City Nature Challenge Day 2

3:15am: The two first hours of sleep on the auditorium floor were rough and very uncomfortable. Then I put my lunch box under my knees and it was heaven (or just exhaustion maybe). When my alarm went off at 3:15, I just wanted to grab a hammer and smash my phone. But reason prevailed and I got up. Soon the excitement of knowing we would be walking through the tide pools in just a few minutes took over. Flashlights, headlights, camera, phone… Let’s go. It is a bit surreal to be in the tide pools in the dark. Walking around is extra challenging. The big surprise was the sheer amount of shrimp. Those are in hiding during the day, but a lot of them were out. The largest ones went into hiding when they saw the light but the smaller ones readily stayed out. We also saw a small octopus who was just hunting and not worrying a bit about our flashlights shining around. What a treat. As the tide came back up, we headed up the hill again. Some of us needed to get ready for the bird walk and other for the herpetofauna survey.
But first, @cjackson opened up his moth trap to reveal a great diversity of beautiful night flyers. We took photos and let them go. That was so special!!
We ran into the amazing Dana McLaughlin who was leading a group of students through small mammal processing technics. It’s all in the art of scuffing after you bag it up. Then let them go. It was special to see a big woodrat up close.
While @thumbwave headed to the bird walk where he found 18 different species, two herp groups headed by @steph_taylor and Kristen went out to check 7 arrays around the park. Our group went back down below (coastal side) to check four arrays. It was all worth it to see a pair of Orange-throated Whiptails who fell in the same bucket (great to compare both sexes), a California Swollenstinger Scorpion and a California Trapdoor Spider who didn’t care for our intrusion.
After this magical 24 hours, it was time to go back home for a meal and some much needed rest, or so I thought… until my husband suggested going to one of his favorite spot off Kitchen Creek Road in Pine Valley. Well, twist my arm. I thought “what would BJ do?” And I knew the answer to that one. My husband packed his trail angel cooler full of goodies for PCT hikers while I showered and lunched. And just like that, we were on the road heading east. I woke up as we exited the freeway and soon we parked at the trail PCT trail head.
This is a truly spectacular section on the iconic trail. The hikers were in for a treat. The blooms were gorgeous.
A favorite observation was of a sand wasp carrying and burying a prey. Thanks for @matthias22 for the ID and the behavior explanation! I always feel so fortunate when I witness an event like this one. Right time, right place: very satisfying :)
Going down to the river and seeing Rebman’s Silverback Fern for the first time was a treat. And since we are on the subject of Rebman, don’t miss @jrebman ’s talk at Mission Trails Regional Park on June 11th. More details here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/san-diego-county-plant-atlas/journal/66423-field-class-june-11-with-jon-rebman
On the way back it was great fun spotting Dracotettix monstosus, it’s all in the name for this big funky grasshopper. And as the day slowed, it was time for the bees and sawflies to snooze and what a better place than a nice soft bloom to serve as a comfortable bed.
On that note, we headed home for a spectacular night sleep. I slept straight through the morning.

Posted on May 25, 2022 04:14 AM by patsimpson2000