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| Sonoma Chipmunk on Cataract Trail, Mt. Tamalpais |
We wanted to have one more hike on Mt. Tam before our next undertaking. It could be several months before we get up there again. The day was perfect for a hike, with a good breeze and cool temps. We headed down the Cataract Trail from Rock Spring, picked up the Mickey O'Brien Trail to Barth's Retreat, then the fire road to Potrero Meadow and onward to Rifle Camp before circling back on Lagunitas-Rock Spring Road and the Benstein Trail.
Lots of birdsong in the forest. My wife was checking her Merlin app quite a bit and picked up black-throated gray warbler, wrentit, Cassin's vireo, warbling vireo, orange-crowned warbler, Wilson's warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, acorn woodpecker, California quail, Steller's jay, purple finch, spotted towhee, red-crossbill, red-breasted nuthatch, olive-sided and western flycatcher, and of course junco and chickadee.
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| Meadow of Dried Grasses Near Trailhead |
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| A few California quail were hanging out near the spring, but took off in alarm as we passed by. |
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| Quail in the Chain Fern |
Quail Clip with Sound
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| Stumpy the Lizard |
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| I couldn't quite make out what the fella with the long tail was eating, but it appeared to be some kind of seedy fruit. Probably a blackberry, even though I didn't see a blackberry bush anywhere nearby. |
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| Dogtail Grass |
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| Oxeye Daisy |
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| This is the big meadow half-way to Laurel Dell, still looking pretty lush. There were just a few foxgloves in bloom. |
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| This might be teneral (immediately after molting) male vivid dancer. |
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| Spotted Coralroot Gone to Seed |
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| Dogtail Grass |
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| The wild honeysuckle was just coming into bloom on the Mickey O'Brien Trail. |
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| Sitting in the shade at Barth's Retreat, we watched numerous California sister butterflies fluttering around. I caught this one during a brief warm-up on a bay laurel leaf. |
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| Lizard Basking in a Flowering Chamise Bush |
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| Mating Grappletail Dragonflies at Potrero Meadow |
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| Another shot of the grappletails mating. The male is clinging to meadow rue. |
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| Blue-belly Duo |
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| Woodland Skipper Nectaring on a Yellow Mariposa Lily, Rifle Camp Meadow |
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| This acorn woodpecker landed low on an acorn granary tree right next to the trail, giving me a nice pose. |
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| This is the same guy after going around to the other side of the tree where it grabbed an acorn and took off. |
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| No, this is not a geocache, but a funeral urn, oddly placed in the open near the Rock Spring picnic area. |
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| We stopped at the picnic tables to absorb the gorgeous day for just a little longer. |
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| A pair of turkey vultures wheeled over the adjacent meadow. |
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