The New York Times reported
In a rare bit of good news for North Atlantic right whales, a third newborn calf was spotted last Thursday, and the breeding season isn’t half over.
Last year, no new animals were born in a population that spends its calving season along the southeastern coastline of the United States. Their numbers have declined to 411, according to a soon to be released count for 2018
Read full story at 3 Newborn Endangered Right Whales Seen After Year With No Births
Posted in Animals | Tags: North Atlantic right whales
Henry Coe State Park has a new wildflower bloom report for January 23, 2019 at the Pine Ridge Association website with photos and a list of flowers now in bloom at: Henry W. Coe – Wildflower Guide.
California Wildflower Report has the following report
I visited Anza-Borrego Desert State Park this past weekend. There is a really nice bloom going in the Arroyo Salado area east of Borrego Springs on S22 and to a lesser extent in Coyote Canyon where it is still early. There is good germination in several areas of the park (not so much along Henderson Canyon Rd. as in other years).
It should be much better by mid-February, if not sooner. It had just rained before we arrived, but with the warmer weather blooming will accelerate. If it gets too warm or windy the annuals will fade fast. Get out there soon if you can!
Plants are:
Aliciella latifolia (Broadleaf Gilia)
Oenothera deltoides (Dune Primrose)
Xylorhiza orcuttii (Orcutt’s Woody Aster)
Mentzelia albicaulis (White Stemmed Blazing Star)
Dithyrea californica (Spectacle Pod)
Eremothera boothii ssp. condensata (Booth’s Primrose)
Palafoxia arida (Spanish Needles)
Rafinesquia neomexicana (Desert Chicory)
Cistanthe ambigua (Desert Cistanthe)
Encelia frutescens (Rayless Encelia)
Perityle emoryi (Emory’s Rock Daisy)
See photos and older reports at California Wildflower Report
Posted in Uncategorized
Click here to register! (Be sure to register for the festival, as well as any events you’d like to attend. This helps us track our attendance!)
Music by Blue Summit Bluegrass, Beer and Wine by The Guzzler and food by The Bodega from 12pm-4pm
Celebrate scaups, scoters, cormorants and more! Visit Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary for naturalist-led bird walks, exclusive field trips, live music, great food, and fun bird-themed activities. Bring a pair of binoculars or use our spotting scopes to see the waterbirds that call Richardson Bay home.
| 8-9:30am | Bird Walk with Rich Cimino at Piper Park | Piper Park – Larkspur | Limited to first 20 |
| 9am-1pm | Bay Boat Tour with Outer Limits | Sausalito | Limited to first 22, $60 fee |
| 10:00am-12pm | Gull Identication with Peter Pyle | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | $20 fee |
| 10:15-11:15am | Bird Walk | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 15 |
| 10:15-11:15am | Bilingual Bird Walk (Spanish) | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 15 |
| 10:30-11:30am | Bird Walk | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 15 |
| 10:30-11:30am | Nature Journaling with Jack Laws | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 45 |
| 10:45-11:45am | Bird Walk | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 15 |
| 11am-12:30pm | Birding 101 with Rich Cimino | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 20 |
| 12-1pm | WildCare Animal Ambassador Program | Richardson Bay Audubon Center | Limited to first 30 |
Posted in Bird Festivals, Birds
See the final official results of the 2018 Oakland Christmas Bird Count from this past December at
Posted in Birding Reports, Birds | Tags: Oakland Christmas Bird Count
Anza- Borrego State Park reports on January 23, 2019
With only about 3 inches of rain since July, we anticipate widespread bloom of flowers in Febraury and March. Some flowers are blooming along S22 east of mile marker 30.
Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association reports Current Conditions Looking for flowers right now?
Although there are no vast “springtime-like” blooms taking place at this time, there are a number of areas that do have flowers, and that’s very unusual for this time of year. There are also several areas, not yet with flowers, but beautiful as the desert turns green from recent rains. Check out our map page to see where these places are located.
In the Borrego Badlands area, we have reports of areas with blooming of, dune evening primrose, verbena, brown-eyed primrose, and other species. These are in the vicinity of Ella Wash and Arroyo Salado and along S22 in that area. These are all flowers we would expect to see four to six weeks from now.
Another area to explore is in the vicinity of the Buttes along San Felipe Wash, where there is a area of dune evening primrose in bloom.
California Wildflower Report has a new post with ten photos of wildflowers blooming in Borrego Springs Area
Baylor University News Release
WACO, Texas (Jan. 4, 2019) — Americans are happier in states where governments spend more on public goods, such as libraries, parks, highways, natural resources and police protection, a Baylor University study has found.
“Public goods are things you can’t exclude people from using — and one person using them doesn’t stop another from doing so,” said researcher Patrick Flavin, Ph.D., associate professor of political science in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences. “They’re typically not profitable to produce in the private market, so if the government doesn’t provide them, they will either be under-provided or not at all.”
Updated with photo slideshow
Green Cay Wetlands & Nature Center
Date: Jan 20, 2019 at 2:50 AM
X Blue-winged Teal — (2)
X Mallard — (2)
X Pied-billed Grebe — (2)
X Mourning Dove — (2)
X Common Gallinule — (2)
X American Coot — (2)
3 Purple Gallinule — (2)
X Wood Stork — (2)
X Anhinga — (2)
2 Double-crested Cormorant — (2)
1 Great Blue Heron — (2)
2 Great Egret — (2)
1 Snowy Egret — (2)
2 Tricolored Heron — (2)
X Cattle Egret — (2)
Cattle Egret (Western) — (2)
X White Ibis — (2)
X Glossy Ibis — (2)
X Turkey Vulture — (2)
1 Osprey — (2)
X Tree Swallow — (2)
X Boat-tailed Grackle — (2)
1 Ovenbird — (2)
1 Northern Cardinal — (2)
X Painted Bunting — (2)
Posted in Birding Reports, Birds, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Bird Reports, Green Cay Wetlands
Photos I took of the Lunar Eclipses during a recent trip to Florida.
Posted in Astronomy, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Lunar eclipse
California Wildflower Report has a new post with 14 photos of plants now blooming in Anza-Borrego from a hike up in a wash along Truckhaven Rocks at (4) California Wildflower Report – Home
Bay Nature has an article with illustrative photos on how to identify and where to find common ferns of the Bay Area
Winter in the Bay Area is a good time to spot the lesser-known stage of ferns
Read article at Bay Nature: Fantastic Ferns and Where to Find Them in Northern California
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Ferns
Capitol Public Radio reports
The shutdown has more or less stopped wildfire-prevention activities such as forest thinning and prescribed burns — that’s where fires are lit on purpose as a management tool — on federal land in California, even though weather conditions in a lot of the country are ideal for practices like prescribed burns
…the shutdown persists is a missed opportunity for cleaning up California’s dense forests, which the president again threatened to defund in a Tweet on Wednesday.
Read or listen to full article at Government Shutdown Having Major Impact On Wildfire Prevention Efforts In California, Officials Say – capradio.org
Posted in Environment | Tags: Wildfire Prevention
Green Cay Wetlands & Nature Center
Date: Jan 20, 2019 at 2:50 AM
X Blue-winged Teal — (2)
X Mallard — (2)
X Pied-billed Grebe — (2)
X Mourning Dove — (2)
X Common Gallinule — (2)
X American Coot — (2)
3 Purple Gallinule — (2)
X Wood Stork — (2)
X Anhinga — (2)
2 Double-crested Cormorant — (2)
1 Great Blue Heron — (2)
2 Great Egret — (2)
1 Snowy Egret — (2)
2 Tricolored Heron — (2)
X Cattle Egret — (2)
Cattle Egret (Western) — (2)
X White Ibis — (2)
X Glossy Ibis — (2)
X Turkey Vulture — (2)
1 Osprey — (2)
X Tree Swallow — (2)
X Boat-tailed Grackle — (2)
1 Ovenbird — (2)
1 Northern Cardinal — (2)
X Painted Bunting — (2)
Posted in Uncategorized
Spring Plant Walks Start January 25
Every Friday through March
Wander the Botanical Wonders of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We’ve got wildflowers. Meet knowledgeable Botany Society volunteers for a morning stroll in different locations in the Park. Leaders and destinations will vary depending on bloom locations. Each walk is limited to 30 people. Advance registration is required. Call ABF at 760-767-0446 ext 1002 to sign up. All walks meet at Anza-Borrego Foundation (ABF) 587 Palm Canyon Dr. Suite 111, Borrego Springs, CA 92004.
Posted in Park, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Anza-Borrego Spring Plant Walks
Borrego Wildflowers has an app for wildflowers found in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
The apps are for both iOS and Android that are fully functional without an Internet connection:
iOS: https://borregowildflowers.com/pages/ios_app.html
Android: https://borregowildflowers.com/pages/android_app.html
The San Francisco Chronicle reports
An old railroad right-of-way could one day be transformed into a hiking trail stretching from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay through some of the North Coast’s most scenic country.
A bill authored by state Sen. Mike McGuire would create the 300-mile-long Great Redwood Trail, which some people think could rival the Sierra Nevada’s John Muir Trail for spectacular terrain and breathtaking vistas.
Read full story at Dying North Coast railroad could become world-class hiking trail – SFGate
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: New Hiking Trail
A short slideshow of flowers blooming in our gardens. The natives are from my garden. The Protea, Heavenly Bamboo and Princess Flower are next door in my neighbor’s yard.
Posted in Garden, Photos (Sandy's) | Tags: Flower photos
Homestead Valley Land Trust has a new report for January 15. See map and photos at Homestead Valley Land Trust
NEW
– Albizia*, a wattle native to Australia and a garden escapee is blooming in the gully below Pixie Trail.
– Death camus, a white lily is starting to bloom in meadows.
– Fetid adder’s tongue, one of our most exotic blooms is showing its first flowers now.
– Green wattle acacia* tree native to Australia is starting to bloom with its bright yellow puff flowers.
– Greene’s saxifrage with its small white flower is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock.
– Spring gold, a bright yellow ground hugging lomatium is blooming on the Ridgewood Rock.
Bay Nature reports
How the Government Shutdown is Bringing Out the Best in (most) People in Bay Area National Parks and Public Lands
The partial federal government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, has made life truly miserable for some people. But when it comes to parks and public lands, most of which in the Bay Area have remained open but unstaffed, the shutdown also provides a window into an eternal truth about life in the absence of authority: some people are really mindless jerks and many more people are not.
Read full article Bay Nature: What the Government Shutdown Means for Bay Area Parks
Posted in Park | Tags: Bay Area National Parks, Bay Area Public Lands
EarthSky reports
On January 20-21, be ready for a series of firsts. It’s the first full moon of 2019, and the first lunar eclipse of 2019 (and this is an eclipse-heavy year, with five eclipses, including two lunar eclipses in 2019; read more). Plus, it’s the year’s first supermoon, meaning the moon is nearly at its closest to Earth for this month, as the eclipse takes place.
And now … a single sad last thing. This will be the last total lunar eclipse to grace Earth’s sky until May 26, 2021.
Read more about the Lunda Eclipse at The supermoon eclipse of January 20-21 | Tonight | EarthSky
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Supermoon Eclipse
The New York Times reported
Saturn’s icy rings are among the most iconic features in the solar system. But they’re raining so much water onto the planet that in 300 million years they could rain themselves nearly out of existence, leaving Saturn startlingly ringless.
Read Story at Saturn With No Rings? It Could Happen, and Sooner Than Astronomers Expected – The New York Times
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Disappearance Of Saturn's Rings
Death Valley National Park announced today that some recently closed areas of the park will once again be accessible to visitors in the coming days. Some visitor services, including campgrounds and the Stovepipe Wells Contact Station, will also reopen using revenue generated by recreation fees. Visitors should go to the park website at nps.gov/deva while planning their trip to get the latest information on accessibility and available services.
Areas that have been recently closed but that are or will be accessible to park visitors include:
• Dantes View, Artists Drive, Natural Bridge, Harmony Borax Works and Mustard Canyon, Salt Creek, Keane Wonder Mine, Mesquite Sand Dunes, and Historic Stovepipe Wells Roads.
Posted in Park | Tags: Death Valley
ScienceDaily reports
New work shows for the first time just how widespread and deadly the threat of pathogens from restoration nurseries may be to natural forests. The team surveyed five native plant nurseries in Northern California and found that four harbored exotic, or non-native, Phytophthora pathogens. New management techniques, coupled with new methods for detecting pathogens, can help these nurseries limit the spread of exotic pathogens into the wild.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Habitat Restoration
Borrego Wildflowers reports
Bloom prediction, updated January 15 2018Indication are positive for a normal bloom in the months to come.
We still have a way above average bloom in the badlands and some other areas mentioned below.Easy access flower sites:
Drive from Borrego Spring -> Salton sea on the S22. Start looking past the marked Palo Verde Wash but stay on the S22. The center is around Ella Wash, Arroyo Salado (camp) exit.
PLEASE DON’T STOP OR PARK ON THE ROAD.
North:
Along the Henderson Canyon Road hundreds of large Geraea canescens, Desert sunflower, some already in bloom. That said the number of plants might not be enough to give a good flower show.
Coyote Canyon: Fouquieria splendens | splendens Ocotillo in good bloom along the road.
Along the creek more than 50 plants are in bloom, like Encelia farinosa farinosa | Brittlebush, but further away from the creek the area is rather barren.
The area between Henderson Canyon road and Zero crossing looks promising as there is a lot of germination.
South:
The Canebrake area (Ironwood canyon, June Wash, Vallecito wash) a lot of plants are starting to bloom.
Most visible bloom: Abronia villosa villosa, Desert sand verbena.
East:
Along the S22 close to Arroyo Salado (camp), Ella Wash.Confirmed germination:
Ocotillo Wells, Blow Sand Canyon, Cut Across Road, Military wash, 17 palms, Arroyo Salado (camp), east of Ella Wash, Palm Wash, Big Wash, Travertine Wash.
Palo Verde Wash, Smoketree Canyon.San Felipe wash ‘road’ along East Butte, is one of the best spots right now, with hundreds of Oenothera deltoides deltoides | Dune evening primrose in bloom.
Most visible bloom: Oenothera deltoides deltoides | Dune evening primrose (hundreds), Abronia villosa villosa| Desert sand verbena.
Some Hesperocallis undulata, Desert lily are in bloom, with probably more to follow.
Rain effects are visible east of the line Thimble trail (S22) up to Ironwood resort (78).Check out Tom Chester bloom report
Working to keep your parks clean and safe! National Park Service officials are using Federal Land and Recreation Enhancement funds (aka, FLREA or rec fee funds) to immediately bring back park maintenance crews to clean restrooms and remove trash, increasing accessibility to the park for visitors while ensuring health and safety. Previously closed National Park Service bathrooms and day use areas will be cleaned and reopened during the week of January 13th with all bathrooms and day use areas reopened by January 19th.
Posted in Park | Tags: Redwoods National & State Parks
The Telegraph reports
The self-proclaimed “Pablo Escobar of the falcon egg trade” is facing another lengthy jail sentence after being caught at Heathrow airport with a stash of 19 rare eggs strapped to his chest.
He had arrived in London from South Africa carrying two rare vulture eggs as well as others from rare and endangered birds of prey including vultures, eagles, hawks and kites, worth up to £100,000.
Read Story Prolific bird smuggler facing lengthy sentence after being caught with 19 rare eggs at Heathrow
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bird Egg Smuggling
Friends of Edgewood Park is not currently posting its usual What’s in Bloom feature on its website. I contacted them and they explained that they are currently updating their website and send me the following information
We have been going through an extensive process to update all the information on our website and have not yet tackled that particular feature. We hope to be adding something similar this spring.In the meantime, we do have a photo database of Edgewood’s plants and flowers which includes bloom time information. You can find it at http://foew.org/photos/. To find out what might be blooming each month, choose the current month under flowering time, for instance, “From Jan. to Jan.” and then hit the light blue “Submit” button in the bar at the top of the page to see photos of all plants that tend to bloom within this timeframe.You might also be interested in our upcoming events page, http://friendsofedgewood.org/events. This page lists upcoming walks which focus on a variety topics. We will have weekly docent-led wildflower walks starting again in mid-March through early June and specific dates and times will be posted here as well.
Anza Borrego Desert Natural History Association report
January 11, 2019
Bloom Prediction for 2019
Desert Research Botanist Kate Harper has been making field observations over the past weeks and has just issued her prediction for the 2019 bloom season. Please read her report in its entirety, but the bottom-line is that we are on track for a very good bloom this season with just a couple of weather conditions that could alter it.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 2018-19 “Season” Bloom Analysis and Prediction
by Kate Harper
Desert Research BotanistRain Analysis Related to Blooming We appear to be heading into a 2-pulse 2018-19 “Season”.
What has triggered the first pulse of blooming?
We had significant rain in spotty areas of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (the Park) on October 12, 2018. It was still hot in the Park, but it was cooling off from the peak summer heat. It appears that the temperature was still warm enough to trigger the germination of some monsoonal plants (summer storm triggering plants), and just cooled down enough to trigger the germination of some “spring” plants (calendar winter, but what we call in the desert spring).
So, right now, in mid-January 2019, we are having the beginning of a bloom! BUT, just in the spotty areas that received the thunderstorm rain on October 12, 2019. Unfortunately, none of the popular close-to-town flower field areas are included in this spotty early bloom.
The Salt Lake Tribune and Washington Post report on the how the government shutdown may interfere with the world’s longest continuous study of predators and their prey (wolves and moose). The shutdown will also interrupt relocating as many as 30 wolves to the Isle Royale National Park. Read article at The shutdown may snarl a 60-year study of wolves and moose — the world’s longest predator-prey research – The Salt Lake Tribune
Posted in Animals, Park | Tags: Government shutdown, Isle Royal National Park, Moose, Wolves
Natural History Wanderings 