Week #21 Foraging Water Birds
Watch as these elusive wetland-loving birds explore the muddy creek bottoms and pools this summer.
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Dragons of the Sky
August 10, 2022 It has grown quieter out in Little Lake Valley. The territorial singing of the adult birds has mostly stopped and made way for the interesting sounds emanating from the bills of juvenile birds. Some are learning their mother’s songs while others are communicating hunger, fear, and many other emotions. The pollinators are…
Read morePublic Tour and Nature Walk August 19th Friday Willits Valley Mitigation Lands
Week #20 Elegant Herons and Egrets
This Great Egret and Great Blue Heron are taking advantage of the shallow pools of water along the drying up creeks, picking off crayfish and other invertebrates.
Read moreRiparian Corridors: Rich Biodiversity
August 2nd, 2022 What are riparian corridors and why are they important? This is an important topic to be talking about at this point in the summer because looking out at the mitigation lands, it is the riparian corridors that are green and relatively lush with plant life right now. When I am out walking…
Read moreWeek #19 Terrific Towhees!
Watch these California resident birds forage and hop around in the dry vegetation. The buzzy call of the Spotted Towhee is prominent.
Read moreThe Spotted Towhee and the California Towhee
July 18th, 2022 The summer days are so lovely in the mornings. Cool and clear blue skies get me out early to see what I can. There is still birdsong out there, but it is definitely waning and is being replaced with the sound of juvenile birds begging for food, calling to their parents or…
Read moreWeek #18 Jumping Chorus Frogs
Watch these Pacific Chorus Frogs move and disperse through low vegetation during the last few days of wet weather!
Read moreThe Interesting and Common Pacific Chorus Frog
With these wonderful summer rains, I have been seeing an abundance of juvenile Pacific Chorus frogs, or treefrogs as they are called. Everywhere I walk in Little Lake Valley, I must watch where I step because they are hopping through the tall grass and the edges of the creeks and wet meadows. Sometimes I am…
Read moreWeek #17 A Common Merganser Family
Watch this Common Merganser mother navigate the creeks of the Willits Bypass Mitigation with her growing ducklings. Mergansers dive under the water for small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Look for the Merganser swimming under water at the end of the video!
Read moreThe Common Merganser
June 29, 2022 One of the many projects I am involved with on the Willits Bypass Mitigation Lands is installing video cameras in locations where we can capture some wildlife activity. This duty is shared with my colleague and awesome wildlife observer, Jacob Stubberfield. He has taught me a lot about how and where to…
Read moreWillits Mitigation Lands Public Tour/Nature Walk – July 23
July 23, 2022 We will be looking for signs of wildlife, (such as Tule Elk, American Beaver, birds etc.) and looking at native plants. Spots are limited. To RSVP and for more information contact marisela@mcrcd.org
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