September 17 2020 and a note
On this day I visited both Zuma Canyon and Nicholas Flat. The heat and dry conditions are very evident on the trails. Zuma Canyon seems to have been hit hard as the habitat is definitely in pretty poor condition. Years ago this had a stream nearly year round. In the last few years, it has been nearly nonexistent except for 2019 when we had the great rains following the Woolsey fire.
However it was not completely bleak. There were probably a hundred broomsage plants blooming. Unfortunately, they were attracting hundreds of western honeybees. I looked in vain for other pollinators. There were a few but it was difficult to find them. I did find one interesting beetle on the buckwheat which I've highlighted here.
From there, I went to Nicholas Flat. I expected the pond to be almost dry but it looked quite good. It also had at least three big stands of water smartweed blooming. Surprisingly there were very few birds on the lake. Perhaps it was the time of day, but in general, I'm finding fewer birds out on the trails lately. I don't know if it has to do with the massive migratory bird deaths or just a general decline.
That being said, I have also noticed that though there are completely dead spots where nothing seems to be thriving, there are also hotspots where there is a lot of life. I didn't see a whole lot on the regular trails at Nicholas Flat but I wandered off on an animal trail and found 6 species of butterflies and a variety of other pollinators in addition to much more bird activity in just fifty feet of trail or so. My most interesting finds of the day is a beautiful collops beetle. And it was nice to see the resident northern harrier again.
On another note, I know we mentioned the decline in marine life and tide pool life as well as people's behavior with regard to marine life. I don't know if any of you saw this but they finally are starting to address the problem at White Point.:
The last time Chris and I were there a few months ago we found the behavior of others atrocious. Unless they start coming down hard on people, I guess this will continue.
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Kuvat / Äänet
Mitä
Amerikansinisuohaukka (Circus hudsonius)Havainnoija
naturephotosuzeKuvaus
Nicholas Flat
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Thanks again Susan for the lovely discourse. I've been wondering the same about the seeming lack of birds, but maybe it is the time of year as well. Nice shot ofd the harrier. I've only seen one once up in the eastern Sierra.
As for White's Point, I did see that am so thankful some people were charged. Crossing fingers they get the message...
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