April 14, 2023
Sunny and beautiful, light wind
Today, the Vertebrate Biology class visited Safari West, where Erika and Bella generously gave of their time to give us an awesome tour.
We arrived mid-morning, and pretty quickly headed out on the jeep tour. It was a great tour – I was in Bella’s jeep, and she shared loads of interesting information with us, about the collection animals, and also about her research, which she’s doing on site (an exclosure experiment, to look at recruitment of oaks in the presence of large herbivores). Driving through the enclosures, we saw all the usual suspects that are part of the collection, and a nice variety of native wildlife, as well.
Some of my first birds of the day were Canada Goose and American Crow, in the enclosure closest to the park entrance, where we saw Kudu, Addax, and Roan Antelope, along with Giraffes and Dama Gazelle.
As we headed into the second enclosure, we had an encounter with a very friendly Ostrich, who was very interested in one of my students. (We called it “flirting,” but I think the student called it “pecking at his pants”). Here, I heard Oak Titmouse, and we saw Acorn Woodpeckers, including one that seemed to have a nest in a Blue Oak. A couple of Double-crested Cormorants were seen near the large lake (one of them perched near the lake, while the other actively fished). Mallard, Western Bluebird, Turkey Vulture, House Finch were see in various parts of the park, and I saw a single Black Phoebe near the Rhinos. A Red-shouldered Hawk flew high overhead, and Douglas’ Ground Squirrels were seen throughout the park. I also saw, but was not able to photograph, Northern Rough-winged Swallows as they swooped over the road.
One of the themes of day as far as the collection animals were concerned was BABIES! We saw a lot of adorable babies, including the highly anticipated Southern White Rhinoceros, born not quite two weeks before our visit. SO ADORABLE! I loved all the other babies, too.
After the driving tour, we spent some time walking around the exhibits, and were able to go through the Walk-in Aviary which had only recently reopened after being closed for several months do to worries about avian flu. Of course, I adored seeing all of the birds. Wild birds seen included Lesser Goldfinch and Golden-crowned Sparrow. I caught glimpses of a female Bullock’s Oriole, and was able to spot her nest in one of the trees near the Cheetah enclosure. I also heard a bird that I wasn’t able to spot. At first, I thought it was a Yellow Warbler. The call was a very clear, chipped, “Sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet,” getting slightly faster along the way. But a Yellow Warbler would have had a different pattern . . . after spending a bit of time with Merlin, I was able to identify my songster as a Black-throated Gray Warbler. Cool.
We had one more wonderful treat – feeding the giraffes! I love them so much, and it was wonderful to see sweet Grace, who is about 5 or 6 months old now.
It was a good day, and I think my students really enjoyed all the experiences we had today. I really appreciate Erika and her generosity in hosting us each year.
Species List
American Crow (Corvus Brachyrhynchos), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Mallard (Anas Platyrhynchos), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Common Snowberry (Symphocarpus alba), California Bay (Umbellularia californica), Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), Douglas’ Ground Squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi douglasii), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), House sparrow (Passer domesticus), Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus), Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii), Lace Lichen (Ramalina menziesii), Rough-fruited Buttercup (Ranunculus muricatus), Musk Stork’s Bill (Erodium moschatum), Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill (Geranium molle), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum), Oak Mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis), American Raven (Corvus corax), Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria), Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii), Rosy Sandcrocus (Romulea rosea), Black-throated Grey Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens) Possible: Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus), California Gall Wasp (Andricus quercuscalifornicus), German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Let me know what you think!