+Team Gecko Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 Love the recent photo posts of the little male Kestral. Here's another local raptor, a White-tailed Kite spotted near San Elijo Lagoon (GC8D8). -GD Elanus leucurus Kiting Quote Link to comment
+Team Gecko Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 (edited) Saturday, 30 January 2010 One of several migratory Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo regalis) spotted yesterday overhead and stalking on the ground near Eagles and Hawks over the Grasslands GC1X8ND. Some B. regalis are dark morph adults but most are light, like this one. I was out here for the weekly "Hawk Watch" organized by the Wildlife Research Institute. In addition to Ferruginous Hawks, using spotting scopes we saw two Golden Eagles, multiple Red-tailed Hawks, and a Burrowing Owl, not to mention dozens of TVs. Ferruginous overflight Edited February 1, 2010 by Team Gecko Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Pot-bellied Pig (Sus scrofa) 2 yr old "Blubber" Pirates Cove (GC1FRB8) Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Visits to Famosa Slough have always left me perplexed. Kiosks are well supplied and reports of great birding experiences abound. Short, muddy trails are ringed with ropes and countless re-vegetation signs. Today, I took a loop trail that ended abruptly so I doubled-back for a bonus find (without a GPSr) in the Famosa Series. No luck there, so I made my way over to a bench. As I sat and pondered why this place is so popular, a Hummingbird was flying back and forth, chirping loudly in the trees behind me. I walked forward to pick up a feather, and as I stooped down, it zoomed past in a territorial display. While I was re-positioning to get a shot of it through the limbs, I notice a nest inches from my face! I’d never have found this well camouflaged container on my own. I was so surprised I almost forgot to check inside. Anna’s Hummingbird lays one to three eggs in a cup nest of stems, plant down, and feathers, bound with spider-webs, and placed on a level twig. There is an incubation average of 16 days by the female. Young fledge 18 to 23 days after hatching and are cared for by the female one to two weeks after fledging. Stay tuned Can you spot the nest above? Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 (edited) Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Visits to Famosa Slough have always left me perplexed. Kiosks are well supplied and reports of great birding experiences abound. Short, muddy trails are ringed with ropes and countless re-vegetation signs. Today, I took a loop trail that ended abruptly so I doubled-back for a bonus find (without a GPSr) in the Famosa Series. No luck there, so I made my way over to a bench. As I sat and pondered why this place is so popular, a Hummingbird was flying back and forth, chirping loudly in the trees behind me. I walked forward to pick up a feather, and as I stooped down, it zoomed past in a territorial display. While I was re-positioning to get a shot of it through the limbs, I notice a nest inches from my face! I’d never have found this well camouflaged container on my own. I was so surprised I almost forgot to check inside. Anna’s Hummingbird lays one to three eggs in a cup nest of stems, plant down, and feathers, bound with spider-webs, and placed on a level twig. There is an incubation average of 16 days by the female. Young fledge 18 to 23 days after hatching and are cared for by the female one to two weeks after fledging. Stay tuned Can you spot the nest above? Travelita, That feather you picked up, put it in your cap as a reward for being so observant and patient. Nice work. The Cache Critter shots that you and Gecko Dad post are about the only thing left of what once was lively social interplay on our local Geocachng threads. Edited February 3, 2010 by SD Rowdies Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Stay tuned Feb 5 Feb 6 The End Quote Link to comment
+jahoadi and john Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Stay tuned Feb 5 Feb 6 The End Oh no! My heart is broken. I hate sad endings to happy threads. That sucks quite frankly! poor little egg. OBTW we learned at the Roughneck Rendevous that hummingbirds collect the webs of black widows to help make their nests... Quote Link to comment
+Silver Horde Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Let's hope that it was early enough in the season for the hummer to make a new nest and try again. Very sad but great photo journalisim. Nature raw etc.! Jane Edited February 7, 2010 by Silver Horde Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Sorry to hear about the humming bird. Here's a Green Heron who showed up at the zoo one day. He's one of the many "freeloaders". Look for more bird pics to come... if you guys like 'em. Click the image for a larger pic. Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Mandarin Duck - click image for a larger pic Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Victoria Crowned Pigeon - New Guinea Click the image for a larger pic Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Bird pic of the day... African Lesser Flamingo Click image for a larger pic... Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Blue Heron Click image for a larger pic... Quote Link to comment
+FlagMan Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Blue Heron Click image for a larger pic... GREAT pics, D!! Keep 'em coming!! Are you taking all these shots from your bus?!? Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Ha. Talking and driving at the same time is just about the limit for me! Just getting a few pics on my lunch break here and there. D! Bird pic of the day... Blue Heron Click image for a larger pic... GREAT pics, D!! Keep 'em coming!! Are you taking all these shots from your bus?!? Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Red-crowned Crane Click images for larger pics Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 White-breasted cormorant I caught a fish, it was this big! click the image for a larger pic Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Bird pic of the day.... African Spoonbill Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Sulawesi Hornbill Quote Link to comment
+Winkster Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 The seven legged spider protecting the Snow White cache. One leg per dwarf!! Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 (edited) Ha. Talking and driving at the same time is just about the limit for me! Just getting a few pics on my lunch break here and there. D! Bird pic of the day... Blue Heron Click image for a larger pic... GREAT pics, D!! Keep 'em coming!! Are you taking all these shots from your bus?!? Took me fore-e-v-e-r to find this old shot. Originally posted October 6, 2006 Edited February 16, 2010 by SD Rowdies Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Red-tailed Hawk "Amazing Grace" (GC1P7A9) Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) Bird pic of the day... Iris Lorikeet Edited February 17, 2010 by Duncan! Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Cattle Egret Monkey of the month.... Wolf's Guenon Quote Link to comment
+Duncan! Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Bird pic of the day... Long-tailed Hornbill Quote Link to comment
+Team Gecko Posted February 21, 2010 Author Share Posted February 21, 2010 (edited) Saturday, 1/30/2010 Here is another Ferruginous Hawk. This closeup was taken during a Hawk Watch presentation. It is a recovery bird and is not presently free flying as was the wild individual in my previous post. -GD Ferruginous Hawk Edited February 22, 2010 by Team Gecko Quote Link to comment
+Team Monkeyboy Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 (edited) Team Monkeyboy- Very nice to see a new species posted to the Critter page. Thanks for sharing your photo. Where was this Black Rat Snake discovered? Information about the closest GC your were near would be appreciated. They aren't indigenous to California. The Texas Ratsnake (Pantherophis obsoletus) looks similar to your specimen but they live on the western prairie quite a bit east of here (i.e. Kansas). There is another Eastern species, the Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta) encountered in the eastern U.S. If local, this is a real mystery. -Gecko Dad Update 12/1/2009: I see from Team Monkeyboy's profile/found caches that this critter probably hails from Ohio. My sincere apologies... I didn't realize that the forum was area-specific. I see now that it's for "San Diego County"... I was originally linked from an outside website. Yes, the black rat snake was spotted in Ohio.... Feel free to delete the previous posts and this reply, again with my apology. PS - BEAUTIFUL pictures!!! Edited February 24, 2010 by Team Monkeyboy Quote Link to comment
+Team Gecko Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 Wednesday, 3/3/2010 The Robb Field Osprey pair has been sharing egg watch on the nest for several weeks now and we might be in for some hatchlings before the end of the month. Here is a photo from back in December when they were still working on the nest. (12/15/2009) Male on left, female on right (12/24/2009) Male showing extraordinarily long legs Two weeks ago, they were taking turns sitting on eggs and time-sharing fish. (2/17/2010) Male just returned for a fish hand-off and female is leaving for a recess snack Rather than continuing to fill up the critter page, I am maintaining an online collection from this season on my Flickr pages. -GD Quote Link to comment
+Silver Horde Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I know that this is a critters forum but I wonder if anyone knows what flowers these are. We saw them while caching above Santee Lakes. Cache was Lake No. 5 GC1CYGA TIA Jane Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) I know that this is a critters forum but I wonder if anyone knows what flowers these are. We saw them while caching above Santee Lakes. Cache was Lake No. 5 GC1CYGA TIA Jane Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria biflora Lindley var. biflora.) See also GC118VK in west MTRP near Clairemont Mesa Blvd. trailhead. Edited March 7, 2010 by SD Rowdies Quote Link to comment
+Silver Horde Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) Thank you! It may be a while before we (thirsty ladies) get over there at this rate but I'll remember to look out for them. I guessed fritillaria as we have a purple version in the uk but could not spell it!! googled lily but too many choices! Did not notice the smell! Jane Edited March 7, 2010 by Silver Horde Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) Thank you! It may be a while before we (thirsty ladies) get over there at this rate but I'll remember to look out for them. I guessed fritillaria as we have a purple version in the uk but could not spell it!! googled lily but too many choices! Did not notice the smell! Jane Google or Bing for "Chocolate Lily" and you should get many responses, one instance below. There's coverage on Wikipedia as well. Chocolate Lily images Delightful plant and it surprised me to find them in MTRP and now your find in Santee. Should be a great year for wildflowers and wildlife. One of our best wildflower hikes is the section of Pacific Crest Trail starting at Kitchen Creek Road crossing and then northward toward Cibetts Flat Campground. Of course the flowering events are spread through from spring until autumn so it's easy to miss some varieties. Lots of rain means lots of critters and so lots of snakes. Good year for photography I'll bet. Edited March 7, 2010 by SD Rowdies Quote Link to comment
+Let's Look Over Thayer Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Tube-less Bison observed near Buffalo Patties -- GC23JYW Quote Link to comment
+Chuy! Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I've had encounters with five snakes in six days. 1st up was last Wednesday at the Band-Aid cache. The pic is small, but the rattler was huge and mean. It have very distinctive black/white tail tip before a 5-6 segment rattle. On Thursday, almost stepped on this sleepyhead at a Travelers cache in Lake Poway. Same day up the hill at RS-Lake View #2 was this baby rattle basking in the sun. Today I met two non-venomous snakes at Minnewawa Trl behind Thousand Oaks. This one was about 4-5 feet long and it hissed at me when I touched it's tail with my hiking stick. Was only able to take a pic of the heine end. This little guy was on the road and I tapped it get it going. Also, on Thursday, I picked off over 40 ticks in Perfect Sunrise area between Iron Mtn and Dos Picos. Yes, I forgot to DEET myself. Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) I've had encounters with five snakes in six days. 1st up was last Wednesday at the Band-Aid cache. The pic is small, but the rattler was huge and mean. It have very distinctive black/white tail tip before a 5-6 segment rattle. On Thursday, almost stepped on this sleepyhead at a Travelers cache in Lake Poway. Same day up the hill at RS-Lake View #2 was this baby rattle basking in the sun. Today I met two non-venomous snakes at Minnewawa Trl behind Thousand Oaks. This one was about 4-5 feet long and it hissed at me when I touched it's tail with my hiking stick. Was only able to take a pic of the heine end. This little guy was on the road and I tapped it get it going. Also, on Thursday, I picked off over 40 ticks in Perfect Sunrise area between Iron Mtn and Dos Picos. Yes, I forgot to DEET myself. Ah yes, as predicted ... rain = seeds and feed, seeds and feed = critters, critters = snakes. Already a great year for snakes and, by the way, for poison oak. Edited March 30, 2010 by SD Rowdies Quote Link to comment
+Team Gecko Posted April 4, 2010 Author Share Posted April 4, 2010 (edited) 31 March 2010 Osprey pair is now a family of five. Have been monitoring and photographing the female and male since early November. Based on changes in behavior at the nest, it is likely the eggs hatched between 3/12 and 3/15. I was out of town last week so my first viewing of the new hatchlings was on 30 March. Mom keeps bringing new branches to build up a guard rail that makes it pretty tricky to see the new arrivals. She is also tenderly feeding all three, good news for the last to arrive since they are often neglected or badgered by the older siblings. First two photos were taken in the morning from north of the nest. Third was an afternoon visit viewed from the west. BTW, the male does all of the fishing at this stage. -GD Family portrait Three open mouths A delicate landing Edited April 4, 2010 by Team Gecko Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 We just called 'em Horny Toads. Middle of the trail basking in the warm sun. Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 On the way back from checking on the Osprey Fam at Robb Field, I tracked a noisy flock of Parrots to a tree near Dusty Rhodes Park. Quote Link to comment
+rjbloom & co Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Today by the Ace of Hearts in San Elijo Hills, I saw this fabulous Red Diamondback snake It was so menancing, I thought I heard scary music playing in the background: I hardly ever see snakes when I cache, this might be only the fourth or fifth, and the first Red Diamondback. It was large! Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 (edited) San Diego River ...and not a snake in sight! Edited April 14, 2010 by travelita Quote Link to comment
+SD Rowdies Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 San Diego River ...and not a snake in sight! Delightful! Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 April 16 Pin feathers of Osprey chick. Quote Link to comment
+Let's Look Over Thayer Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 A lizard that we spotted while caching in Malibu Bluffs State Park Quote Link to comment
+Let's Look Over Thayer Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 First of two rattlers that I saw today. #1 was a Red Diamond lying in the trail on the way up to Light As A Feather (GC23FVR) Quote Link to comment
+Let's Look Over Thayer Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 And here is Snake #2, a Southern Pacific Diamondback that was lying in the trail heading toward Home Sweet Home (GC22DQ8) Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Osprey Chick Wing Action 4/20/10 Osprey Chick Test Flight 4/21/10 Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 (edited) April 7 April 8 April 19 Curious about whether or not the stadium lights were on under the nest, I swung by after a night caching trip and caught the juveniles flapping in the rain. Although there is continual noise from planes on the takeoff flight path, crowds at softball games and equipment used at the recreation center below, the three juveniles only perk up in response to a siren or rainfall. April 21 Rapidly growing juveniles make for a crowded nest. Today the female parent flew over toward <<< A GREAT BIRD WATCHING SPOT >>> (GC17NF7) returning just three minutes later to deposit a small fish. Perched just outside the nest, she continually turns to watch as her young feed themselves. The previous days visit, I observed as she constantly fed her young for more than an hour. Edited April 22, 2010 by travelita Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 April 23 First time I’ve seen photogs here. Odd to see them leave before the light play. If only I had their equipment. Cool catching the male and female adults together on the nest. One photog I spoke with was dubious about my seeing one fly so early. He’d heard someone saw poop-proof flying out the center of the nest on 3/19. Since he’d been watching 2 or 3 times daily and had seen nesting action at Robb Field for the past five seasons I got online and did the math. Still think it’s a fledgling that flew and I invited him to check out geocaching.com and the forum. Info from outdooralabama.com Ospreys are capable of breeding at 3 years of age. They pair and mate for life and may use the same nest year after year. Incubation process takes approx. 40 days. Within a month the chicks reach 80 percent of their adult size. The young fledge between 48 to 65 days of age and soon afterwards take their first flight and begin to hunt on their own. The parents still provide food for several weeks. The young migrate individually and are independent of adults by migration time. Some Osprey have been recorded to exceed a life span of 20 years. Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Bumble Bees and ... Quote Link to comment
+travelita Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 April 26 Wing Action Fans here and there. April 27 SR Library Picnic Quote Link to comment
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