I spent Sunday morning with a tracking club in Point Reyes National Seashore. Heavy rains and wind the night before made it so that not many animals were out and about during the night, and initially I had planned on also being one of those animals not being out and about. I figured there would be little activity, as all the animals were probably feeling the same way I was about the rain … time to hunker down and nest until it passes. But some force woke me early in the morning and pulled me out of bed to see cleared skies and I had to go. The warm bed was soon forgotten once I saw those beautiful sand dunes and the amazing dune grasses that adorn them like a soft pelt of fur, rippling gracefully in the sea breeze. An adult male Northern harrier and a California quail greeted me when I arrived at the Abbott’s Lagoon trailhead to track down the other trackers.

dunes and dune grasses by Abbott's Lagoon / Pt Reyes National Seashore

adult male northern harrier

CA quail (male) - Pt Reyes National Seashore

As suspected, there wasn’t a whole lot of action on the sand dunes from the night before. Usually there is a ridiculous amount of track and sign from coyotes, deer, bobcats, otters, birds, mice, voles, rabbits, etc that had been wandering on or through the dunes during their nightly travels. There was a little bit of river otter activity and a fair amount of coyote track and sign – including an amazing find: a kill sight of a black-tailed deer that the coyotes had taken down the night before. The remains were found up in the dunes, hidden from view on top of some grasses and ice plant.

black-tailed deer remains / Pt Reyes National Seashore

What was really amazing was that we were able to see the tracks and sign depicting the entire sequence of events of the deer’s final moments – tracks from the coyotes’ chase, to the deer’s deep desperate last steps in sand, to the place it was taken down, to a spot 10 feet away where the coyotes removed the stomach and bowel contents, to an area 15 feet from that where they began to feed and were there was a large amount of blood in in the sand, to the drag marks that stretched 75 or 100 yards to the dunes – which became the final resting spot of the deer. There wasn’t much left when we found it – it appears it was killed during the night, and vultures had already had their fill in the morning as it was picked clean and their tracks surrounded the remains when we got there. Amazing to think this animal was living, breathing, and walking just 12 or 14 hours previous (at most), and now it lay just a pile of bones, skin, and hooves. Humbling. A good reminder that life is precious, but that in death this animal gave life to so many others.

black-tailed deer remains from coyote kill / Point Reyes National Seashore

site of coyote chase and kill of black-tailed deer / Pt Reyes Nat Seashore

coyote drag marks of deer kill from beach to dunes / Pt Reyes National Seashore

If you are interested in professional tracking services, tracking classes and more, check out the Point Reyes Tracking Services website at http://prts.me/ .

The Mountain This mountain stands here and it is good There’s sublime comfort in my heart knowing that it is there; This giant – watching, unmoving, steadfast in this place; No matter are the passing priorities of man to this spirit As its peaks rise high above the land Reminding us of greater forces than ourselves So too are its roots below, holding us when we forget This mountain stands here and it is good – ZED

adult golden eagle 01 / Mt Diablo CA

These past few days have been unreal. It started with a close encounter with some resident great-horned owls in Tilden Regional Park on Thursday evening, the same ones that we had been monitoring with their fledglings last year (see tilden owls 1, tilden owls 2 and tilden owls 3). They seem to know us at this point, lazily gazing down at us as they awaken in the dying light of day.

great-horned owl / Tilden Regional Park CA

Then on Friday, I took a trip to Mount Diablo. I’ve been drawn to this mountain as of late. Human matters have given me occasion to be in the vicinity, so I’ve taken some time while there to explore this mighty refuge which stands high above the East Bay. This is the mountain that is considered the place of creation for many native people of the Bay Area, it is a powerful place. Usually when I wander, I don’t have a goal – I let the place lead me to where it may. But on this particular day, I was hoping to find the nesting place of some resident peregrine falcons on the cliffs of the mountain. As is usually the case, the land had ideas of its own about what it would share with me.

As I was leaving my hopes of seeing a peregrine with the more rugged natural area behind me, I entered into some of the open grazing land that wraps some of the high hills and is a familiar site all around the Bay Area. I walked along a cattle trail high up on a hillside that parallels a human path far below, and as I came to the top of that hill to take a drink, rest, and survey the area, I saw it. From behind the next ridge line over, a familiar form lofted up with seemingly no effort to start performing slow, steady circles in the sky.

It was a golden eagle.

mature golden eagle 02/ Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 03 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 04 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 05 / Mount Diablo

After watching this eagle fly higher into the air until it seemed to disappear, I walked down from my current overlook into a saddle leading to the next hill top from where I had seen the eagle materialize. As I started back uphill, my eyes went right to a large valley oak tree at the top of the hill I was climbing, upon which sat another golden eagle! Slowly, reverently, I approached this bird – this creature that embodies the mountain itself. Its presence and awareness are as big as a mountain.

mature golden eagle 06 / Mount Diablo

I always approach birds and other wildlife with respect, carefully looking and sensing for any signs that my presence is creating stress. Sometimes I even put my camera away just to enjoy the experience – recognizing that occasionally the animal does not want to be photographed and is just sharing the interaction with me so I can give it thanks with no distractions. But this was not the case – the eagle continued to preen and survey the surrounding area in a calm matter as I approached within 25 yards, glancing at me only for a few moments from time to time. It seemed to welcome me.

mature golden eagle 07 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 08 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 09 / Mount Diablo

After it finished preening, it roused and sliced (“bird-talk” for shook its feathers and pooped), then took off and flew directly over my head and started to soar over the valleys below. As it flew over me, I let the camera fall to my side – it felt as if a great wave went through me as it passed 20 feet above my head. After I composed myself and reflected about what happened, I walked up to the top of the hill to check out the oak tree that it had been sitting in. After a few minutes of checking it out, I looked over to the north and incredulously saw about 40 yards away the other eagle was perched on a power pole, preening. I watched this other eagle for a little while before it finally took off when its mate flew by. The two of them started to soar again over the valleys below, and as one of them started to circle around the valley to gain altitude, it went right by me a number of times giving me incredible views. When it first started to fly up the valley, my heart jumped in my throat as it appeared it was coming right at me. Literally breathtaking.

mature golden eagle 10 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 11 / Mount Diablo

mature golden eagle 12 / Mount Diablo

Thank you Mount Diablo and all that call it home. Thank you to the people who saved this place from development, to the people who once called this home, and to the people who continue to steward this place. Thank you eagles!

mature golden eagle 13 / Mount Diablo

The Klamath Basin, situated at the border between Oregon and Northern California and home to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is a watery oasis for millions of birds each year. Though the huge density of raptors and bald eagles that spend the winter here was the incentive for me to check it out (the largest density of bald eagles in the lower 48), I was also overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of waterfowl that inhabit this place as well as the topography of the land. There are certain places – the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Niagara Falls – that simply instill an awe beyond which words are capable of expressing. Though not as drastic as some of these other sights, standing in the flat plains which are a mix of wetland, agriculture, swamp, and lakes, I felt transported to another time. I would not have been surprised to see a Mastodon stride out from the tule reeds after wallowing in the shallows for a bath. In addition to coming upon fields where sometimes we would see over 40 bald eagles sitting on the ground with at least four other species of raptors nearby, there were moments when literally THOUSANDS of geese would lift off into the sky at one time, from a distance appearing as dense as a swarm of mosquitoes.  This spectacle with a backdrop of a sharply rising hills and mountains all around, and snow covered volcanoes including Mt Shasta in the distance, made the scene unforgettable.

Lower Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge & Mt Shasta

huge flock of geese/swans

Lower Klamath Basin NWR - flocks of geese/swans

This place has a lot of history, both pre and post human occupation, and I could spend a lifetime here exploring all the place has to offer. So many ecosystems, diverse and abundant wildlife, amazing geology and varied terrain, rich human history – and a lot of potential for this to be a great example of sustainable coexistence between nature, agriculture, hunting, eco-tourism, birding, and more. Located along the Cascade Range of volcanoes, the area has a fiery geological past (evidence of which is seen prolifically in the nearby Lava Beds National Monument) followed by an era at the end of the last ice age when much of this area was under water, forming a lake called Lake Modoc. The volcanoes in the Cascade Range are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, hosting the Earth’s most active seismic and volcanic regions. Here in the United States this includes Mount St Helens and Mount Lassen, both of which have erupted in the last 100 years.

In more recent times (the last 10,000 years), Lake Modoc receded to become Upper Klamath Lake, Lower Klamath Lake, and Tule Lake. This wet ecosystem, sometimes called “Everglades West,” is part of the Pacific Coast Flyway, the migration route that millions of birds use annually (estimates are that 80% of birds on the Pacific Coast Flyway use this area as a stop-off during their journeys). And where there is prey, there are always sure to be large number of predators not far behind …

Klamath Basin snow geese

Klamath Basin rough-legged hawk

Klamath Basin tundra swans

Klamath Basin white-fronted geese

The first people on this land were the predecessors of the present day tribes that call this area home, the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooshkin people. Their ancestors are the ones who most likely paddled out to carve petroglyphs into the rocks at Petroglyph Point (part of Lava Beds National Monument) – at one time an island in the now much-recessed Tule Lake – and painted the caves and lava tubes around the area.  Since the occupation by non-Natives in the 1800’s, this area was know for logging, but recently it has become more of a farming, ranching, hunting, birding and tourist economy.

view from Petroglyph Point Lava Beds Nat Mon

view from Petroglyph Point Lava Beds Nat Mon

petroglyphs Lava Beds Nat Mon

The area’s recent human history and current issues are almost as volatile as its volcanic origins. The story of how Natives were displaced here follows the same sad and confusing story line as that from most of the United States – except with an interesting twist. When the Modoc were pushed onto reservation land, a rebellion by some of them ensued and it started the Modoc War of 1872-73. The Natives, lead by Captain Jack (Kintpuash), managed to sustain a guerrilla war on the U.S. military for over a year using the lava beds and lava tubes as a defense and a way to launch sneak attacks. Although they ultimately succumbed to a military that was bigger and better armed, there were casualties on both sides, including the death of a U.S. General (GEN Edward Canby) at the hands of Captain Jack.

Mount Shasta sunset

Mount McLoughlin at sunset

sunset from Petroglyph Point

Recently there has been a lot of conflict between people trying to find a balance between ecological conservation, water rights, agriculture, hunting, wildlife preservation, logging, Native Peoples’ rights, and the salmon restoration. To look at this in a positive way, it’s the breadth of varied interests that are trying to coexist here that creates the beautiful potential for a reproducible example of how everyone can be creative and find a way to all live together in a manner that is sustainable for everyone and the Earth. Perhaps the pathway to those answers that they find here can be an example for other places in the United States and around the world.

setting sun over high desert, view from Petroglyph Point

I’m thankful for having gotten to spend time here and am excited to return soon – many thanks to the people of Klamath Falls and the greater area for their hospitality and kindness. I look forward to returning and seeing the Klamath Basin fields, skies and waters filled with the sound and activity of abundant wildlife, and the city of Klamath Falls prospering, empty storefronts filled and people walking on the streets with smiles on their faces.

Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge w Mt McLoughlin volcano in background

Again, special thanks to Larry Broderick of West County Hawk Watch for sharing his vast knowledge, keen eye, and expert raptor identification skills with us on this adventure, as well as for making this trip possible.

raven tracks / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

Wandering along the cliff-lined beaches a few hours north of San Franciso, we were excited to see recessed into a small opening on the side of a sandstone cliff a peregrine falcon nest. I’ve had the pleasure of spending time at nests in more urban environments, but there is something special about seeing one in a more “wild” setting. Peregrines typically nest on cliffs, so skyscrapers make a nice substitute. Plus there are a LOT of pigeons for them to hunt in the city. But the shore line and coastal sage scrub prairies harbor lots of food for them as well.

peregrine falcon nest / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

Suddenly from the south I heard the unmistakable call of an agitated peregrine, cruising in towards us … presumably vocalizing to usher away a red-tailed hawk who had ventured too close to the nest area.

peregrine falcon image 2 / Northern CA coast Jan 2012

peregrine falcon image 3 / Northern CA coast Jan 2012

peregrine falcon image 4 / Northern CA coast Jan 2012

Not long after, it’s mate (the larger female) swooped in to join him perched on the cliff. Many of the raptors are now doing mating rituals and mating, and this unusually warm winter with little rain seems to be speeding up the schedule. Hopefully the nest will be full of eggs soon! Amazingly beautiful birds.

milk thistle bloom / Northern CA coast Jan 2012

late afternoon sun n surf / Northern CA coast Jan 2012

WARNING – this blog has some pictures that might be disturbing to some viewers. Death is part of the natural world. But the pictures are intriguing, so read on!

After a morning of tracking on the land of the elk, we headed south to another area to check out some of the beaches. Laying on the beach was a not-long-dead female elephant seal that appeared to have been killed by a shark. I’m guessing great white shark based on the size of bites on this large seal, and because there are a lot of them along this coast, an area know as “the red triangle” due to its density of great whites. In the winter time this is part of their breeding grounds. Also, the sign at the entrance to the beach indicating that they were baiting and tagging great whites in the area during Dec and Jan. NOT my first choice for surfing.

shark warning sign posted at beach trailhead / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

It was pretty intense to see – the blood had not yet fully coagulated and there was no smell from the carcass. There were a fair number of gull tracks around it and gulls were actively feeding on the carcass, but not a lot of tracks to indicate it had been there for more than a day. I’m thinking that it washed up on the last high tide, as it was resting by the last high tide mark – we were there around 3p and it appears last high tide was in the morning around 6:30a. None of the tracks were around it that one would expect from the night shift (coyotes, etc).

Tide prediction info for Pt Reyes:

01/29/2011 Sat 12:32AM LST 3.0 L 06:31AM LST 6.2 H 02:03PM LST -0.3 L 08:56PM LST 4.5 H

My boots are a size 10 1/2, one of which I placed in the frame for scale. You can see on the photos that the seal appears to have multiple LARGE bite marks that look very shark-like on its body. One of the snaps you can see shredding on the skin like – well, shark teeth had raked through it! The one that was easily measurable looked like at least a 14″ bite, some on the belly looked like they could have been bigger.

female elephant seal - with shark bites? / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

apparent shark bite on female elephant seal #1 / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

apparent shark bite on female elephant seal #2 / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

apparent shark bite on female elephant seal / Pt Reyes National Seashore Jan 2012

Any day at Pt Reyes National Seashore is a good day. So it was on Sunday.

This day started with some friends at a tracking club at Tomales Point, the place where in 1978 native Tule elk were reintroduced onto the land. The cold wind belied the sun that would eventually heat up the land to feel like a day in April, not the end of January. As the elk (aka wapiti) have grown in numbers, so has the success of the native plants and the entire coastal sage scrub ecosystem where they live. Because the elk are separated from the dairy ranch land to the south by a fence, it’s easy to see the stark difference between the land where dairy cows roam versus where the elk roam. Whereas the cows depend on non-native annual grasses for grazing, leading to the typical closely cropped pastureland with little vegetative variety, the elk’s feeding habits compliment the coastal sage scrub ecosystem and promote biological diversity. In the 30 plus years since their reintroduction the landscape has come alive, a lot of it now covered in low growing scrubby plants and bushes that provide habitat for creatures of all sizes. The dairy ranch land does however provide a lot of habitat for gophers, voles and other small mammals, making it a feasting ground for raptors and other predators like coyotes and bobcats.

And I do like cheese. On my pizza. So it’d be nice to make space for both cows and elk.

Last time that I had been to the area was in October (the elk pictures below are from October 2011) – it was during the mating season when the big males are protectively herding their harems of females away from rival males, with whom sometimes they clash with their giant horns. That time of year they are also bellowing out their haunting whale-song-like calls, a sound that reverberates across the landscape and instantly emphasizes being in the presence of wild giants. I feel instantly transported to an ice age meadow with giant elk, mastodons, and wooly rhinos meandering around. How they hold their heads up with such adornments on top is mind-boggling. And a testament to their strength. They are one of the largest deer in the world.

bull elk Oct 2011 / Pt Reyes National Seashore

That day in October the elk came very close to me and I was able to watch them for a long time. As the males were playing the rut game, females with young were taking good care of their “little” ones.

female grooming young male elk / Pt Reyes National Seashore Oct 2011

female elk / Pt Reyes National Seashore Oct 2011

juvenile male elk / Pt Reyes National Seashore Oct 2011

But this day was not about the elk, it seemed. Their tracks and sign was everywhere, but it seemed that the high energy of the rutting season was behind us and the herds lingered in a seemingly relaxed manner far from the roads and people. Instead, our attention was drawn almost immediately to a large amount of badger sign, including recent digs and burrows complete with a few fairly clear badger tracks. No badger sightings, but it’s exciting to know that they are there. The fresh dirt around the burrows/digs also made great substrate to see other tracks from creatures such as gray foxes, bobcats, and coyotes which had come to investigate the holes.

The search goes on for a sighting of a wild badger, long-tailed weasel and mountain lion (I’d settle for seeing them separately, I suppose) …

mushrooms and all rejoice

no, not the wizard.

well, i suppose it could be a wizard, really – who am i to say.

but it certainly is, at least to my presumably human eyes, visibly appearing as the falcon called a merlin (previously also know by its colloquial name, “the pigeon hawk”) – or Falco columbarius to the learned, let’s-really-put-things-in-a-box-and-take-the-magical-mystery-out-of-life types.   <wink wink smile>

i’ve been having a thrill spending twilights with this small falcon (about the size of a crow) that seems to have taken up its wintering residence in the hills above town where I live. every night just after sunset, the bird alights on top of the same perch to sit – not far from where i spend as many sunsets as possible, myself sitting on a rock on that same ridge, to watch the sun disappear for the day over the coastal range to the west. merlins are a somewhat rare species, so seeing one is a treat. to get to spend so many evenings with one has been very special.

during late december i was sharing twilight with the nearly full moon, the planet jupiter (which has been bright in the eastern sky after dusk), and the merlin. all was in alignment.

waxing moon, jupiter and a perched merlin / Sonoma Co, CA

it seems to be soaking in the last bit of light in a “relaxed manner” on its perch. which appears – to onlookers less concerned about becoming a meal (aka me) – to actually be very guarded, alert, and a bit anxious behavior. Not very relaxed, to an onlooking human. That is unless you know how the bird acts when it isn’t relaxed – which is INTENSE. a bird this size, though a predator, has many other predators to avoid, especially as day transitions to night and there is an overlap of “shifts.” Both daytime and crepuscular hunters are about at twilight, meaning plenty of hawks, falcons, and hungry owls just waking up with empty bellies, so it certainly needs to be aware. Though I wouldn’t say it FEARS anything. this is a notoriously tough bird species and a very aware one as well. big attitude in a small feathery package.

i feel extremely fortunate for it to allow me to sit so close to it on its perch (well, me on the ground … usually) while it preens and scrapes its beak before flying into the same bay laurel tree to roost each night.

merlin / Sonoma Co, CA

merlin / Sonoma County, CA

notice the very long toes – this is a bird that takes other birds right out of the sky in flight. it is a trait shared with other primarily-bird-eating raptors such as other falcons and the accipiter family. those toes immobilize flying prey until the bird can dispatch it with a spinal-cord-severing bite to the neck. it’s been hard to get a snap of him in daylight (I am guessing “him” based on his smaller size and streaked belly), all these shots are after the sun has set (contributing to the grainy quality of the photos). he probably is hunting all through the valley above the russian river and only returns to his perch and roost at night, since i rarely see him during the day when i get the chance to walk up on the ridge. he keeps his work and personal life separate, evidently. this area has a nice mix of chapparal, oak woodland, and riparian zones with lots of birds to feast on – a great place for a merlin to spend the winter.

merlin at twilight / Sonoma Co, CA

Thank you merlin.