Ulistac Natural Area

Taken at Ulistac yesterday morning: -Erica

A Great Egret crossing over the levee this morning as the sun came up: -Erica

A Black-Phoebe hunting on the Guadalupe river across from Ulistac- You will almost always find these birds near a water source, because they require mud to build their nests. They create a mud shell and then line it with leaves and plant fibers. They also enjoy hunting for insects or even small fish over the water by diving down swiftly and gleaning them from the surface. Rarely, they may also eat berries. ... While common and often overlooked, these sweet little birds are a favorite of mine. -Erica See more

Sunrise at Ulistac today: -Erica

So, this is something I don't see everyday. As I walked home from Ulistac, I saw something skitter quickly across the levee and into the grass. It looked like a large, furry caterpillar moving at an impressive pace. When I got closer I realized it was not a caterpillar, but a tiny mouse! I knew these little guys existed here, but I have never actually seen one. This mouse was incredibly small, and she was not keen on sticking around for photos, so this is the only one I mana...ged to get. Cute little thing. -Erica See more

Yellow-rumped Warbler out foraging at Ulistac: -Erica

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet out foraging - It's rare that these tiny birds ever stay still long enough for a photo. -Erica

Eucalyptus trees backlit by the rising sun this morning: -Erica

Pie-billed Grebe on the Guadalupe: -Erica

Hello on Haiku Tuesday I have almond eyes, short legs (4), plump belly, a tail; I stick close to home.... ~Kirsty Have you spotted me at Ulistac? Yesterday, Kate Grimes guessed the animal haiku correctly--California ground squirrel. The does give birth to young called "kits," "pups," or "kittens."

A Pie-billed Grebe hunting on the Guadalupe river across from Ulistac- The black stripe on the beak means that this is a breeding adult. Non-breeding Pie-billed Grebes lack this marking. -Erica

A male Ruby-crowned Kinglet with just a tiny bit of his red crown showing through and a face and beak covered in what looks like sap. While they typically eat mostly insects and insect eggs, in the winter they will also sometimes eat seeds, sap and berries. -Erica

A Red-shouldered Hawk perched across from Ulistac on the Guadalupe river- I watched as he or she dove down from her perch to grab something and then returned here to have her meal. Must have been a small meal though, because I could not see it, and it didn't help that a branch was blocking my view. My guess is that it was a small fish swimming at the surface, or a frog or dragonfly; something small which it seemed to glean off the surface of the water. He clearly was not satiated and continued on with his hunt farther down the river. -Erica

The Fox Sparrows have returned to Ulistac and there seem to be quite an abundance of them- These adorable sparrows spend a lot of time on the ground using their legs to forage for insects and seeds in the leaf litter. While they are not all that shy about coming out into the open, they are careful to always stay close to cover and will quickly retreat if you get near. Look for them just about anywhere at Ulistac, but there is a group of several can who can often be found foraging in the garden on the south end of Ulistac. -Erica

A Pacific Aster Bouquet- While these native plants in the sunflower family typically bloom in Summer only, some at Ulistac are still holding on through this warm Fall weather. This is a wonderful plant to attract butterflies and other insects. It is also a host plant for the Northern Checkerspot, Field Crescent and Pearl Crescent butterflies. -Erica

California Fuchsia- These gorgeous flowers can be found in bloom throughout Ulistac and will continue to offer a splash of color through the Fall. It is favorite of the Anna's Hummingbirds, who you will often find perched above or near it this time of year when there is little else to choose from. For this reason, it's also known as the Hummingbird flower, and is one of the best plants you can choose for attracting hummingbirds to your garden. -Erica

Wishing everyone a fun and safe Halloween- Don't forget to check out the moon tonight! https://www.space.com/halloween-blue-moon-full-moon-2020 -Erica

Here are some previous photos I took of the hive back in January when it was still active: -Erica

A photo taken just this week of an abandoned Western Honey Bee hive. The hive was found back in early 2020, and was active for quite some time, but has now been abandoned for several months. It's rather amazing how well it has held up! -Erica

Just a quick and not completely focused shot of a male Spotted Towhee foraging at Ulistac near the creek the other day- Their red eyes make these little birds particularly striking. The males, like the one seen here, have black heads, throats and upper parts while the females are more of a brown shade. -Erica

A California Scrub Jay with a very large acorn- If you watch the Scrub Jays, you will find that they are quite busy stashing acorns for the winter. They bury them in many hiding places over a large area for later retrieval, stashing thousands of acorns each fall. Of course ,many are forgotten, and these buried acorns may get the chance to grow into trees. -Erica

Today's Visitor Feature is from Mojgan Mahdizadeh- Mojgan is also an Ulistac volunteer. Thanks for sharing these lovely photos, Mojgan! -Erica

It's Bat Week! We are excited to be co-hosting this event with Saved by Nature and WERC. Please join us on Oct 30th from 7-8pm on Zoom to learn more about these interesting and often misunderstood creatures. Click below for more information.

Whoops! Quick correction: Chloe wrote a paragraph about Red Cone galls for this newsletter, but her name was accidentally misspelled. Sorry, Chloe! Thank you for your wonderful contribution to Ulistac's newsletter! Ulistac Newsletter, October 28, 2020 - https://mailchi.mp/ulist/ulistac-newsletter-october-28-2020

Have Ulistac photos you would like to share? We would love to feature them! Please send 1-3 photos to [email protected] for our Visitor Feature Fridays!Have Ulistac photos you would like to share? We would love to feature them! Please send 1-3 photos to [email protected] for our Visitor Feature Fridays!

Belted Kingfisher! She was perched quite far back on the Guadalupe river yesterday and in shadow, so the quality of the photos is far from great. I have spotted this female on the Guadalupe river across from Ulistac a few times over the last year, so she clearly sticks to this area quite a bit. I wouldn't have noticed her at all had she not been loudly calling out- a sound that, to me, is like that of an odd woodpecker. Click here to listen: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/sounds