Summer draws to a close with continued mostly mild temperatures. Adobe
creek has a good seasonal flow, supplemented by a rare light rain
in early September. Berries, acorns, bay nuts, and buckeyes are forming
and starting to drop, providing ample food sources on the ground
(although this doesn't seem to be a mast year for any of the local oaks).
Most of the action this month was on camera #2, on what we call the
hillside forest trail. The steepest part of the hillside funnels into this
narrow trail under an oak canopy, making it an ideal passageway for both
humans and wildlife.
Mountain lion! This healthy-looking adult (female, I believe) was
photographed on three different cameras in a single morning.
It looks like the same individual we saw in previous months. Here
are three still photos and a video.
Contrast the mountain lion's stealthy movement with the bouncy lope of this bobcat.
Feral hogs are back. This bruiser of a boar, which might be the same
individual we earlier called "Tusky boi,"
was photographed on three separate nights, always traveling alone.
This bird flew into the last two seconds of a video clip, just enough to
positively identify it as a Pileated Woodpecker.
These large woodpeckers are widely distributed in North America, but
Sonoma County is close to the southern end of
its West Coast range. This is the first one we have photographed.
Blacktrail deer are still plentiful, even with all the predators around.
This is likely the same doe with two fawns (now without spots)
we have seen in previous months.
All the coyotes we have photographed previously have been solitary. This is the first family unit we've seen, likely a female with two pups.
Finally, a covey of quail, the first we've seen in over a year.
