The rest of the tree had lots of crossing stickery branches that made it impossible for the camera to see through them. I liked this bit, though, especially when she looks up over the rim of the drey.

“…The squirrel begins by roughly weaving a platform of live green twigs. On top of this, soft, compressible materials like moss and leaves are added. Then an outer skeleton of twigs and vines is built around the insulated core, and finally, additional material fills in and strengthens the shell…” — NY Times

“…Dreys must protect against the environment, and require constant upkeep to remain water and predator-resistant. Squirrels often build more than one in a season, as reserve nests, lest the primary drey be disturbed by predators or overrun by fleas or lice. Some dreys have been observed in use for more than a decade by multiple generations of squirrels, although the average drey may be used only a year or two before being abandoned. If used repeatedly, squirrels must constantly maintain their drey, replenishing twigs and leaves as necessary. Remnants of an abandoned nest may be visible for years…” — Wikipedia

The easiest way to tell a drey from a bird’s nest is to look for the leaves. Squirrels use a lot of them; birds tend not to use them at all.

All of the other squirrels I saw today were either chasing each other or eating.

Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger, eating an acorn

I was frustrated by the photo-taking but appreciated the exercise… even though I was totally exhausted by the time I made it make to the car. I had been breathing cold air all morning, during my exertion, so my voice was shot for a couple of hours until my vocal cords warmed up enough again.

I got home around 2:30 pm – in need of lunch and my pain meds.

Species List:

  1. American Bugleweed, Water Horehound, Lycopus americanus
  2. American Coot, Fulica americana
  3. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
  4. Black Jelly Roll fungus, Exidia glandulosa
  5. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
  6. Brown Jelly Fungus, Jelly Leaf, Tremella foliacea
  7. Bumpy Rim-Lichen, Lecanora hybocarpa [hoary with black or brown apothecia]
  8. Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
  9. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
  10. California Blackberry, Trailing Blackberry, Rubus ursinus
  11. California Camouflage Lichen, Melanelixia californica [dark green with brown apothecia, on trees]
  12. California Pore Lichen, Pertusaria californica
  13. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  14. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
  15. California Wild Grape, Vitis californica
  16. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
  17. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
  18. Chinese Praying Mantis, Tenodera sinensis [ootheca]
  19. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus [tracks]
  20. Common Pillbug, Woodlouse, Armadillidium vulgare
  21. Common Sunburst Lichen, Golden Shield Lichen, Xanthoria parietina [yellow-orange,on wood/trees]
  22. Cooper’s Hawk, Acipiter cooperii
  23. Crisped Pincushion Moss, Ulota crispa
  24. Crystal Brain Fungus, Granular Jelly Roll, Myxarium nucleatum
  25. Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis
  26. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
  27. Fishbone Beard Lichen, Usnea filipendula
  28. Flat-Topped Honeydew Gall Wasp, Disholcaspis eldoradensis
  29. Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca
  30. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
  31. Gold Dust Lichen, Chrysothrix candelaris
  32. Goodding’s Black Willow, Salix gooddingii
  33. Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
  34. Great Egret, Ardea alba
  35. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
  36. Green-Winged Teal, Anas carolinensis
  37. Himalayan Blackberry, Rubus  bifrons [white flowers]
  38. Hoary Lichen, Hoary Rosette, Physcia aipolia
  39. Hooded Rosette Lichen, Physcia adscendens [hairs/eyelashes on the tips of the lobes]
  40. Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris
  41. Mistletoe, American Mistletoe, Big Leaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum
  42. Netted Crust Fungus, Byssomerulius corium
  43. Non-Biting Midge, Cricotopus sp.
  44. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
  45. Oak Apple Gall Wasp, Andricus quercuscalifornicus
  46. Orb-Weaver Spider, Neoscona sp. [web]
  47. Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus
  48. Pin-cushion Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona polycarpa
  49. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  50. Raccoon, Procyon lotor [tracks]
  51. River Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
  52. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
  53. Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
  54. Sheet Weaver Spiders, Family: Linyphiidae
  55. Shield Lichen, Parmelia sulcata [gray foliose, on trees]
  56. Shrubby Sunburst Lichen, Polycauliona candelaria
  57. Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
  58. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  59. Star Moss, Syntrichia ruralis
  60. Star Rosette Lichen, Physcia stellaris [on wood, hoary colored, black apothecia]
  61. Strap Lichen, Western Strap Lichen, Ramalina leptocarpha [without soredia]
  62. Tree-skirt Moss, Pseudanomodon attenuatus
  63. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
  64. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
  65. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
  66. Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes
  67. White Ash Tree, Fraxinus americana
  68. Yellow Orb Sac Fungus, Orbilia sp.