Observations by rfwalker

About 52 degrees F, overcast. We caught some silversides from the creek under the overpass. The silversides had long, lean bodies with relatively large eyes. These fish were caught alongside several pupfish. These fish might be in competition for food with one another since they were caught in the same go.

66 degrees F and sunny. A ringnecked male duck was bobbing in a pond near a plains area, along with several females. We mostly saw large birds on the right side of the bird we were on, and then smaller birds were spotted on the left side of the road. I wonder if the cattle area being on the right side of the road was in any way related to this juxtaposition of sizes. We identified the duck by its dark bill, and mostly dark body coloring. We also spotted a grieb in this pond that the ringnecks weren't interacting with very much. The male ringneck must not have been feeling territorial. Probably because it was not the time for selecting mates yet.

Around 54 degrees F and sunny. I spotted a sandhill crane in a group of about 10 or so other sandhill cranes. They were in an open plains area that was near a pond and some trees. They were identified by their large bodies, stilted legs, and colorful masks. They were making calls, possibly to warn of the presence of what they thought was a nearby predator (our noisy van), and then they flew away after about a minute of observation. There could be several reasons for this relocation, but the main one that I believe is that they thought they were in danger of being spotted by a predator, given their vulnerable position in an open field.

Around 54 degrees F and sunny. I spotted a redwing blackbird perched in a tree that was surrounded by marshy water. This bird was joined in the tree by a large group (10 or more?) other redwing blackbirds. The birds had red coloring near their wings and black bodies. The birds were making characteristic calls. They were possibly alerting one another of the possible presence of a predator (our van in this instance). However, none of the birds flew out of the trees.

Around 54 degrees F and sunny. We noticed a caracara perched on a fence post near a mostly grassy, plains type area. It had a colorful, sloping beak. It also had a relatively large body compared to its head. It's possible that it was perching so as to be able to see prey in the grasses. Even as we drove past it, it did not fly away. It must have been desperate for prey or was not frightened by our van.

Very windy, 66 degrees F. We saw a killdeer running across the road while we were driving. It appeared to come from a suburban area and was heading towards the ponds that were in the observatory area. We identified the killdeer from its stilted legs and brown coloring on its back. It was probably heading towards the pond area in search of food. I find it interesting that I never witness this bird flying or in a tree, always while it is running towards something.

Windy, 66 degrees F. There was a mockingbird that was on the ground amongst some cacti. The ground was very dry, and there did not appear to be a lot of vegetation nearby. We noticed its brown/gray coloring on its wings and backs. It wasn't making any calls, so perhaps it was just searching for some food. It hopped into some brush and disappeared from view after about a minute of observation.

Very windy, ~66 degrees F. I saw a cattle egret along with several other cattle egrets in the creek near the shore. They appeared to be standing on rocks. They might have been engaged in some sort of social behavior. They were identified by their stark white coloring. They flew away quickly after they were spotted, so I assume they were traveling in the group for protection reasons.

I saw a vulture circling in the sky along with several other vultures. I think it was a black vulture, because I didn't see any red coloring on it, and it had a long wingspan. Plus, the typical circling behavior led me to believe this was a species of vulture. They were circling in order to rise higher in the air, without expending a lot of energy. It was ~66 degrees F and really windy, so it makes sense that they were exhibiting this behavior.

It was about 66 degrees F, very windy. I saw a northern shoveler with a greenish head, black shovel beak, white breast, and reddish wings. It was bobbing alongside the group of ruddy ducks we saw. It was in a pond area, near the coast. It was probably trying to either find food, or increase its body temperature by being near land.

There was an eastern fox squirrel in front of Gregory gym. I identified it by its brown/gray coloring, and its commonness in this area. It was eating a napkin in a large tree, before it dropped the napkin out of the tree, and then hid it in a grassy area. It then came under the bench I was sitting on to explore other grassy areas. It slowly approached a man with a black backpack, touched the backpack with its front paws, knocked the man's hat off a bench, and then ran out of view.

It was about 78 degrees F and overcast. A killdeer was identified by the brown coloring, as well as its stilted legs. It was running out of a wooded area into a sandy area that was near a river. Another killdeer was spotted shortly after. It's possible that this killdeer was looking for food in the sand area, and it was coming from its habitat of the forest/woody area.

It was about 66 degrees F and very windy. I saw a ruddy duck with brown splotchy coloring all over. It was with a group of other ruddy ducks in a group that were merely bobbing in a pond type area. They were all near the shore. Perhaps they were trying to avoid the cold or wind by huddling together.

The weather was ~ 50 degrees F and overcast. I saw a carolina chickadee making chirping noises and flying back and forth between branches of trees. This was in a forest area. It had a medium body size and black stripes. I think they were chirping to alert other nearby chickadees of the presence of a nearby cardinal.

The weather was about 50 degrees F and overcast. I saw a lark sparrow in a small tree in an open field. It was light brown with dark brown stripes, and a tiny body size. It flew back and forth between trees, and made chirping sounds. There were other lark sparrows nearby, so it was possibly communicating with the nearby birds.

It was about 58 degrees F, slightly overcast. I saw a male buck sprint by. I think it was a white-tail deer, because of its white under belly, and large size. It had small-ish horns. It lept over the railing coming from the south from some brushy area. It was heading northeast, possibly towards the creek looking for some water.

Around 2:30 pm, I saw a cardinal on the grassy ground in a wooded area. It had a bright red coloring, and the obvious pointed head structure. Another bird landed near the cardinal on the ground and the cardinal flew away. The other bird was possibly a competing male of a different species. The weather was very windy, with a temperature of about 66 degrees.