Spring Outings

 

Before we go back to Bretagne and (maybe) some prehistoric sites, let me invite you to some of the walks I did in late winter and spring. The first signs of spring are usually visible here in February, but even if they're not, I enjoy being out in nature in every season.

The Lakes, end of February

A fisherman and his dog were looking for a good place to fish. It was the dog who draw me into taking this picture, not the guy...

This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) seems to have no problem with this acrobatic display while taking a nap. Can you sleep on one leg - without losing your balance?

This was the first time that I saw a Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) - quite pretty, don't you agree?

Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla - I think) were in the bushes - I usually see them in the colder months. Their song is a bit mournful I think, but I like it and it is very easily recognizable.

A Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans - I think) sat in the bushes by the lake. I'm still not very sure in bird identification, especially with these smaller ones.

And of course I'm always drawn to the light. Late winter offers some interesting contrasts.

Crane Creek, March

I came here in the hope of seeing wildflowers, but I was a bit too early. However, the California Buttercups were already in full bloom and painted the landscape with cheerful yellow dots.

A Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) seemed to enjoy that as well.

We had a very wet winter and I was glad to still see some water in the creeks that meander through the park.

A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis - I think) - well, shit happens.

Crane Creek is full of majestic oaks, buckeyes, California bay and lots of dead and/or crooked trees. It's a paradise for Acorn Woodpecker - and for photographers like me.

Sonoma Valley, early April

In a recent post I wrote that Sonoma Valley almost completely burnt during the October fires in 2017. It is amazing to see how nature bounces back from a nature catastrophe like those devastating fires. 

A European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris - I think - David, please, correct all my "I think"s) greeted us at the start of the paved trail that meanders through the shady valley.

Everywhere we could see dead trees, either remnants of the fires or just natural death occurrence. They look interesting and were just waiting for me to take a picture.

A Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) - my new best friend after I had learned about their ability to "de-weaponize" ticks. 

This is Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), another species I hadn't seen before and was glad to find here in the woods.

The shady path through the valley is perfect for walking on hotter days. 

Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus), a native, was found everywhere! They aren't very tall and dot meadows with their bi-colored petals - blue and magenta, how wonderful is that?

Two weeks later when I was at Sonoma Valley again, the Narrowleaf Mule-ears (Wyethia angustifolia) had turned up in many spots. Another native that is found inland in grassland and meadows as well as at the coast.

The Lake again, April

When I walked the less crowded dirt trails a little bit further away from the lake, I finally saw all the wildflowers I was waiting for.

Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) and Italian Thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus)

Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus)

Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)

This True Cranefly (Tipula luna) was happy to be in the cool shade of the forest.

The lichen on the fence was very much to my liking, however, the French Broom (Genista monspessulana) was not. This plant looks gorgeous, but it is an introduced species that is extremely invasive and can take over quickly. What is even worse, it burns easily and can spread fires rapidly. 

Do you look more closely at tree bark? I do and find this oak bark very interesting. Nature is full of wonders.

No, I wasn't drunk when I took the following picture - the trees really grow like this along this path. Isn't it a bit magical? I wouldn't be surprised if some elves would suddenly appear among the trees.

I leave you with a shot of two Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) resting in a dead tree - our natural clean-up crew. What would we do without them?

With so many bird and flower faces I link up to Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Mother's Day Outing

 

Before we go back to the fascinating standing stones of Carnac, I want to share our little trip on Mother's Day. The Geek and I don't give presents to each other for birthdays etc., but instead opt for outings that we both enjoy. We used to go to Mendocino on Mother's Day, but this year I chose Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park instead. 

This is an extremely photo-heavy post.

This place is not unknown to you - I have written about it before (here and here) and I hope that you won't get bored reading about it again. It is certainly a place I don't get tired of. This was the first time that we experienced it in spring with all the coastal flowers in bloom.

When we had already reached the coast I decided that it would be better to get my big camera, so I trotted back to the parking lot to fetch my camera from the trunk of our car where I had stored it out of sight. On my way back to the coast I came upon this little guy - a Western fence lizard.

Fun fact about this lizard: if a tick infected with the Lyme disease bacteria bites a Western fence lizard, it is not able to further spread the disease to anybody else. I learned this from a local park ranger and it really surprised me (I had no idea about this). Here is what I found on the Internet (thanks to AI): "Western fence lizards play a significant role in reducing Lyme disease risk by acting as a host for ticks and possessing a protein in their blood that kills the Lyme disease bacteria within those ticks. This proteibn, discovered in 1998, effectively clears the infection from ticks that feed on them, preventing them from transmitting Lyme disease to humans and other animals." Pretty cool, huh?

I also noticed White-crowned Sparrows.

My husband, meanwhile, had made himself comfortable on the rocks and was taking a video upon my return. 

What was he filming?

After having watched the harbor seals for a while we walked along the trail which was lined with the beautiful yellow flowering Coastal Bush Lupine.

I was really taken with all the beautiful flowers. Such an abundance!

Clockwise from top left: Hare's Tail Grass, Creamcups, Coastal Bush Lupine, California Goldfields

Clockwise from top left: Varied Lupine, Douglas Iris, Dwarf Brodiaea, Johnnytuck

Clockwise from top left: Checkerbloom, Narrow-leaf Mule's Ear, Sea Thrift, Blue-eyed Grass

Of course there were California Poppies!

The slopes were golden with California Goldfields (such a fitting name) and California Poppies.

California Goldfields with Nuttall's Milk Vetch:

It was quite amazing how little some of these plants need, they were growing right out of the rocks.

Clockwise from left: Scarlet Pimpernel, Sea Thrift, Sea Plantain, Sea Thrift

And of course there was the incredible tafoni (the honey-comb like sandstone) which this location is known for.  These rocks always succeed to amaze and fascinate me.

There are so many of them! This is just a fraction of what we saw.

They are particularly picturesque with some Sea Thrift in front of them. You might have noticed that I'm posting quite a bit of Sea Thrift pictures here - I like them so much (and this is my favorite picture of that day).

The phone camera is excellent for getting into tight spaces and taking some fun photos.

The Geek and I definitely enjoyed this beautiful spot.

Of course there were birds! We saw a few gulls -

Seeing gulls always reminds me of my mom who used to say "Die Möwen sehen alle aus als ob sie Emma hießen" (The seagulls by their looks suggest that Emma is their name) which is actually directly quoted from a poem by German writer and poet Christian Morgenstern (1871-1914). But what excited me even more was the large number of Brown Pelicans that flew along the coast. They are so elegant and graceful.

 

White-crowned Sparrows were our constant companions. We could hear their cheerful song and see them on the rocks and in the bushes throughout the entire time we stayed there. What a delight!

We also saw Song Sparrows (at least I think that's what this little guy is - I hope that David will correct me if I'm wrong).

I puzzled about this shorebird. First I thought it might be an Oystercatcher, but "our" Oystercatchers are black. I consulted Seek and Merlin and both said Wandering Tattler. I admit I have never heard of this bird and again am waiting for David's judgement.

Back to the rocks - some of them were covered in lichen, and I'm not attempting to identify which lichen it is. These are only "might be"s.

Shrubby Sunburst Lichen (Polycauliona candelaria)

Protoparmeliopsis pinguis

Armored Sea-Fog Lichen (Niebla homalea)

I had run the lichens through the Seek app which was recommended to me by a park ranger. The app itself says that there is always the possibility that the results are not correct, so please take this with a grain of salt.

Something else was fascinating - sea salt left behind in the holes of the rocks. 

And did I mention that I love Sea Thrift?

Congratulations, you made it to the end! With all the faces in this post - human, animal, plant - I link to Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Enjoy your weekend!