We started the trip with two nights of rodent trapping in the Lassics area of the Six Rivers National Forest. Scott has been helping for a few years with a live-trapping study of the rodents in the area where the rare endemic Lassics lupine occurs. Here are a couple photos of Zoe in our camp. She appears to be channeling Lon Chaney or doing her best impression of a bat-faced girl, I'm not sure which.
Here's Zoe on the trail to the project site. It's a beautiful 15- or 20 minute walk from the trail head out to a saddle between Mt. Lassic (aka Signal Peak) and another, unnamed peak.
And here's Zoe at the processing station with a few of the first night's captures in their Sherman live traps. The rodents are waiting to be measured, weighed, and have their species, sex, and reproductive status determined, before being released.
This was one of Zoe's favorite rodents, a brush mouse (Peromyscus boyleii).
Another short walk from the processing station brought us to the top of Mt. Lassic. Zoe is perched on the top of the monument used by the early surveyors in northern California for their mapping project.
The view behind us is to the southwest. On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean from Mt. Lassic.
Another short walk from the processing station brought us to the top of Mt. Lassic. Zoe is perched on the top of the monument used by the early surveyors in northern California for their mapping project.
The view behind us is to the southwest. On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean from Mt. Lassic.
Another shot from the portion of the trail in dense shrub/chaparral vegetation.
Zoe discovered the fascinating art of theatrical make-up on the second night in camp. After industriously generating charcoal dust to apply to her face, and rubbing wood chips into her hair, we dubbed her 'Sasquatch' which seemed to please her.
Here she is in a more civilized mood at Crepeville, which is a restaurant in Davis. We got a late start this morning from Yuba City, where we had stayed one night while visiting some folks conducting bat research in the Sutter Buttes. I didn't get any pictures that night, but it's a beautiful area. The group caught quite a few bats, but we didn't get back to the hotel until almost 3 a.m. This started us on a late-to-bed, late-to-rise cycle.
After spending an evening with Uncle Jay in Palo Alto (sorry, no pictures again), we drove to Chimineas Ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo county for a bat workshop sponsored by The Wildlife Society. Zoe and I mostly relaxed during the day while the participants attended lectures, then went out two evening to catch bats. Unfortunately, only a few bats were netted. Here are a few shots from the capture locations.
Participants with rabies vaccinations (and who therefore were allowed to handle bats) were given blue tape for easy identification. My friend and colleague from TWS, Cynthia Perrine, also gave us nicknames to go with the tape. I guess if the shoe fits...
Poorwills were common in the area and were bycatch in the bat nets a couple times.
Here's instructor Dr. Joe Szewczak demonstrating various handling techniques for bats. It may look like he's holding the bat very tightly, but his grip is actually quite gentle.
A few shots of the ranch house compound. Here's the pool at Chimineas Ranch. The ranch house is very comfortable, to say the least!
Zoe and I pitched our tent under a shady tree on the lawn. Just about the most luxurious camping I've ever done.
Here's Shannon, Cynthia Perrine's daughter, on the second night of netting. Kids were given token blue tape, but did NOT handle bats!
A couple blurry shots at dusk of the netting site near the Cuyamas River.
After spending an evening with Uncle Jay in Palo Alto (sorry, no pictures again), we drove to Chimineas Ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo county for a bat workshop sponsored by The Wildlife Society. Zoe and I mostly relaxed during the day while the participants attended lectures, then went out two evening to catch bats. Unfortunately, only a few bats were netted. Here are a few shots from the capture locations.
Participants with rabies vaccinations (and who therefore were allowed to handle bats) were given blue tape for easy identification. My friend and colleague from TWS, Cynthia Perrine, also gave us nicknames to go with the tape. I guess if the shoe fits...
Poorwills were common in the area and were bycatch in the bat nets a couple times.
Here's instructor Dr. Joe Szewczak demonstrating various handling techniques for bats. It may look like he's holding the bat very tightly, but his grip is actually quite gentle.
A few shots of the ranch house compound. Here's the pool at Chimineas Ranch. The ranch house is very comfortable, to say the least!
Zoe and I pitched our tent under a shady tree on the lawn. Just about the most luxurious camping I've ever done.
Here's Shannon, Cynthia Perrine's daughter, on the second night of netting. Kids were given token blue tape, but did NOT handle bats!
A couple blurry shots at dusk of the netting site near the Cuyamas River.
Here's a picture of us looking at a tiny pipistrelle, Parastrellus hesperus (photo by Dave Johnston).
This is instructor Dr. Dave Johnston holding a very large pallid bat.
After the workshop, Zoe and I drove to the city of San Luis Obispo and then up the coast on Highway 1. I had hoped to show her the beautiful central California coast, but she ended up sleeping most of the way. I woke her up to tour Hearst Castle, but I think she would have preferred to nap. I don't recall ever stopping here, but when I talked to Jay the next evening, he said he thought our family had visited when we were children. I'll let Grandma and Grandpa settle the question. Hard to take indoor photos without flash, so here's a smattering of photos, not necessarily of the most interesting subjects.
After the workshop, Zoe and I drove to the city of San Luis Obispo and then up the coast on Highway 1. I had hoped to show her the beautiful central California coast, but she ended up sleeping most of the way. I woke her up to tour Hearst Castle, but I think she would have preferred to nap. I don't recall ever stopping here, but when I talked to Jay the next evening, he said he thought our family had visited when we were children. I'll let Grandma and Grandpa settle the question. Hard to take indoor photos without flash, so here's a smattering of photos, not necessarily of the most interesting subjects.
The famous Neptune (outdoor) pool, with the smoke plume of a wildfire in the background.
If she couldn't nap, Zoe would have liked to go swimming...
I personally found the interior of Hearst Castle interesting, but gloomy. The grounds and vistas, on the other hand, were inspiring!
The Roman (indoor) pool and the end of the tour.
We spent that night in Carmel, then on to San Jose and Palo Alto the next day. Zoe and I visited Raging Waters and pedaled a paddle boat in Cunningham reservoir before visiting with Jay another night. We drove home to Sue and Willow the next day. All in all, a very pleasant, diverse, and interesting vacation!
I personally found the interior of Hearst Castle interesting, but gloomy. The grounds and vistas, on the other hand, were inspiring!
The Roman (indoor) pool and the end of the tour.
We spent that night in Carmel, then on to San Jose and Palo Alto the next day. Zoe and I visited Raging Waters and pedaled a paddle boat in Cunningham reservoir before visiting with Jay another night. We drove home to Sue and Willow the next day. All in all, a very pleasant, diverse, and interesting vacation!
