As we headed out on to the Preserve this day, the ground mist swirled around us and the big oak trees on the skylines were shrouded in fog. Standing still on the ground, we could see tiny droplets of moisture swirling by, the mist was that heavy.
Early morning misty magic on the Preserve. Erin Hauge
It was warmer than it has been, so no frost on the ground, just lots of dew as we moved through the tall, green grasses. As the sun broke through the light was gorgeous, there was a depth and intensity that illuminated everything in a warm glow.
The rich, beautiful light on the Preserve when the sun broke through. Erin Hauge
Onward, for wildlife.
In the Field
Crew member Patrick gets down to business recording field data on a trail camera. Erin Hauge
As we drove out to the first camera, there was still a heavy veil of mist and fog. We came upon a covey of California quail right in the middle of the road! We stopped and watched them, with what looked like the leader of the group standing his ground in front of us while the rest of the mixed group of males and females stood behind him, watching for the next move! They remained there for a minute before flying off into the woods.
California quail in the middle of the road and seen through the low ground mist before the sun came out. Erin Hauge
We saw a lot of spider webs! In fact, crew member Patrick referred to all the spider activity as a ‘spider bloom’ which is a very appropriate term! With the weather warming up and more insects hatching out, it makes sense that there would be more spiders too, to take advantage of food resources. We saw beautiful orb webs, lined with moisture droplets from the heavy mist.
Orb weaver web, be-dewed in the early morning light. Erin Hauge
We also saw lots of funnel-web spider webs. These are very interesting, as the funnel-web spider builds a flat, springy sheet of web area where insects land and get trapped, with a hole in the middle of the web sheet leading to the spider’s burrow. When the spider feels the vibrations of an insect on the web sheet, she darts out of her burrow, injects the insect with venom and drags her prey quickly back into the burrow to consume the meal in safety and also probably to keep other insects from figuring out that the web sheet is deadly!
Funnel-web spider's burrow and the flat web sheet surrounding it used to lure and catch insects. Erin Hauge
Funnel-web spider with a pretty large web sheet! You can see the spider's burrow hole in the middle left of the web sheet. Erin Hauge
The spider bloom was so afoot that when we went to check one of the cameras, a funnel-web spider had made her burrow and web right between the camera and the T-post! With all the moisture in the air, her web was covered with dew droplets and it actually looked like quite a nice abode!
This funnel-web spider thought it would be grand to make a burrow between our trail camera and the T-post! Erin Hauge
After admiring the cool funnel-web, we continued with the card change and camera check and replaced the camera back in it’s casing. We took care to replace the camera without disturbing the web and we’ll see what’s happening there next week!
Crew members Patrick and Erin. Erin appears to be explaining the size of a fish she just caught. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Along the way to one of the other cameras we found what appeared to be some bobcat scat. Bobcat scat feels solid if you press down on it with your foot or a stick. If you break it open, there’s a felty quality to the scat texture. And the scat segments are well-formed, with blunt ends and the piece that exits the bobcat’s anus last usually has a bit of a point to it. We broke this scat open and it was solid with a felty quality. It appears this bobcat may have recently eaten a bird based on the feathers and bone seen here.
Bobcat scat - hard, felty and with clear segmenting. Erin Hauge
We also found some hefty coyote scat on the road as we walked along. This scat is discernible from feline scat because it tends to be formed in longer, twisty segments and there’s undigested hair visible. Also if you press on the scat, either with your foot or a stick, the scat is soft and collapsible. Coyote scat can contain berries and other vegetation as well.
Coyote scat - soft, twisty with visible hair and fur. Erin Hauge
We checked on the wild asparagus that we’d seen growing out by one of the trail cameras last week and to our astonishment we saw that just the tips of the stalks had been nibbled off! The rest of the stalks stood tall and green but the heads were gone. Maybe a cherry-picking raccoon or opossum took a shine to the tender tips and left the stalks for someone else’s consideration?
Who nibbled off the wild asparagus tips? Erin Hauge
Tracking Along
We saw a good buck track with deep register and dewclaws showing, indicating the buck was likely running. Dewclaws aren't usually visible in deer tracks when they're walking. Doe tracks can also display like this if they’re heavier and running. We know that there are several bucks who regularly cross the trail camera in this area and there are a number of does as well so there's lots of sparring, vying for does, and chasing rivals and potential mates. We think this track is from a buck.
Buck track with dewclaws visible. Erin Hauge
We saw some 'great' Great blue heron tracks along the bank of a slough. The track below illustrates well how the rear toe distinctively registers offset from the 3 front toes. Also, the metatarsal pad (the pad in the middle of all the toes) isn’t visible here which is not uncommon on harder mud or drier ground.
Great blue heron track with offset rear toe. Erin Hauge
The track below looks like bobcat, walking along in the soft substrate toward one of the trail cameras that has regularly been getting bobcats. The tracks have a rounder shape than coyote and there are no nail marks. And the heel pad is larger than would usually appear in coyote tracks with no distinct two-lobed curvature at the rear edge.
Bobcat track! Round with a broad heel pad. Erin Hauge
As we came back out onto surface roads at the end of our camera checks we spied a raptor on a phone pole and stopped to identify it. What do you think it is? (Answer in the photo caption.) We got a great view of the banded tail, a distinctive identifier of the species. He or she was spending a lot of time calling repeatedly while sitting on the pole, likely wanting to check in with a parent. We didn’t see any other hawks in the area but this one was quite vocal!
A juvenile red-shouldered hawk sat on a phone pole and called repeatedly, maybe wanting a response from a parent. Erin Hauge
Red-shouldered hawks are easy to confuse with red-tailed hawks until observers get some good ‘raptor time’ in and then the differences begin to sink in and before you know it, you get better at telling the difference between a red-shouldered and a red-tailed!
Be back next week with a report on what's going on after all this rain!
Fun Photo!
Whoa! These two does danced around this trail camera for about 300 images! This one catches a ghostly-looking doe in the background eyeing her companion who is likely getting an ear scratch using the camera and post! Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Critter Camera Captures
Bobcat. A clear image showing this individual's spots and stripes very well. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
It seems like this doe is listening to several things at once. Sound behind her and something to the right. It's possible coyotes were calling or she was listening for the approach of her herd companions. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
A Western grey squirrel - note the grey coat and white underside. These squirrels are tree dwellers and are native to California unlike the non-native Eastern fox squirrels on the Preserve that have more rust coloration. Eastern fox squirrels were first introduced to Capitol Park and now outnumber Western grey squirrels in many areas, competing with them for food and other resources. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Wild turkey tom struttin' his stuff as the hens observe his prowess while foraging. Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Coyote maybe caught shaking out an ear itch or getting rid of a fly? Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Otters scampering by! Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
How many deer do you think are in this picture? Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management
Erin Hauge has been a volunteer naturalist at the Cosumnes River Preserve since 2014. She enjoys staffing the Visitor Center and interacting with the many visitors who stop at the Preserve to learn about the area and take in its quiet waterways, scenic landscapes and accessible hiking trails. She joined the Mountain Lion Camera Project in 2014, then under the direction of the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. In 2015, the project went to all volunteer capacity. Erin became the team leader, and currently directs a committed and exceptional crew on the continuing mission to capture a mountain lion on a Preserve trail camera with valuable oversight and support from the Bureau of Land Management. Erin is a Certified California Naturalist and is currently earning certification as a Field Ecologist.