It was a smaller than usual group this morning with 6 of the crew ready for our now annual work day on Eagle Rock trail. There have been Swifts . . . I mean a few trees reported down and working on the trail each year makes the brushing a bit easier. The day started out clear meaning it was going to be a warm day.
There were a couple of small thinks that only required a hand saw and these were both before the bridge.
The bridge looked good but there were a couple of 2" wide boards missing but overall it was holding up after close to 25 years. At the first lookout I was surprised to see a Western Tanager perched in a tree very close to us.
Up on the Rock we were treated to a few White-throated Swifts with one flying about 3 feet from Janie. We also saw a Red Velvet Ant, which is actually a wasp and the female is capable of delivering a powerful sting. Males can fly but female are wingless. Adults drink nectar. First time I ever saw one.
Eagle Rock is one of the harder trails and we saw a few small kids that probably took their first steps on the hike. OK the parents probably helped. Nice to see young kids being exposed to nature so early and maybe they will grow up respecting nature. We put in 44 hours and I would like to thank Dale P., Janie, David P., Janette, and Herman.
See you on the trails
Jeff
Birds of the Day
3 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
2 Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
1 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
1 Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni
1 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
2 Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
6 Common Raven Corvus corax
24 Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
4 Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
1 Brown Creeper Certhia americana
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
4 Wrentit Chamaea fasciata
1 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
1 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
4" Tan Oak
There were a couple of small thinks that only required a hand saw and these were both before the bridge.
The bridge looked good but there were a couple of 2" wide boards missing but overall it was holding up after close to 25 years. At the first lookout I was surprised to see a Western Tanager perched in a tree very close to us.
Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
Tough first start at a Knob Cone Pine
Dale and I guessed what we thought were the diameters of the trees from Kurt's photos from his scouting trip a couple of months ago. This one and the final pine near the top were just about half the diameter we had guessed when we were at HQ. Good to know.
Red Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla magnifica)
Up on the Rock we were treated to a few White-throated Swifts with one flying about 3 feet from Janie. We also saw a Red Velvet Ant, which is actually a wasp and the female is capable of delivering a powerful sting. Males can fly but female are wingless. Adults drink nectar. First time I ever saw one.
Eagle Rock is one of the harder trails and we saw a few small kids that probably took their first steps on the hike. OK the parents probably helped. Nice to see young kids being exposed to nature so early and maybe they will grow up respecting nature. We put in 44 hours and I would like to thank Dale P., Janie, David P., Janette, and Herman.
See you on the trails
Jeff
Birds of the Day
3 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
2 Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
3 Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
1 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
1 Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni
1 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
2 Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
6 Common Raven Corvus corax
24 Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
4 Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
1 Brown Creeper Certhia americana
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
4 Wrentit Chamaea fasciata
1 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
1 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena