58/250 update and a trip to San Mateo County

Since last posting about my progress on the 58/250 Project, I've made some significant headway with several of the coastal counties. I completed Santa Cruz County with a fantastic mix of the common (Pacific Poison Oak), rare (Common Cuckoo), native (Dolloff Cave Spider), and introduced (Western Mosquito Fish), and it currently stands at 271 species!

I also spent several days in San Diego at the end of May, with a few night drives in the Anza Borrego Desert. There, we recorded five different species of snake along numerous other reptiles, insects, mammals. Currently I'm at 215 species for San Diego, and with a newly purchased underwater point-and-shoot camera (thanks for the suggestions @anudibranchmom ! ) I should break 250 within six months with trips to La Jolla Cove, Mt. Palomar, and Mission Trails.

My next "target" county is San Mateo, currently at 68 species on my list. A beautiful county than makes up much of the San Francisco Peninsula, it includes long stretches of both then rural Pacific coast and the more developed San Francisco Bay shoreline. These are divided by the mid-peninsular range with stretches of Long Ridge running at over 2,500 ft in elevation. On Friday, August 2nd, I spent a few hours at Ano Nuevo State Park in search of the rare San Francisco Garter Snake. The weather was beautiful, the crowds sparse, and the Northern Elephant Seals were bellowing. Despite dipping out on the sought after garter snake, two other species of snake were found. Additionally, three inaturalist lifers were picked up, including a diminutive shore-loving beetle, Akephorus marinus, that is new to Inaturalist's San Mateo County list.

After visiting Ano Nuevo, I did a quick stop at Pigeon Point Lighthouse where calling Pigeon Pigeon Guillemots were seen visiting their nest sites along the cliffs.

Posted on August 11, 2019 05:44 PM by rjadams55 rjadams55

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Slender Centaury (Centaurium tenuiflorum)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:10 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:12 AM PDT

Description

Recent fledgling. This individual was one of two California Scrub-Jays seen at Ano Nuevo State Park this day.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

What

Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys ssp. nuttalli)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:12 AM PDT

Description

This individual was ID'd to subspecies based on its dusky crown stripes, brown back, yellow bill, and it's interactions with a begging, recently fledged juvenile nearby.

This individual was one of three Nuttall's White-crowned Sparrows seen at Ano Nuevo State Park this day.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

What

Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:18 AM PDT

Description

These beetles were extremely abundant with a vast majority of the bindweed or asteracid flowers present hosting at least one individual.

Photos / Sounds

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:18 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:18 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Seaweed Flies (Genus Fucellia)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:32 AM PDT

Description

Large clusters of these flies were assembled on the washed up piles of kelp. Based on the variations in body size, I suspect there may be at least two different species present.

Photos / Sounds

What

Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:36 AM PDT

Description

These are a few of the 14 Heermann's Gulls seen this day at Ano Nuevo State Park.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

What

California Gull (Larus californicus)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:36 AM PDT

Description

This California Gull was part of a mixed gull flock seen at Ano Nuevo State Park this day.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:36 AM PDT

Description

This Western Gull was part of a mixed gull flock seen at Ano Nuevo State Park this day.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:40 AM PDT

Description

This tiny beetle was found running on the sand at Cove Beach, Ano Nuevo SP.

Photos / Sounds

What

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:40 AM PDT

Description

Two Whimbrels with a Marbled Godwit in the background.

These are just a few of the 19 Whimbrels seen feeding along the shore at Cove Beach in Ano Nuevo SP.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

What

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:40 AM PDT

Description

This was the sole Marbled Godwit seen at Ano Nuevo this day.

A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

Photos / Sounds

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:40 AM PDT

Description

Several dozen of these rove beetles were found under small piles of washed up kelp.

Photos / Sounds

What

Intertidal Jumping Spider (Terralonus californicus)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 09:59 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:06 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Brown-spotted Bush-Cricket (Tessellana tessellata)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:47 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Gray Buckeye (Junonia grisea)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:06 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:10 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Coast Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans ssp. terrestris)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:18 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor ssp. mormon)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:21 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:21 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Coastal Bush Lupine (Lupinus arboreus)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:36 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Tiger Beetle (Cicindela oregona)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:55 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Oxybelus Wasps (Genus Oxybelus)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:55 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Sand Wasp (Bembix americana ssp. comata)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 10:55 AM PDT

Description

I worked to identify this individual using Bohart & Horning's 1971 revision of the Bembicine sand wasps. While I struggled with the key, this individual does illustrate the distinctive "sinuate first intersubmarginal vein of forewing" described for B. americana comata. That said, the shape of the clypeus seems particularly broad and square-edged.

They were extremely common in the dunes at Ano Nuevo.

Photos / Sounds

What

Acmon Blue (Icaricia acmon)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 11:22 AM PDT

Description

I was only able to photograph the underwing of this butterfly. It is either a Lupine Blue (I. lupinus) or an Acmon Blue (I. acmon),

Photos / Sounds

What

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 11:24 AM PDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

Observer

rjadams55

Date

August 2, 2019 11:28 AM PDT

Description

This recent fledgling was one of three Bewick's Wrens found at Ano Nuevo this day. A complete checklist of birds seen can be found here:

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S58762165

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