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Winter, 2017 & 2018

Winter, 2017 & 2018
After hiking from Alabama to Upstate New York by mid summer of 2017, and then spending late summer in the Sierra Nevada, I returned to Jamul and San Diego for winter.

Bird Sounds
On swap meet Saturday, November 4, I bought 5 bird call devices for $4. One reed type thing you use on your tongue had a rotten reed: It made no sound and the reed disintegrated as I tried to use it. An Audubon wood and pewter thing twists to make bird like chittering sounds for pishing. An Owl whistle has two flute holes. A Li'L Deuce is a glass drumhead and scratcher that makes scratch noises. Finally, a duck call makes an identifiable duck sound just by blowing. Searching the internet, I found no useful instructions for using these, except for the broken reed thing.

I did come across the on line computer game Cornell Bird Song Hero. The game teaches one to relate bird call audio with spectrograms. I was able to identify all the simple spectrograms after listening to the bird call a few times. But I guessed only 3 of 10 of the more complex songs of the advanced level. I found the spectrograms did help me to break down the bird songs, and might help me to remember more of them. But a computer program that could be resident on my laptop and teach me all the songs does not seem to exist. My 2 digital guides on my tablet have song audio but no spectrograms.

A paper book with many spectrograms, with a matching website that has the audio and spectrograms, is available:
Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America
March 7, 2017
Nathan Pieplow
608 pages

https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/peterson-field-guide-to-bird-sounds/

Woodpeckers
Any animal who leaves signs of his passing is of greater interest to me, as I can study the signs well after the animal is gone. I became very interested in woodpecker holes, and took many pictures of unique examples this summer (2017). So this might be interesting:
Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America
May 10, 2016
Stephen Shunk
320 pages

Red Cockaded Woodpecker Nest Cavity

Woodpeckers eat insects either from tree and tree cavities, or in flight. They also eat fruits, berries, seeds, and nuts. They may consume sap and bast from their own or Sapsucker holes. They may visit Flicker ground diggings for insects.

Sapsucker Holes, Sierra Nevada

Flickers differ from Woodpeckers in their more frequent ground feeding: Most Woodpeckers prefer feeding in trees. Flickers probe into the ground with their beaks in search of insects.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers drill horizontal exploratory bands of holes near a live branch. The holes penetrate the dead protective layers of the bark, and the phloem, then end where the xylem starts. The Phloem, carrying the sugars and other photosynthetic products down to the roots, is the desired sap food source, while the xylem, transporting water and minerals up towards the leaves, has less nutritious sap. The Bast, or living part of the bark, is also a food source. As the tree scabs and shuts off the flow of sap, every few days the holes must be expanded upwards to renew sap flow from the phloem. After the exploratory horizontal rows of holes reveal to the bird the best area for sap production, the holes, perhaps originally horizontally oval, may be expanded upwards to be vertically oval. Eventually, the process must repeat, with new horizontal exploratory bands of holes followed by production. Insects may use new holes as a food source or old holes as shelter, and can then be eaten by the birds.

Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers excavate nests in Saguaro Cacti Carnegiea gigantea: The Flicker nests tend to be higher. The nests cannot be used until the hole in the cactus flesh scabs over and dries. Elf Owls, Flycatchers, and Wrens inhabit old Gila Woodpecker holes: The Gila Woodpecker uses its hole only one season. The scabbed hole was sometimes removed and used as a waterproof container by Indians.

Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers and Flickers of US & Canada Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae
Tribe Megapicini
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker	Campephilus	principalis
Tribe Dendropicini
Golden-Fronted Woodpecker	Melanerpes	aurifrons
Red-Bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes	carolinus
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker	Melanerpes	chrysogenys
Red-Headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes	erythrocephalus
Acorn Woodpecker	Melanerpes	formicivorus
Lewis's Woodpecker	Melanerpes	lewis
Gila Woodpecker	Melanerpes	uropygialis
White-Headed Woodpecker	Picoides	albolarvatus
Black-Backed Woodpecker	Picoides	arcticus
Arizona Woodpecker	Picoides	arizonae
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker	Picoides	borealis
American Three-Toed Woodpecker	Picoides	dorsalis
Nuttall's Woodpecker	Picoides	nuttallii
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides	pubescens
Ladder-Backed Woodpecker	Picoides	scalaris
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides	villosus
Red-Naped Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus	nuchalis
Red-Breasted Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus	ruber
Williamson's Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus	thyroideus
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus	varius
Tribe Picini
Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus	pileatus
Northern Flicker	Colaptes	auratus
Gilded Flicker	Colaptes	chrysoides

Sunday, November 5, 2017
I walked most trails at Torrey Pines, most trails west of I5 near the San Dieguito River, and the eastern mile of the San Luis Rey River bike path.

Great Blue Heron	Ardea	herodias
Great Egret	Ardea	alba
Brown Pelican	Pelecanus	occidentalis
Whimbrel	Numenius	phaeopus
Western Gull	Larus	occidentalis

Monday, November 13, 2017
I walked the beach from the Mission Beach Roller Coaster north beyond Tourmaline in the surfline. Many birds were feeding in the wash. I found one Sand Dollar and a Lobster tail. Next, with low tide approaching, I visited the San Diego River and Famosa Slough. There were Herons, Egrets, and Ducks, but not many birds probing the mud. Mission Bay had a few Gulls, Pigeons, and Herons. I walked the west end of Los Peñasquitos Canyon, but saw little.

Great Blue Heron	Ardea	herodias
Great Egret	Ardea	alba
Brown Pelican	Pelecanus	occidentalis
Rock Dove	Columba	livia
Double Breasted Cormorant	Phalacrocorax	auritus
Snowy Egret	Egretta	thula
Little Blue Heron	Egretta	caerulea
American Coot	Fulica	americana
American avocet	Recurvirostra	americana
Marbled Godwit	Limosa	fedoa
Sanderling	Calidris	alba

Ranch Work

Completed Ranch Work
The black well water tank is full as of 11/15/17. It was a foot low. There are no visible leaks or other problems.
Electrical work including garage and basement lights.
Perimeter fence repairs to keep feral dogs off ranch: 3 sagged areas and several holes.
Carpentry work including Air Conditioner support, solar panel cradle, and basement ramps.
Paint on stair treads and sun blistered wood.
Trailer tires and spare filled
Oct 23: Emptied trailer black and grey water tanks, Black still reads 2/3 full, Grey 1/3 full.
Front Gate Drain Pipe Repaired, puddle inside gate filled

Ranch Work To Do
Trailer hatch latches
Seal holes under bathtubs
Paint iron railings
Shorten solar panel wire
Clean Chimney
Trailer Awning
Trailer Jacks
Fill Upper Road Edge

Dan's To Do
sew back pack

Hot Springs Trail Book
2 Bigfoot Trail Books
Bigfoot Maps
USFS Dome Lands
Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Address Changes
Western Sierra Maps

Sierra Map Project

NW Corner 121W 40N
NE 119 45'
CA14US395 35.7N 117.8W
PCT WALKERPASS 35.7 118W
BELDEN 40, 121.25
SW CORNER 35.5 119
SE CORNER 35.5 117.8

Chico W, E, Reno W
Sacramento E Walker Lake w
San Jose E Mariposa W E
Fresno W E
Bakersfield E

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