Animal Tracks Under an Overpass

Under the overpass of Sorrento Valley Boulevard above Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, there were many more treasured footprints including my first clear bobcat prints. There are also some bird and raccoon tracks evident. I am still trying to figure out the very small sets of tracks. If you can identify, comments are welcome. 

 

Bobcat

             

Raccoon

Small deer? over cricket

Mouse?

Mystery feet

Tracking the wild beetle, earthworm, and snail

 
Recently, we went on a tracking "expedition" starting at the west end of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, San Diego, CA. Right under an overpass,  we found numerous tracks. The top two photos are perhaps of darkling beetles. The middle two show the trail of an earthworm. We estimated one trail to be about seven feet in length. Why would an earthworm cut across a dirt trail? It definitely leaves a distinctive mark, but I would not have imagined this creature was the creator.

Lastly, the trail of a snail! To get this photo, I had to stand in the middle of the road to protect the animal from being run over by the numerous trail bikers cruising along, oblivious to the life forms crushed beneath their wheels. After I moved a short distance down the trail from the worm, it was immediately hit and left writhing on the ground. At least, it is immortalized here on this page.

NB: The following comment was made on FB regarding my guess that the trail in the top two photos was made by a beetle. They could also be tracks of a cricket according to K. C. "Crickets tend to have the middle feet sticking out perpendicular to the trail, rather than at an angle like beetles. That's why I think it's a cricket rather than a beetle." 

Palomar Mountain State Park, California - The Weir

The Weir (1)

I've been collecting photos of my favorite local mountain retreat over several years. In 2012, Palomar Mountain State Park was scheduled for closure by the state of California. I am so grateful that with the help of many individuals like my family who were willing to put up funds to keep the park maintained, Palomar Mt. State Park managed to stay open.  Then there were the "discovered" funds that helped to bring back all the state parks. Today, we can continue to visit this special spot nestled in the forests of San Diego County. 

The "Weir" is my favorite spot to "hike" to - I say "hike," but it's actually a short 1.2 mile up and down walk along a gently flowing stream to reach this historic spot, travelling through pine, spruce, and oak, out into a small sunlit patch of "beach" near a stream crossing, continuing on to a small cove-like area (see above) which perpetually changes with the month and season. 

This shot was taken in November 2009 in the late fall. As you can see, the fish pool was nearly dry.

In the second photo, you can see how the look of the place can vary depending on the year, too. This shot was taken two years later but about the same time of year in the fall. It looks like we got quite a bit more rain in 2011, or it else it just wasn't as hot in the early fall.

The Weir (2)

In the next set of photos (3), you can see the Weir in the winter. There is still color there, but it is subtle. I lucked out because the sky was clear and bright with some wispy clouds. That wonderful light created outstanding reflections in the Weir.

In the last set of photos (4), you can see the Weir in summer green. Verdant. As you view the Weir in different seasons, I hope you will want to visit and  know this small mountain paradise better. Enjoy the photos! Get up here and see it with your own eyes.

I will be putting up some more photos, to give you an idea of the wildlife you might see or encounter on the trail and what other areas of the park look like.
   

         
      

The Weir (3)

The Weir (4)