Santa Rosa Plateau

Last Monday we went hiking on the Santa Rosa Plateau. It was a good time. Here are some pictures.

We saw a Bobcat and nine Coyotes. We also saw some birds:

Acorn Woodpeckers
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk
heard a single Western Meadowlark singing
saw some Yellowlegs (probably Greaters)
Northern Shovelers
American Wigeons
a single male Phainopepla
Western Bluebirds
California and Spotted Towhees
Savannah Sparrows
Juncos
W. Scrub Jays
Oak Titmice
Bushtits and
White-breasted Nuthatches

I also just saw a Nuttall's Woodpecker outside my office. That's interesting because previously I've only seen Downey Woodpeckers around Biola. But this had an all dark back liberally streaked with horizontal white. Definitely a female-plumaged Nuttall's. I'm always keeping my eye open for wintering Sapsuckers, but it's interesting that a Nuttall's would be found. They're resident in Southern California, and thus not likely to wander. Thus, it may be indicative that we have an urban population. I've heard that they're beginning to adapt to urban mature-growth woodlands, but this is the first one I've ever seen outside of their favored oak-woodland habitat.