emyle_r's Favourites

This Coast Live Oak tree has been almost completely defoliated by the California Oak Moths this year.
Link to moth (caterpillar) observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/138666759

Link to same oak tree observation one year ago when it was full of leaves and acorns: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91810838

Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) Native, long-lived tree, up to 125 to 250 years. Quercus agrifolia is by far the most common Oak tree on the Monterey Peninsula. Leaves are dark evergreen, oval, cupped or spoon-shaped, and convex. Underside of leaf has small tufts of hair in the vein axils, called “hairy armpits.” Margins of mature leaves have sharp spines that are very noticeable when you sit in the leaf litter.

Oaks of California, B. Pavlik, P. Muick, S. Johnson, M. Popper, 1991, pp. 25-27

UC Berkeley Oaks website for Oak Tree Species I.D. and Ecology: https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu/oak-tree-species-id-ecology/

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 180-181.

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019, p. 128.

Monterey County Wildflowers https://montereywildflowers.com/tree-fagaceae-quercus/

Monterey County Herald article "Slowing Down Oak Moth Caterpillars" Sunday, October 9, 2022, pp. 1,3. Fred Watson and Bruce Delgado were interviewed by Luis Melecio-Zambrano for this front page story.

Photo 1:
More Faces Than I Expected
Yesterday morning I stepped outside before sunrise and saw movement. Turned on a porch light & saw this. I'd been wanting to see this for years. She had 2 babies on her back with a 3rd climbing on. The mama froze as I ran back inside and scrambled to get my camera assembled. I was very lucky, she was still standing frozen when I got back. So dark I had to use flash. I was about 10 feet from her.
Photo 2:
There Is Always One
After my first shot, I stood still & mama finally relaxed and turned sideways. That is when I saw there were 4 babies, not 3. Number 4 was struggling to find a handhold on the other side from it's siblings. Every big family has that one kid that marches to a different drummer.
Photo 3:
Mom Checks Me Out Again
When my flash went off for my 2nd shot, it got mom's attention again. With 3 little sets of eyes also looking my way. Number 4 was still trying to hang on and facing the wrong direction.
Photo 4:
Mom Decides I'm No Threat
Mama ignored me and the camera flashes and wandered around the deck sniffing and exploring for a minute or so. Baby # 4 finally seemed secure. Babies stay in mom's pouch until they are about 2 1/2 months old when they emerge and climb on her back. They stay with her until they are about 4 to 5 months old.

Photo 1:
Well Dang!
I'd been eagerly watching my owl box since an owl visited it for one day in mid October. Only squirrels had occupied it since. At dusk yesterday I got excited when I saw a face with white on it which would rule out a squirrel. Grabbed my camera, turned on the flash since it was so dark. Dang it, that is not an owl either. Has to be a pretty small possum to get in that opening.
Photo 2:
Taking The Slow Elevator Down
When the interloper saw me, it sank out of sight in slow motion, was hilarious to watch. I made all kinds of interesting and coaxing sounds but it refused to look out again. This morning no sign of it. Back to hoping that someday a screech owl couple will move in & raise babies.

I was in this area a couple of months ago when a group of birders told me they were on the hunt for this woodpecker. I didn't see it, and had mostly forgotten about it until today. I was underneath a tree and I heard a bird making a call. I looked it up on Merlin and it said it was a Lewis’s woodpecker. So I got some sound and I got some photos.