June, 2011
This is a collection of observations made while doing field work at Boggs Lake in Lake County, California. We were focusing on the nesting behavior of Western Pond Turtles, but we also saw loads of other great wildlife at this Nature Conservancy site. Note: some of these dates might not be exact, but all wildlife was seen during the month of June.
6/15: The field team made a bunch of good finds this week, including Button’s Banana Slug, Ring-necked Snake, Common Garter Snake, California King Snake, and a couple of North American Racers.
I also saw a good variety of birds throughout the month, although I didn’t take photos of most of them. I was very pleased to see a pair of Virginia Rail in the tules along one of our routes along the side of the lake (the one opposite the dock). I think they might have been nesting – there was a portion of the season when they were very vocal any time I would walk nearby. A pair of beautiful Ash-throated Flycatchers were often seen in the far wooded meadow area, where they may have been nesting. Spotted Towhee, Red-winged Blackbirds, Wild Turkey, and Acorn Woodpecker were often seen, while American Coots were more often heard than seen from where they swam amongst the tules (Hardstem Bulrush).
One of my more memorably moments happened when I was in the little parking area. I heard a woodpecker calling nearby, but couldn’t quite place the call, so I pulled out my iPad to listen to calls in the Sibley guide. I was surprised to discover that it was a Pileated Woodpecker; I didn’t realize that they even lived in the western United States! I still wasn’t entirely sure of the ID, but less than a minute after I played the call, the bird flew right over my head. Definitely a pileated woodpecker! (Probably drawn closer by the song on the iPad). I heard them a number of other times during the season as well but didn’t see another at the field site this year.
6/21: Another California King Snake made an appearance on this day. Throughout the month, we also had the good fortune to be able to watch a pair of California Quail nesting in some tall grass near the edge of the lake. Quail with babies were also seen (not from this nesting pair, but babies that had hatched a bit earlier in the seaon). A gorgeous Red-veined Meadowhawk was found near the tules. Around this time, we also found a dragonfly nymph (some sort of Darner). Western Fence Lizards and loads of Sierran Tree Frogs are also commonly seen. And I’m not certain about the date, but a Devastating Grasshopper was seen at some point during the field season.
I also had a different type of wildlife adventure . . . some time up in a tree (maybe a Ponderosa Pine)! We had a tree blind set up beside the little meadow where the turtles often exited the pond, but up until now, I’d been afraid to climb up and sit in it. (I have a fairly intense fear of heights). But I decided to conquer it, and conquer it I did! I climbed all the way up, and sat in the blind for about an hour and a half, watching turtles. I can now get in and out without any hesitation, and being up in the tree doesn’t make me feel sick to my stomach. I actually really like it now. Working on my fear of heights, one tree at a time.
6/28: Later in the month, we had some cool, rainy days. On these days, we don’t expect the turtles to leave the pond to lay their eggs, but some of the other wildlife is still active. We found two gorgeous, HUGE California King Snakes. Usually, these snakes only barely tolerate being handled, but on this day, they seemed quite happy to hang out with me indefinitely (probably because I was warmer than the ambient temperature).
6/29: One of the most exciting sightings of the month: a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake tucked under some fallen wood very near the edge of the lake. I wasn’t able to get any really good photos, but it was a great sighting, and I was pleased to have seen this snake without causing it to flee.
6/30: This was a sad find: a Big Brown Bat laying dead in the middle of the grassy area near the lake. Some of the characteristic vegetation we saw here includes various species of Manzanita, Madrone, Pacific Poison Oak, and Ponderosa Pine.
And of course, there were Western Pond Turtles. Lots and lots of turtles. We found more than 35 gravid females this season, and located 36 nests or nest attempts. (The number of nests is larger than the number of females because some females made more than one attempt before successfully laying their eggs). Here’s a selection of the gorgeous gals we found this season.
Species List
Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos), Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus inornatus), California Quail (Callipepla californica), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura aura), Brown Creeper (Certhia americana), Northern Raven (Corvus corax clarionensis), Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus abieticola), American Coot (Fulica americana americana), Oregon Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus), Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi), Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), American Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus), Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens rufescens), American Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans semiater), Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina thalassina), American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura marginella), Button’s Banana Slug (Ariolimax buttoni), Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus), Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), California King Snake (Lampropeltis californiae), Western Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon), Red-veined Meadowhawk (Sympetrum madidum), Darner sp., Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus), Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp), Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Pacific Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Hardstem Bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus), Sonoma Chipmunk (Neotamias sonomae), Alligator Lizard (Elgaria sp), Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer), Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), Sierran Tree Frog (Pseudacris sierra), Devastating Grasshopper (Melanoplus devastator)
Let me know what you think!