2024-02-11: Canyon Lake, AZ

Going to Canyon Lake in the morning was nice - it was really peaceful there and I was the only one there for a good 30 minutes. It was a little chilly, but there was little wind and the sky was rather clear. I went along the shore of the lake for pretty much all of the trip, I wanted to see what kind of aquatic and semi-aquatic life I could find. I didn't find as much as I'd like, I think that's because of the temperature and the fact that I didn't stay long.
A few things I noticed / learned:

1. I didn't find that many arthropods. I wonder if this is because of the temperature or if there aren't that many species of semi-aquatic freshwater arthropods in the area. I believe that it's more likely because of the temperature.
2. I should record more plants. It'll be Spring soon, so a lot of the plants will start blooming. I knew that the more desert-y parts of Arizona have mistletoes, but I didn't realize how big they can get. Animals also like to be on plants, so that's another reason to pay attention.
3. Bring a battery pack and charge my phone before leaving. I ran low on battery, which is why I left early. The battery pack will let me spend several hours, using the camera on my phone eats up the charge.
4. The Great-Tailed Grackle with white feathers was thinner than the other grackles. I wonder how common it is for them to have white feathers, is it rare to find because it's a rare mutation or because the grackles don't survive long so they can't pass on their genes? The only other grackle I've found with white feathers was at the Phoenix Zoo, so it's likely that a lack of predators and easy access to food help those grackles to survive. The trait is either non-heritable or for any amount of reasons the allele(s) for it aren't common.

Posted on February 11, 2024 07:48 PM by themajesticcoot