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TRAIL NOTES Jasper Ridge

5 of us gathered Monday morning at the Escobar Gate to walk and talk and explore. We took the fire-road to Trail 9, up that trail to Trail C and took that to where it intersects with Trail 9 again. I was the only one who had been on Trail C before.

Observations made were all those flowering plants mentioned from last week (19) plus the following were in bloom: Chaparral Clematis, Manzanita, Blue Nightshade, Hillside Gooseberry and Redberry.

Also noted was one Brush Rabbit and 6 or 7 caterpillars of the Variable Checkerspot on their favorite food plant Mimulus.

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve

Escobar Gate – Fire-road F – Trail 15 - Fire Road F- Trail 9 – Fire-road
F return

The fire-road had standing water in many places. While on the western part
of the fire-road the wind began to blow so hard that my eyes started
tearing such that it was hard to observe so turned my back to the wind and
returned.

OBSERVATIONS

5 Black-tailed Deer as a group near the entrance gate.

BIRDS: Downy Woodpecker, California Scrub Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, unknown
Swallow species, Northern Flicker, Acorn Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Western
Bluebird, Lesser Goldfinch, Common Crow, Wrentit, California Towhee,
Red-tailed Hawk

BUTTERFLY: Common Buckeye

TRAIL NOTES. AUGUST 13, 2018. CHARLESTON SLOUGH
9:05 a.m., sunny/haze, light wind. Spotting scope and iPhone

Killdeer, Black-neck Stilt, Ring-bill Gull, Western Gull, Mallard, Marbled Godwit, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Sanderling, Starling, Canada goose, White Pelican(150+), Double-crested Cormorant, Forster’s Tern, American Crow, Northern Mockingbird, Lesser Goldfinch, Mallard, American Avocet, Black-crowned Night Heron, Anna’s Hummingbird, Savannah Sparrow, White-tailed Kite, Barn Swallow, Willet, Long-billed Curlew, Turkey Vulture, Great-Blue Heron, Pie-billed Grebe, House Finch

Grindelia, Dodder, Blue Elderberry, Sweet Fennel
END: 11:20

AUGUST 12, 2018
LOCATION: NORTHEAST corner of the house

I made a portable camera stand by placing a 4 foot 3x3 post into a gallon+ size plastic plant pot and then filling with a wet mortar and gravel mix for weight. I was then able to place the post close to the spot I wanted to photograph. This was a stone pot planted with succulents one of which had sent up three flowering spikes. I had noticed hummingbirds visiting the flowers and so set up the camera there.

I left the camera there for 4 days with the following results: 128 photos total of which approximately 100 were of Anna’s Hummingbird, female; 2 Dark-eyed Juncos, 3 Black-tailed Deer(on other side of fence and about 28 human photos including me. Will post selected hummers, juncos and deer to iNaturalist.

BAIR ISLAND, REDWOOD CITY CA
August 1, 2018

After leaving my car at the service center on Industrial, I crossed over the freeway and enter Bait Island Preserve, part of the Don Edwards Wildlife Preserve, currently under restoration after decades of being a wasteland, literally. Most of the work is done and the task ahead is to restrict the exotics and are trying to take over and to let Nature work her magic.

Observed: Black Phoebe, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Common Crow, Long-billed Curlew, Rock Dove, Cliff Swallow, Ring-billed Gull, Marbled Godwit, Great Egret, Killdeer, Snowy Egret, Sanderling, Starling, Canada Goose, White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Forster’s Tern, Common Raven. Possible Pygmy Blue Butterfly that feeds on Alkali Heath, Cabbage Butterfly, a number of flowering plants that are unknown but submitted to iNat.(2 versions of Wild Radish, California Poppy, Coyote Brush (male in bloom), Alkali Heath, Common Spikeweed).

2.6 miles from Service Center to northern platform and return. Approx. time: 1 hour 45’

May 31. After visiting the camera once, just to check to see if anyone had made off with it, I returned to pick it up today. I found the camera to have pivoted and was looking out at mostly the ground but found that something, possibly a squirrel had hit it not very long ago. Over 1200 photos on the card: people, Black-tailed Deer, Coyote, Virginia Opossum, Eastern Grey Squirrel, Fox Squirrel, American Robin, Mallard, domestic horses, CA Towhee, CA Ground Squirrel, Brush Rabbit. Need to set time delay for next photo. A sequence where the deer had played down right in front of the camera and every time she moved a picture was taken. A very good sequence of coyote and opossum. (Coyote, Coyote with opossum in mouth, coyote laying with opossum((you can see the opossum’s eye reflection under the resting coyote, and finally coyote gone and the opossum walking away)

It has been two years since I first wrote about the restoration of Bair Island and the wildlife there. My walk today was a total of two miles plus a little more while havig my car serviced. The changes are dramatic from two years ago with tidal flooding over much of the now flat landscape. Gone are many of the invasive weeds bur only to be replaced with many different invasives such as thistle. But it still looks much better to the eye. I was hoping for a Jackrabbit or two but saw none but lots of rabbit scat.
High tide; light wind; overcast; 60º Walked trail from entrance off Whipple Ave. to San Carlos Interpretive sign. In speaking to a worker there is a report of the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse being spotted in the area which slows down work considerably.

Species seen: Double-crested Cormorant; Snowy Egret; Canada Goose; Killdeer; Rock Dove; Sanderling; American Avocet; Red-shouldered Hawk; Ring-billed Gull; Great-blue Heron; American Crow; Sparrow species; Blackbird species; Northern Mockingbird; Mallard; Savannah Sparrow; Willet; Turkey Vulture; Short-billed Dowitcher; Great Egret; Mourning Dove; House Finch

April 10, 12:00 Noon; exchanged memory cards. Downloaded 546 photos. Preliminary list is: Dusky-footed Woodrat, Virginia Opossum, Brush Rabbit, Western Fence Lizard, California Towhee, California Quail, Hairy Woodpecker,, Fox Squirrel, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Steller’s Jay, Black-tailed Deer. Will leave camera in present position until end of April. Recon Escobar canyon for next placement, either on hillside road or near drainage at bottom

April 22; collected camera from the Los Trancos location. Add Bobcat and Domestic cat to the above list and another visit by a deer. Also fairly certain of one Western Gray Squirrel. Now have approximately 1200 photos from that location on the external hard drive. New location not determined yet but will be within the Ladera community and in a drainage area where the slope of the hills is too steep for building thus creating a natural wildlife corridor.

MARCH 26, 2018
LOCATION: Moved the camera to to a new location near Los Trancos Creek. I pinned the location on Google Earth. Easy to see location with an overhead view. Camera attached to upright trunk looking over horizontal trunk and looking towards the creek, not Alpine Road. Baited with Bacon fat rubbed into bark in several places and with strawberry chunks scattered along surface. First check will come midweek. Plan to leave it till end of April at this location.
37º24’64” N 122º11’32.74” W
March 29 changed storage disk; 184 photos. Dusky-footed Woodrat, 64; Virginia Opossum, 39; Western Gray Squirrel, 6; Hermit Thrush 2; , Spotted Towhee 2; Fox Squirrel, 8; Brush Rabbit 2 . Unknown bird (possible Golden-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow) 3. Replaced with 32 GB storage. Saving all photos for Hadley Lab IF they want them. Also, makes it easier to spot changes when you scroll through the photos.

MARCH 24, 2018
LOCATION: Northwest corner post of fence, attached to post aimed into neighbor’s yard.

37º23’.37”N 122º12’12.51”W
RESULTS: 200 Photos. Removed from position since tree pruner was going to be working in area. Eastern Gray Squirrel: 94 images; Domestic Cat: 12 mages in two sequences; Bobcat: 8 images in one sequence; Woodrat: 2 images, one sequence; Black-tail Deer: 76 images. Woodrat images suggests that rodent images in previous session were Woodrats. Posting three of these photos