joerich's Journal

I have been thinking that I need to keep a better journal about my nature wanderings, both physical and mental.

I have come up to Coyote Pond almost everyday for a week now. I saw a rat scurry under a ledge about a month ago when walking on the middle trail, the one below the ridge top and I set a trail camera on it. The first time was just overnight and I got a photo of a upper portion of a rodent https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214418884 but was not able to identify it. So I put it back for about four days and it took about 850 photos, of which only a few were of critters and the great majority was taken when the sun shine through the trees creating moving shadows in the wind. I have put it back out and will leave it longer this time. I have set the timer so that it only takes photos from after sunset to about noon, when there is no sun shining in the field of view.

I have also observed the many many California Buckeyes along the top of the ridge and along the bottom trail, the Enchanted Trail. On the first trip there were many Ichneumonid Wasps mostly on the California Buckeye https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214268020,https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214268022. However, when I went back on subsequent days I did not see any of these wasps, which I find strange.

I have seen three California Pipevine Swallowtails in the area, two of which I was able to photograph https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215572651, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214672746. This makes me believe that there are California Dutchman's Pipevine in the area. I have searched both sides of Orchard Creek above Coyote Pond under the area of dense trees and have not found any. However, there are large parts where I cannot search due to the dense brambles in the understory. As an aside, I have planted a single Pipevine plant and it has started to put on leaves. More on this in another issue.

So, now to the Western Honey Bees (WHBs). There is a large area of California Buckeye in bloom (I will have to use the mapping function on my GPS to determine the actual area) and several areas of blackberry Brambles on which there are thousands of WHBs but I find very very few other pollinators such as Yellow-faced or California BBs. One area of brambles I have watched is an area at the upper end of the dense wooded area along Orchard Creek (this area https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215317906). The bramble area is a triangular patch about 105 feet by 50 feet or roughly 300 square yards. I also estimate that there may be 5 WHBs per square meter, or 1500 WHBs (there seem to be more) but only maybe two BBs. But the other thing I notice is that a BB will land on a flower but only stay for a very brief period when I have seen them on isolated flowers away from the patch spend longer. I believe this is the threat that WHBs pose to our native bees.

While searching the understory for the Pipevine plant today I heard a soft Great Horned Owl call, then another. I estimated which tree it could be in and walked out from under the trees. I saw a shadow which I thought could be the owl, took some pictures, then started to take a circumferential route about the tree. Immediately the "shadow" moved behind some dense leaves, telling me it was the owl. I left it at that point and went back under the trees. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215774451

And I saw a coyote. I saw one a week or so ago on my morning walk, but this one I was able to photograph. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/215774447

And I got a flat tire on my bike and had to push it home. All in all, a good day.

I walked the field east of the South Creek trail which runs Twelve Bridges Drive to Wilson Park today. It appears that maybe the city will not have sheep grazed this field this year - I don't know if that is good or bad but the Round-Tooth Ookow will have a chance to seed. I looked for Yellow Mariposa Lilies today -they bloomed about two weeks ago - and I was able to find only two seed heads. I don't know what pollinates these, but it seems as if they were not very successful. There were also large patches of Bird's'-foot Trefoil on the field - however, I stood in these patches for many minutes and saw very very few pollinators. There were several Western Honey Bees but I saw only one small bumble bee and only one other bee which may be an Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/217780552 and no hover flies. I would think that there would / should be many more and I am quite worried.

I walked the field east of the South Creek trail which runs Twelve Bridges Drive to Wilson Park today. It appears that maybe the city will not have sheep grazed this field this year - I don't know if that is good or bad but the Round-Tooth Ookow will have a chance to seed. I looked for Yellow Mariposa Lilies today -they bloomed about two weeks ago - and I was able to find only two seed heads. I don't know what pollinates these, but it seems as if they were not very successful. There were also large patches of Bird's'-foot Trefoil on the field - however, I stood in these patches for many minutes and saw very very few pollinators. There were several Western Honey Bees but I saw only one small bumble bee and only one other bee which may be an Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/217780552 and no hover flies. I would think that there would / should be many more and I am quite worried.

I now have three trail cameras out. One on the north bank of Orchard Creek just west of the low water bridge on South Creek Trail, on a small beaver dam pointing into a small opening in the reeds. A second on the south bank of Orchard Creek West of Oak Valley Drive. And I just put out a third today on the north end of the field east of South Creek Trail in some tall grass and reeds pointing at a small game trail I found. This one could be interesting because it is too small for raccoon but appears too large for voles.

On my early morning walk this morning I came across a Marsh Wren nest in the cattail reeds along the trail just west of Oak Valley Drive. I tried to photograph it but it was a little far off the trail and I could not get a good shot through the reeds. There was a Wren about calling so the nest may be occupied and I do not want to disturb the Wrens, so I will return at a later date.

Yesterday I retrieved the two of my trail cameras yesterday on Orchard Creek. The one which was just west of the low water bridge on Twelve Bridges Dr. to Wilson Park trail had about three hundred plus photos, many of Beaver and Mallards and a few other critters. I posted some of the observations. And, as a bonus, as I was retrieving the camera I was fortunate and got some photos of a Mourning Cloak butterfly. I say I was lucky because it fluttered around much before landing and I was unable to get a photograph. It landed on some tall sedge where I could just barely get some photos, then it took off and was gone over the cattails.

I also got a California Bumble Bee on Harvest Brodiaea. I think this is the first pollinator I have seen on Harvest Brodiaeas. Where are the pollinators?

I failed to format a new micro SD drive in the other trail cam which was just west of Oak Valley Drive and got nothing.