my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[Robert]

Ian,

Things have more or less closed down for the winter here in our part of California. Cold weather brings dormancy to the high elevations, dry condition and cool weather brings things to a stop in the lowers elevations. Now that the autumn/winter rains have started many plants are starting into growth again in the lower elevations regions.

There is always so much to see, even in the winter with snow and cold.

I am sure it is no different at your patch.

[Chris Johnson]

It was a warm day yesterday but not the temperatures reported by Robert. A dull start with not much wildlife showing at first apart from teal and black headed gulls on one of the pools. In the afternoon a breeze started and a couple of marsh harriers were seen quartering the area, hoping to flush prey. Pink footed geese were heard, then seen flying in. More fungi were seen on this visit, most of which were small. No deer were heard and it may be the end of the roaring season here. Several redwings and blackbirds were stripping a hawthorn bush of its berries in great haste. This is the first sighting of redwings this Autumn, for me. A cettis warbler was singing repeatedly from cover but as usual, it was not seen. I went to look at the area where the fire was earlier in the year. The Juncus has been replaced by Molinia, at least for the time being. A contradiction was a meadow pipit in a tree. Walking along a track I became aware of something coming towards me, flying very low. It was a sparrow hawk which veered off just before it reached me and perched low down in a tree. Unfortunately there were too many branches for a good photo. A water rail called from a deep ditch but I was unable to find it. There were several red admiral still flying and also dragonfly and darters. In a wet area I flushed three common snipe. Two cranes flew past in one area. As I was leaving a roe deer was seen near a track and ran a few yards then stood behind some heather watching me.

Slime mould.

Small yellow fungi on peat, with gills.

Small red fungi on peat with gills.

Tiny fungi on peat with gills, less than 1/4"

Hi Ian

I've been away for a fortnight so just catching up on some threads.

1. Not a slime mould but one of the jelly fungi: Yellow Brain Fungus or Witches Butter (Tremella mesenterica)
2. Yellow Fieldcap (Bolbitius titubans)
3. A Waxcap (Hygrocybe sp.)
4. Mycena sp.

[Chris Johnson]

1. A black faced darter, Sympetrum danae, on fungi.

This fungus is also Yellow Fieldcap (Bolbitius titubans).

It starts life with a conical cap, bright yellow (see out of focus image in the top right) then opens out like a parasol and quickly fades. However, it retains the primrose colour of the stipe (stem) and the centre of the cap.

Nice photo.

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Chris for the IDs. Yes Robert, it is closing down for winter here also. Some Autumn scenes.











A beautiful day today. Bright sunshine and clear views with not enough breeze to ruffle aspen leaves. The first bird seen was a stonechat by the track. I then went to look at a dam installed earlier in the year to slow down water movement. As I walked towards the dam I flushed a roe deer and a woodcock. The dam was holding back about 18" of water. We had quite a lot of rain in the last two nights. In another area I flushed a snipe and then sat watching a kestrel hovering. A buzzard and a marsh harrier were hunting in another area. A mixed flock of tits and goldfinches were searching for insects in willow bushes near a small lake. A jay was calling in a small wood and also a great spotted woodpecker. The deer seem to have gone quiet now and are probably hiding during the day. I met two bird watchers who had been looking for adders earlier in the day, without success and were hoping to see the short eared owl. By that time it was getting towards dusk and had turned fairly cold. Birds seen today were-stonechat, woodcock, wood pigeons, buzzard, marsh harrier, crows, teal, lapwings, reed bunting, wren, kestrel, common snipe, mallard, coal tit, great tit, blue tit, goldfinch, goldcrest, robin, long tailed tit, jay, blackbird, redwing, moorhen, great spotted woodpecker, and a pair of widgeon. Also seen was a small flock of herring gulls.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

Here is an example of my art work. Don't laugh! 

Does it look like Layne's Ragwort, Packera layneae?

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, I looked at the Calflora site for the plant. Looking at the photo. there the leaves seem to be narrow and slightly toothed? Your drawing is much better than any of mine. Maybe there is some variation in leaf shape between plants in different areas. I see it is endemic to California.

[Robert]

Ian,

I drew my picture based on a plant that I saw by the side of the road near the village of Rescue, California. Rescue is more or less at or near the base of Pine Hill; one can easily see the top of Pine Hill in the Rescue area. Pill Hill has a number of rare and endemic plant species that grow in it's vicinity. Layne's Ragwort is one of them. Wyethia reticulata, Ceanothus roderickii, Calystegia stebbinsii and Fremontodendron  decumbens are a few others, however there are more. There is extremely strong pressure from development in the area. A fairly large area is protected from development. Enforcement of the law is not very good (mostly off-road vehicles), but the rare plants are surviving.

And yes, Layne's Ragwort can have both entire of slightly toothed leaves.

I don't know that my drawings are any better, but I do make field drawings all the time. Some things are just too small for my camera to take a good photograph (i.e. the details of some lichens for example). Sometimes it is just fun to draw something.

[ian mcdonald]

Today started out bright and sunny but it clouded over by lunch time. There was a stiff breeze blowing and this seemed to be keeping the birds down under cover. I went to see an area which had been an "experimental area" in the past (about the late 1970s). Vegetation had been trans-located to this site to see if it was viable to move plants to a bare area and hope they would grow there. The site is covered with hares-tail cottongrass and small birch shrubs. Due to waterlogging it did not seem safe to explore. I don,t know which species had been put on the site. While I was there I had a good view of a male hen harrier hunting low over the surrounding wetland. On a path I flushed a snipe, which called then landed about 50 yards away. It is said that common snipe call when they are flushed and then fly quite a distance before dropping down again. On the other hand it is said that jack snipe do not call when flushed but drop down again close by. This one must have been confused. Birds today were, teal, reed bunting, blackbird, marsh harrier, wren, sparrow hawk, hen harrier, pheasant, fieldfare, snipe, wood pigeon, moorhen, lapwing, long tailed tit, crow and mallard. Also seen were 7 female red deer and a young stag, which ran from trees and across the track I was on. The first image shows a pool and rainbow before the rain reached the site. The second picture shows the flooded area I went to look at. This area looks like a grass field when viewed on an aerial image.

[Robert]

Ian,

I am curious, how is waterlogging unsafe? Is there quicksand? or while wading through the water there are unseen ledges with much deeper water beyond? or maybe it is just no fun getting wet on a cool, cold, damp, windy day? Clearly something I do not understand.

Regardless, it is always enjoyable to get out. 

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, the site is peat and although the water may not be too deep in some areas, the waterlogged peat can hold a person due to suction. Recently a tractor went on to wet (not waterlogged) peat and became stuck. Another tractor went to pull the first tractor out and that also became stuck. It took a machine to pull them out from a safe distance. It may be possible to cross wet areas wearing waders but it would be a big risk. Not something to do if you are on your own without help and a rope. Best to keep to the tracks. This means that a botanical survey will only cover a percentage of the area.

[Robert]

Ian,

Thank you for the explanation. We, more or less, do not have peat conditions like you explained in the Sierra Nevada. Much of the land where my grandfather farmed near Brentwood, California is peat. During the 1930's even the caterpillar tractors could get stuck. My father told me a story where one caterpillar tractor got stuck to the top of its treads, the caterpillar that came to rescue it also got stuck. I do not remember the rest of the story, but it must have been a mess. I can understand why you want to stay out.

By the way, the peat land around Brentwood also burns. It is very difficult to extinguish.

[ian mcdonald]

Today was dull and windy but mild. I went to look at an area where there are several deep ponds. Apart from a few mallard nothing else was seen here. There were two female marsh harriers quartering the area to the east of the ponds. Along a track I noticed a long tailed tits nest in a hawthorn bush. The nest was easily seen now that the leaves are off the bush. The nest seemed to be made from grass and the outside was covered in small leaves, see photo. The entrance was near the top and moss could be seen inside. A small flock of goldfinch were seen feeding on the seeds of teasel. Later I saw a sparrowhawk flying low along another track. A single roe deer was feeding on another path in the distance. On a small lake I noticed a goosander with a flock of mallard. It was starting to get dark at about 3.30 so I called it a day. Three of the deep ponds.

[ian mcdonald]

field mushroom.


Geastrum triplex?

Also seen were, teal, black headed gull, lesser black backed gull, robin, crow, marsh harrier, wren, fieldfare, great spotted woodpecker, mallard, magpie, goldfinch, sparrow hawk, wood pigeon, reed bunting, long tailed tit, blackbird, goosander, shoveler, and a roe deer.

[Chris Johnson]

Yes, Geastrum triplex. Common in England but increasingly scarce the further north you go.

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Chris, I wondered about the "mushroom" at the time I found it. It is on a "soil" bank under elderberry bushes. It seemed a bit late in the year for field mushrooms. They looked like mushrooms, peeled like mushrooms and smelled like mushrooms but I would not eat them. I use the old saying, when in doubt, don,t.