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About:

This blog is predominately about camera trapping in California. We camera trap to save our souls and to teach primary school students about biology and conservation. We will also touch on other camera trapping news and musings, sets from afar, mediocre herpetology, sucky birding, and other natural history discussions.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Spring Break!

After a brief spurt of activity we had gone back into hibernation.

Here are some wanders from early last month to hopefully stir the posting juices...


A glorious perk often mentioned as part of the life of a teacher is the scheduled breaks.
It is indeed a treat, my friends, and after an intense few months in the classroom, it was a true joy to get back out in the world.

First stop, Santa Cruz, for a long overdue meeting of the Camera Trapping Campus minds. A visit was made to the Santa Cruz Mountains... and several brewing establishments.

northern alligator lizard


western skink


western toad


western toad
ca tarantula
stoned bee
some kind of dusky-wing????


Next up: Petaluma.
The place of origin for both of your CTC authors. While visiting the family, I made a stop to Shollenberger Park for a little birding. Shollenberger was my training site as a high school trackie and could be noted as having a significant role in the development of my appreciation of nature.
Nothing too wild on the feathered spectrum that day: terns, stilts and avocets aplenty, but it was the start of what seems to be the trend of my spring -- nearly stepping on kingsnakes

1 of 6 CA Kings I have come across in the last two months. It had a buddy about 25 feet down the trail.
I have almost stepped on two more of these guys while running recently. A very snake-y spring...



and a Swallow Scream

Let these images be our incantations to raise a wild summer of outdoor rambles...





3 comments:

  1. Thanks for breaking the seal. I don't really have any excuses for not posting, outside of writing a dissertation and applying for jobs, but who the hell wants to do that.

    I should probably finish my posts from the Codger's Course LAST SUMMER, before this year's is upon us.

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  2. A nice chocolate king, that. We missed you in the desert.

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  3. Nice King! I had one as a pet once....it escaped. Never saw it again. It was heartbreaking!

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