From south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Tue Jan 20 18:58:11 2004 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i0L2t5XW026803 for <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 20 Jan 2004 18:55:06 -0800 (PST) Received: from gull.mail.pas.earthlink.net (gull.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.84]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.9/8.12.9) with ESMTP id i0L2rYtg026747 for <[[email protected]]>; Tue, 20 Jan 2004 18:53:34 -0800 (PST) Received: from user-vcaurqp.dsl.mindspring.com ([216.175.111.89] helo=pavilion.earthlink.net) by gull.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #1) id 1Aj8Um-0001Ol-00 for [[email protected]]; Tue, 20 Jan 2004 18:53:33 -0800 Message-Id: <[[email protected]]> X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.1 Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 18:58:53 -0800 To: [[email protected]] From: Bill Bousman <[[email protected]]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Subject: [SBB] Monte Bello and bayside X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2+ Precedence: list List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Unsubscribe: , List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Errors-To: south-bay-birds-bounces+south-bay-birds-archive=[[email protected]] Folks: Yesterday, 1/19/2004, my wife and I hiked at Monte Bello in the fog. The live oaks and laurels, with their moss-draped trunks looked mysterious and elvish in the fog. Birds were quiet, but a pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS called near the junction of the Canyon and Indian Creek trails. Today, 1/20/2003, I encircled the Charleston Road marsh, and at the end of my journey I had a brief view of the calling NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH in the same group of trees near the #7 parcourse step-up site where Mike Mammoser saw one earlier. Later, I visited the Palo Alto Baylands with many others. I like to think I know something about birds, which is obvious evidence of my vanity. However, on the humble side, I do know that I know nothing about mammals. While we were all (no) rail watching, a small black mammal was in the pickleweed and swam ashore. Most interesting about this was that it had a long pointed nose--not the somewhat rounded nose of a Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse or California Vole. The species accounts in "Species and Community Profiles" that was published as part of the S. F. Bay Goals Project notes two shrews in the estuary, with the Salt Marsh Wandering Shrew (Sorex vagrans haliocoetes) tending to be found in the South Bay and two subspecies of the Ornate Shrew in the North Bay. My Peterson mammal guide says that the Vagrant Shrew (referring to Sorex vagrans as a whole) is nearly black in the winter, which was the case of our swimming shrew. Someone mentioned the Shrew-Mole, which is also black, but the Peterson guide says this is a mammal of "shady ravines and along streams," which seems less like the salt marsh which is the home of the Salt Marsh Wandering Shrew (life mammal?). But what then of our dark vole that was scurrying around at our feet and was eventually dinner for a Clapper Rail? Was this a California Vole or a Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse? It seemed awfully dark. Dr. Shellhammer says the harvest mouse is placid, but this guy was running about like mad, until he became dinner. There certainly is more to learn. Bill _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list ([[email protected]]) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/options/south-bay-birds/south-bay-birds-archive%40plaidworks.com This email sent to [[email protected]]