Today was the day of our Frog Quest. Myself and Juli had planned to see frogs in SF. And, Kate joined us!
As you may have seen in a recent post, I’d found a spot to see them. And, while they weren’t in the same place as the first time I saw them (chillin’ on Common Silverweed), thanks to Kate and Juli, we spotted A BUNCH OF THEM near/on the water! I don’t even know how many there were, there were THAT MANY. Also, TADPOLE THINGS??
Along with the tiny Sierran Tree Frog bounty, we saw a lot in that tiny spot! Umber Skipper, Bullock’s Oriole, Blue-eyed Darners, Echo Azures, Cabbage White, a Goldenrod Crab Spider that looked like it was doing cool gymnastic moves, a small red damselfly, and a newtome butterfly – the Mourning Cloak in all its gothy glory!
After that, we Natured in El Polin Spring. Juvenile California Scrub-Jays, Seep Monkeyflower, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Twinberry Honeysuckle berries, a yellow Swallowtail and a tiny moth that escaped the clumsy juvenile Scrub-Jay, Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds, Wilson’s Warblers bathing, Western Fence Lizard doing push-ups (!), California Manroot spiky balls, more Echo Azures, Skunkweed, Coyote Mint, and Coast Paintbrush all filled the place nicely.
To end, we visited the Great Horned Owls of Barnard Ave. At first, I thought I’d spotted Pa Owl, but I later realized it must’ve been an owlet. Likely, the oldest?? Pa Owl was actually at the exact same spot I’d seen him in last Wednesday. After feeling that my owl fu was weak in only spotting two of the owls, I spotted another super high up in a euc! And, I was able to live with myself at that point. So, presumably, Pa Owl and two owlets were seen. Owl pics below for the owl fans.
So, yeah! Naturing on a holiday wasn’t too bad. I was expecting way more folks out and about, but perhaps we were in the places not so popular? And yet, they were full of SUCH TREATS. Lucky us!
The Afternoon Naturalist 