coffearobusta42's Favorites

I was walking westbound on High Marsh Trail, almost where it crosses the West Fork Swede George Creek. I first heard loud rustling, below by the creek dry bed. I couldn't figure out what that could be so I took out my phone, then the bear came out from under some branches by the creek bed. I took a few pictures and a short video. The bear walked a few feet where I could see it, then it turned around and went back under the branches. It didn't seem to care I was there, even though I was chanting some mantras (I'm a Buddhist). The pictures are not great, we just see its backside but on the video one can see clearly it's a bear.

Rather incidental and coincidental that my camera was handy. Ran under a fence, across the road I was driving, ran a bit more, paused and continued running till out of sight.

Subspecific ID based on being within 3 miles of a genetic sample site and reasonably north of the detailed hybrid zone (Sacks et al. 2010, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-010-0053-4; Sacks et al. tech report, http://mecu.faculty.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/491/2017/11/The-Native-Sacramento-ValleyRedFox_2010.pdf; Sacks et al. 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04943.x; Black et al. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21556).

I foind little seemingly succulent plant on an arid scree on the Olympia peak area of Mount Diablo. The suggestion is spring beauty but that doesn’t seem right. Someone said it’s tincture flower, but I can’t find that name.

Lucked out and spotted this mama bear and her uniquely-colored cub heading downhill for a drink in one of the few remaining pools of water in the local creek. The sow is mostly black with an auburn tinge, while her cub has a light-brownish "honey blonde" outer coat with a cinnamon-brown color underneath. First Black Bears that I have been able to photograph in this area in about 20+ years; they are always too far away or too fast for me to get good photos. Private Property - No Public Access.