pholroyd's Favorites

Spotted these Ruddy Ducks in otherwise Closed Zone while on 2013 Duck Days field trip. It almost looks like they are "in formation" with all swimming to the left. Males have the bright white cheeks; females have a light brown stripe across their cheeks.

there was a cluster of interesting bones here along the trail, on the opposite side of the trail as the stream. these photos show one or more turtle shells and maybe a turtle pelvis/hips. the turle shells look like they have been easily crushed in photo 1 or bitten through in photo 2. so i assume an alligator did this. another observation shows bones from a larger animal found in the same cluster: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36145676.

Dead - at least last summer. Within 20 feet of road. Skeleton included shell - in pieces but not crushed - some vertebrae, skull with jaw bone, only a few leg bones. Found upside down under a season's worth of dead grass. Evidence of nesting along this stretch of road.

Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of convergent ladybugs are gathering to prepare for their winter hibernation (diapause). It was truly a spectacle, and one I'm glad to have finally seen. Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland.