Not all Black Bears are Black

While up in Sequoia National Park (NP) last month, we learned that not all black bears are actually black in color. However, all the bear scat we encountered was black!  The big cinnamon-colored bear was the first that we observed from a distance of about 50 yards, and we followed it as it moved down a tree-covered slope. Minutes later, it came out into the open on some large boulders near water. From there we lost sight of the bear, but it seemed to be moving downstream toward the Lodgepole campground.

A few days later we saw this female bear (No. 65) with two youngsters. As you can see, these two also have brown coats. This family of bears foraged in the meadow for a long time, causing a major traffic jam in the park as people stopped their cars in the middle of the road and jumped out to get a photograph or two. The meadow was lush with deep grass (you can see the mother is chewing a huge mouthful), and it was right below the road that runs through the park, opposite the Giant Forest Museum.                          

California Striped Racer + Collared Snake

Photo 1

Photo 2

A few days ago, I saw the tail of a long thin snake twitching outside one of our planters on the decomposed granite (DG). I ran upstairs for my camera (my old digital Kodak Z1012) and was able to get a couple of shots off before the racer quietly slithered off. The snake caught something moments after I got outside to photograph it. The prey looks like another small snake, but it also could have been a lizard. I could see something long and thin hanging from its mouth. However, in the second photograph, I'm unable to see legs on the reptilian form stuck in its mouth. A friend hypothesized that it was another snake, a small collared snake, which in some photos I found online, has the pink to salmon coloration that is visible in the animal being consumed. I did see a very thin coral-colored tail hanging out of the striped racer's mouth after it first struck its prey. I've lived in Southern California all my life, but this is the first striped racer that I've ever seen - and it was in my own backyard!

Encounter between Black Bears and Deer at Sequoia National Park, June 2014

On June 18, 2014 around 4:30 p.m., my husband and I were on the trail from Tokopah Falls near the Lodgepole campground in Sequoia National Park. There was a small gathering of people watching a black bear with her two cubs feeding in a meadow. As I moved up and down the trail trying to get a good angle to take a photograph of the event, my husband elbowed me and said, "Look! There's a deer!" Indeed, the deer was about six feet away from the trail, but the doe was paying no attention to the viewers. Her attention was fixed on the bears, who were now face down, feeding at the base of a large tree. Moments before the deer's arrival, I had heard some soft cries and thought it was the baby bears crying to their mom….

As you can see in the second photo, the adult deer passed very close to the bears as she circled the tree. At first, she was silent, but after a few circles, she started vocalizing. Clearly, she was in distress. Periodically, she would stop looking off to the left of the scene as if she were waiting for reinforcements. No other deer were to be seen during the 20 minutes that we stayed at the site. The next two videos are of the interaction between the bears and deer. Words are unnecessary to sum up this Life 101 event.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Raven taking flight

     

  

Blooming chollas!

Mojave? rattler sandwiched between
two boulders after being startled
by a hiker -
about 3.5' above ground

Grasshoppers and other insects of Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California

Xeracris minimus (Least Desert Grasshopper)

I've been to the desert many times, usually looking for wildflowers, mammals, or birds. However, recently my husband and I walked off trail behind the desert park's Visitor Center, looking as usual for animal tracks or scat. While we did find some of those, we also paid attention to the insects that abound out there. Some of them like this small white-speckled grasshopper (approximately 1.5" long) and the larger-bodied one below were amazingly well camouflaged. This photo isn't mine, but it shows another astoundingly similar camouflage in a totally different form of animal - a reptile.  Mother Nature never ceases to take my breath away.

Unless these grasshoppers were moving or leaping through the air, they were nearly impossible to spot. The large brown grasshopper  blended extremely well with the dried cactus it was resting on.

Near the Visitor Center, we also spotted this very tiny green grasshopper (?) in a palo verde tree. Also, in the same tree were two different kinds of bees. At the bottom on the chuparosa is a black wasp-like or dragonfly-like creature. I've searched for a page that shows photos of insect inhabitants of the Anza Borrego Desert, but I have failed to find an identity for this striking individual.  If any viewer thinks (s)he can identify it, please leave me a comment.

Camels in San Diego?!

Look what I found on the way to Anza Borrego Desert State Park…  I guess I may not have to travel to the Middle East to sample camel's milk.  My students tell me it's very healthy and better than cow's milk.  Back in the day when my kids were little, the San Diego Zoo had camel rides, so they may have some dim memory of the feeling. I didn't do it then, but it seems like I might have a second chance to ride a camel. Whoopee!

Here's a link for information about their tours and camel-handling classes.

Wildlife Tracking in San Diego

Many tracks at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

For a few years now, I've been going out and around San Diego County, learning to read animal signs like footprints, scat, and rubs.  The amazing thing is that after three hours of looking at the ground for wildlife, we come home feeling satisfied with our conquests. What were they? Sets of deer track, deer poop, a coyote scat, woodrat scat, cottontail tracks, and one hind raccoon print. What do these things look like?  Below are a set of random photos from various sites to illustrate some of my sightings. And yes, once in a while you actually see the wildlife! Then you know those pellets really did come from rabbits.

Raccoon at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

Jack rabbit at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park,
behind the Visitor's Center