BEACH AND OCEAN BIRDS with Alvaro Jaramillo Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series - Session Four

Pictured: Western Gull

Here is a recording of the Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series/Session 4- Beach and Ocean Birds. Renowned international bird guide, Alvaro Jaramillo, joins the Coastside Land Trust to share about our local shore birds. To learn more about Alvaro Jaramillo and his tours, research, and other work, check out: http://alvarosadventures.com

Alvaro was kind enough to write up responses to questions we didn’t have time for in the webinar. Check out his answers to your birding questions here.

These webinars are made possible by the generosity of donors. Donate to help us continue our work.

Banana Slugs

**Nature Nugget**

If you go out for a hike in the local redwood forests on a moist day, it would be hard to  miss the banana slugs. They are often bright yellow (hence the banana nomenclature) although sometimes they are greenish, brown, tan, or even white. These slugs are native to coniferous forests along the Pacific coast, ranging from Southeastern Alaska down to the Channel Islands (with one location identified in San Diego County).

The banana slug is one of the slowest creatures on Earth, moving at a maximum speed of six and a half inches per minute. Like all slugs, they use two pairs of tentacles to sense their environment. The larger, upper pair protruding from the top of their heads is used to detect light and movement. The lower tentacles are used to feel and smell. The tentacles can retract and extend themselves to avoid damage, and regrow if injured.

Like all gastropods, banana slugs are hermaphrodites, which means they possess both female and male sex organs simultaneously. Each animal is both female and male at the same time, and all slugs are able to lay eggs. They’re able to mate with themselves, though they commonly court and mate with other individuals.

Banana slugs dispense dry granules of mucus, which then absorb several hundred  times their volume in water to create slime. This slime helps them to move, stay moist, and to ward off predators. The slimy covering also contains chemicals that act as an anesthetic, numbing the throat and tongue of an animal that tries to eat it. Due to a dependence on this slime and a susceptibility to dehydration, banana slugs are more active during cool, moist days and during the night. 

Banana slugs are an important part of their ecosystem. As decomposers , they eat detritus (dead organic matter), including moss, mushroom spores, fallen leaves, plants, and animal feces. They then recycle their food into nutrient-dense waste, which fertilizes and enriches the soil.

SONGBIRDS with Alvaro Jaramillo Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series - Session Three

Pictured: Orange-crown warbler

Here is a recording of the Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series/Session 3- SONGBIRDS. Renowned international bird guide, Alvaro Jaramillo, joins the Coastside Land Trust to share about the songbirds of our local forests and woodlands. To learn more about Alvaro Jaramillo and his tours, research and other work check out: http://alvarosadventures.com

Alvaro was kind enough to write up responses to questions we didn’t have time for in the webinar. Check out his answers to your birding questions here.

Join us for our next three sessions:

These free webinars are made possible by our amazing supporters! Donate to help us continue our work.

BIRDS AROUND TOWN with Alvaro Jaramillo Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series - Session Two

---

Here is a recording of the Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series/Session 2- BIRDS AROUND TOWN. Renowned international bird guide, Alvaro Jaramillo, joins the Coastside Land Trust to share about birds we might see around town. To learn more about Alvaro Jaramillo and his tours, research and other work check out: http://alvarosadventures.com

Alvaro was kind enough to write up responses to questions we didn’t have time for in the webinar. Check out his answers to your birding questions here.

Pictured: Anna’s Hummingbird

Join us for our next four sessions:

These free webinars are made possible by our amazing supporters! Donate to help us continue our work.

Black-Tailed Fawns

**Nature Nugget**

For those of us fortunate enough to live on the coast, we are surrounded by a wealth of animals. And during the spring, if we are really lucky, we might even get to spot one of these adorable little fawns beside a local trail or feeding along tree-lined edges, where they can quickly disappear into the forest if they're threatened. 

The dominant deer population of the peninsula is the black-tailed deer, currently recognized as a subspecies of the mule deer. Adult black-tailed deer are reddish-brown in summer and brownish-gray during winter. They have large ears that move independently of each other, and a broad triangular tail with a dark brown or black top and a white underside.

Black-tailed fawns are born from late spring to mid-summer and are spotted at birth, but lose their spots within a few months. They are born weighing around 6 to 8 pounds, and have no scent for the first week or so. This enables the mother to leave the fawn hidden while in search of food to replenish her own body after giving birth and to produce enough milk to feed her young. Fawns are weaned in the fall after about 60-75 days, but continue to stay with their mothers during the first year. Males begin growing their antlers at approximately 6 to 8 months old. These become full-size antlers in four to five years. Male deer leave the family group when they reach maturity, at about 18 months old. Females reach sexual maturity at about two years old. 

Bucks do not participate in raising the fawns. Instead they generally travel together in all-male groups for the summer. Does and their fawns form small family groups, led by the oldest mother.

The Elusive Long Tailed Weasel

**Nature Nugget**

They are beautiful creatures, with long slim bodies, short legs and ears, white marks on their foreheads, chins and paws, and a distinctive black tipped tail. If you are lucky enough to spot one of these elusive animals, you will likely find these characteristics quite cute. But do not let them fool you. These weasels are cunning and ferocious predators, with a well-developed sense of smell, hearing and sight, which may attack animals far larger than themselves. They are good climbers, can swim, and have exceptionally flexible backs that allow them to access the burrows of rodents much smaller than they are. Needless to say, these little guys are not to be messed with.

Long-tailed weasels are carnivores, most active at night, with a very high metabolic rate that requires them to eat approximately 40% of their body weight every day. Most of their diet is made up of small mammals such as mice, voles, gophers, rabbits, and chipmunks, with occasional birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. They are solitary animals, except during mating season, and generally live in the abandoned burrows of other mammals, or make their dens under stumps or rock piles. Though not commonly seen, they live in a wide variety of habitats, including wetlands, woodlands, thickets, prairies and farmland. When threatened or marking their territory, the long-tailed weasels produce a strong, musky odor that they rub onto surfaces in order to leave the scent to discourage predators.

What is unique about the long-tailed weasels is that they mate in the summer, and the gestation period lasts approximately 10 months, with actual embryonic development taking place only during the last four weeks of this period. This allows for the weasels to mate but continue to hunt successfully for many months, while timing their births for spring, when their food sources are abundant. 

Songbirds, Seabirds and More - Webinar Series/Session 1- BACKYARD BIRDS By: Alvaro Jaramillo

---

House finch

Here is a recording of the Songbirds, Seabirds and More Webinar Series/Session 1- BACKYARD BIRDS. Renowned international bird guide, Alvaro Jaramillo, joins the Coastside Land Trust to share about local backyard birds. To learn more about Alvaro Jaramillo and his tours, research and other work check out: http://alvarosadventures.com

Alvaro was kind enough to write up responses to questions we didn’t have time for in the webinar. Check out his answers to your birding questions here.

Join us for our next 5 sessions…

These free webinars are made possible by our amazing supporters! Donate to help us continue our work.

Junior Land Stewards Virtual Gallery

Here is a glimpse into CLT’s Junior Land Stewards Program and all they accomplished in the 2019/2020 school year.

Virtual Workshop Series

Pictured: White Tailed Kite

Join the Coastside Land Trust every Saturday morning from June 13- July 18, when renowned bird expert and guide, Alvaro Jaramillo, will be presenting a unique bird topic in our series, Songbirds, Seabirds and More.  These 30 minute webinars are free, and are sure to be educational and engaging for adults and children of all ages!  Webinar recordings will be posted to our YouTube channel.

To Register and find out more go to:

http://www.coastsidelandtrust.org/webinars

A Coastsider's guide to whale watching

**Nature Nugget**

Many coastsiders enjoy watching the whales that pass along our coastside. Although many locals have become adept at anticipating the rhythm of these journeys, this is a handy guide to help coastsiders keep track of our local whale activity.

A Coastsider’s Guide to Whale Migration:

Gray Whale (March - May) Gray whales are northbound from Mexico to their Arctic summer feeding grounds. Mothers with calves and aunties travel last, staying closer to the shore and moving slowly, making this one of the best times to see them. Mothers and aunties keep the calves close to the shoreline in shallow water, where killer whales can’t feed on them.

Humpback Whale (May-November)  Typically they can be seen in greater numbers from June/July on into the fall. In recent years, Humpback whales have been seen more frequently in our area. It is believed that some of the Humpback whales are making this area a semi-permanent home.

Blue Whale (June - October) Blue whales are the largest living animals on Earth, and often feed on krill close to the surface, which allows much of their gigantic body to be seen. They, however, tend to feed further out in the ocean, and are less likely to be seen from shore. 

Gray Whale (December - February) Gray whales move southbound from their Arctic feeding grounds to Mexico for the winter where the females will give birth and care for their calves before the long migration back north again.

Please note that these are general guidelines, and may vary in relation to water temperatures, ocean currents, and location and the availability of food.

Spotlight on Barbara Lohman- Coastside Land Trust Board President

At the beginning of 2020, the Coastside Land Trust welcomed Barbara Lohman as the new President of the Board of Directors. Barbara has served on the CLT board since 2013. She also currently serves as the Stewardship Advisory Committee Chairperson. Barbara has been an integral part in the creation and implementation of the Junior Land Stewards Program (an environmental literacy program that serves students of the Cabrillo Unified School District).

Barbara joined the CLT board shortly before she retired, after more than 30 years as an educator. Barbara taught at Half Moon Bay High School for 24 years, where she began teaching math and later taught Biology and served as the Science Department Chair. All three of her children graduated from Half Moon Bay High School. 

Barbara grew up in Southern California and graduated from Occidental College.  She and her husband, Ric, traveled a lot before moving to Half Moon Bay- living in Arizona, Wisconsin, Brazil, and Illinois. When she moved to Half Moon Bay in 1989 Barbara explains that both she and her husband, Ric, felt at home. 

Barbara knows that the Coastside Land Trust is an integral part of this community- from the protected open space land and the Junior Land Stewards Program to the coastal trail and the workshops and workdays. “The Coastside Land Trust provides a unique service to us all,” explains Barbara. “It is my hope that we can increase all parts of these services and also stay responsive to any new community needs.”   

Barbara Lohman is a tremendous gift to the Coastside Land Trust. She brings with her a passion for the environment, and also a deep commitment to educating and inspiring the younger generation to develop skills and a desire to become life-long stewards of open space. We are all very grateful for the leadership, wisdom, care, and work ethic that Barbara brings to the Coastside Land Trust and to the community.

How Bees See

**Nature Nugget**

It has been expressed in a metaphorical sense that “we all see the world through different lenses.” In the animal world this is true in a very literal way, with animals using their senses with varying levels of sophistication to succeed in the environment in which they live. This time of year it is particularly interesting to think of the sense of sight as it relates to the bee.

With approximately 150 species of native bees in the Bay Area, plants all around us have evolved extravagant flowers full of nectar and pollen to entice these bees and other pollinators in order to maximize pollination. Vision is critical to bees, because they feed on that nectar and pollen—and that means they have to find these flowers. And, although bees do use odor cues at close range, it is their remarkable eyesight that is most astounding and advantageous.

Like us, bees are trichromatic, which means they have three photoreceptors within the eye, and they base their colors on combinations of these three colors. Humans base their color on combinations of red, blue and green light, while bees base their colors on blue, green and ultraviolet light. Bees can’t see the color red, although they can see reddish wavelengths, such as yellow and orange. They can, however, see in the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans cannot. This ability to see ultraviolet light reveals "landing strips" on many plants which are invisible to the human eye, but act to guide bees to the part of the plant containing nectar and pollen.

Bees have an exceptional “flicker” threshold, in which they can see individual flowers while traveling at high speeds. This is why honey bees easily pollinate moving flowers. Flying helps bees see better, in depth and three dimensions. Bees also can judge distance well, using the objects they fly by to create their own mental maps, which they later can share and communicate with their hive through a sophisticated “waggle dance.”

Owl Pellets

**Nature Nugget**

Owls are birds of prey, which means that they hunt other animals for food. Owls are generally active at night, hunting for small rodents, birds, and bugs that are a part of its nightly diet. They swallow their food whole, or in large chunks, depending upon the size of the prey. The soluble pieces of their food pass through their two-part stomach and are broken down to make way through the rest of the digestive tract, to be absorbed or excreted as waste. The insoluble or indigestible bits (fur, feathers, claws, bone, teeth, etc) are compressed in the gizzard for several hours, and then are regurgitated as a pellet. This process of regurgitation is called casting. Once the pellet is cast, the digestive process is finished and the owl is able to feed again.

Although roughly cylindrical and usually of a grey brown color, there is some variability in the size and composition of owl pellets, depending on the owl and the kind of prey they are produced from. Pellets are usually one and a half to three inches in length. Their contents can include bones, fur, feathers, bills, claws, teeth, exoskeletons of insects, and even indigestible plant matter, and tend to be odorless.

Owls aren't the only birds that cast pellets; many meat-eating birds, which also consume food that has indigestible matter, cast pellets as part of their digestive process. Birds who cast pellets include hawks, falcons, eagles, herons, cormorants, grebes, kingfishers, swallows, and many shore birds. Owl pellets tend to be larger than those ejected by these other birds because owls generally eat their prey whole, and their digestive acids aren’t as potent. Therefore owl pellets contain more complete bones and other animal remains.

Although owl pellets can be an exciting find, and are interesting to pull apart to examine the remnants of the bird’s diet, it is important to take precautions before handling one. Owl pellet dissection should only be undertaken with sterilized pellets due to the risk of contracting bacteria or viruses. 

Bay to Sea Trail

The Coastside Land Trust joins with 10 Organizations to formalize an agreement to create the ‘Bay to Sea Trail’ Across the Peninsula 

Public agencies and private nonprofits commit to connecting the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean for future recreational use

Palo Alto, Calif. – May 13, 2020 — Eleven public agencies, municipalities and private nonprofit organizations that manage and protect open space in the Bay Area have formalized an agreement to collaborate on creating a Bay to Sea Trail across the Peninsula for public use. The target date for completion of the project is 2037. The Bay to Sea Trail is envisioned as an approximately 40-mile trail that will connect people from across the region and beyond to open space and other regional trails on the Peninsula. This multiuse trail – for walkers, hikers, bikers and equestrians – will connect the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

Hello from the Stewardship Committee

Hello from the CLT Stewardship Committee! This dedicated group, including Barbara Lohman, Jo Chamberlain, Barbara Dye, Janet Leonard, April Ramos, Steve Ruddock, and John Zimmer continues to work together remotely to preserve, monitor and protect our open space land. We are all thankful for the important work that they continue to do.

Flowers on the job

**Nature Nugget**

If you’ve looked out at your garden, or have taken a recent walk outside, you have surely noticed an abundance of blooms. It is a visual splendor, but also a part of a sophisticated process, by which plants have been evolving for millions of years to refine their methods for pollination (the transfer of pollen from stamen to stigma, either within a plant or between plants of the same species). These flowering plants are ever honing their mechanisms for pollen transfer, primarily by animals and wind.

About 25 percent of plants exchange pollen by wind. Wind pollination is the prominent method in grasses, most conifers and many deciduous trees (including oaks, poplars, walnuts, and brich). As allergies sometimes prove, wind-pollinated flowers produce a large amount of pollen in order to vastly scatter and increase the chances that it may land on another flower of the same species.

The greater majority of flowering plants are animal-pollinated. These flowers must use color, scent and shape to attract insects, birds and even bats. 

Color—Flowers use vibrant, often species-specific colors to attract pollinators. Many are marked with ultraviolet nectar guides, which can be seen by insects but are invisible to human eyes. 

Scent—Flowers use attractive scents, as well. Many are pleasing to humans too, but there are a number of flowers that attract flies and beetles with smells that resemble rotting meat or skunk spray. Scent is specifically important to night-flying insects (such as moths) that pollinate with decreased visibility, and a dependence upon bright white blooms and attractive scents.

Shape—The shape and size of flowers are important considerations, as well. 

Open, bowl-shaped flowers (like poppies, buttercups and daisies) generally have a ring of plentiful pollen in the middle of the flower. They attract a variety of pollinators, who collect the pollen onto their bodies as they move around the inside of the flower.

Lipped flowers, typically belonging to the sage or the pea family are specialized flowers that, in many cases, have a close relationship with bees. The lip at the front of the flower is the landing platform, from which the bee pushes its head into the flower to get at the nectar, while pollen rubs onto the back of its body (thorax).

Tubular-shaped flowers, such as honeysuckle or foxgloves, appeal to hummingbirds and bumblebees that dive in to get the nectar. Moths and butterflies also push their long thin tongues (proboscises) into the center of smaller tubular flowers.

Pollination is far more nuanced and sophisticated, and can be explored as we take time to discover and make note of our own local plants and their pollinators. Spring here on the coastside is a wonderful time to observe this process and the unique characteristics of local plants and their flowers, within your own ten-mile radius.

Pacific Tree Frogs

**Nature Nugget**

Spring here on the coastside can be a noisy season- full of chirps, and buzzing and frog calls. Many of you Coastside residents have become very familiar with the sound of the Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla). These frogs are also known as Pacific chorus frogs, and they live up to this name, as anyone who has been near a breeding pond can attest to. Their sounds are shared amongst themselves as a “language” that organizes breeding, with several distinct calls including the familiar “ribit,” each adapted to particular functions in attraction and rivalry.

These little frogs are unmistakable, with a conspicuous dark "mask" or eye stripe extending from the nostrils through the eye as far as the shoulder. They are small frogs, at approximately 5 centimeters in length, and have a rounded toe pad at the end of each digit. Their coloration includes shades of green, tan, grey, brown, reddish, or black - and can change colors over periods of weeks or even hours. Females are slightly larger than males, a feature common with many frogs. The presence of a vocal sack on the male throats can also help to identify the gender. 

The Pacific Tree Frog ranges from British Columbia to Baja, Mexico, and eastward to Montana and Nevada. They are the west coast’s most prevalent and adaptable frog species. More resistant to pollution and habitat modification than others, they will breed in almost any kind of fresh water, including seasonal puddles. These frogs eat a wide variety of arthropods, including spiders, flies, beetles, ants and other insects, and they can expand their bodies to eat prey that is almost as large as they are.

Name that yellow

**Nature Nugget**

This time of year there are many flowers in bloom, and more that join the landscape every day. Yellow is a dominant color along our coastline, found everywhere from gardens and fields, to vacant lots and cracks along the pavement. Although this list of yellow flowers is extensive , there are three prevalent non-native yellows that are often mistaken for one another here on the coastside. Take a closer look at these links to examine the differences between :

Black mustard - Brassica nigra: 

https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1144

Shortpod mustard, summer mustard - Hirschfeldia incana:  http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/shortpodmustard.html

Sour grass, bermuda buttercup - Oxalis pes-caprae:

https://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=6016

Also check out Tom Chester's analysis page to examine a more detailed explanation of the distinguishing characteristics between black and shortpod mustard:

http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/mustard/comparison.html

Peregrine Falcons

**Nature Nuggets**

Peregrine Falcons are living among us here on the coast , and they are a wonder to behold. With flight speeds that can reach over 200 mph, they are one of the fastest animals on earth. In 1971, the peregrine falcons were some of the first birds to be placed on California’s Endangered Species List, in addition to being listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1970. At that time in California the population was listed at just five pairs. The greatest cause of this decline was due to their ingestion of prey contaminated with DDT (an insecticide that has since been banned).

Thanks to the combined efforts of several non-profit groups (including the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group) and the work of state and federal agencies, these raptors were federally delisted in 1999 and delisted in California in 2009. There are now well over 300 active breeding sites in California.

As predators of several of our shorebirds, some peregrine falcons have made their homes here on the Coastside. Many locals have viewed the Devil’s Slide cliffs, where these falcons have nested since the mid-1980s, even as that stretch of highway was re-established as a trail and the tunnel was built. Check out these nest cams in San Francisco and San Jose to view a couple of Bay Area peregrine falcon nests for yourself! Watch how they court, pair bond, and share in the incubation and care for their young: https://pbrg.pbsci.ucsc.edu/NestCams.html#header6-21, Enjoy this virtual “birds-eye-view” provided by the Institute of Marine Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Coastside Gives 2020

The Coastside Land Trust will participate in Coastside GIves on May 7, 2020. To donate to support the preservation, protection and enhancement of the open space environment of Half Moon Bay and the San Mateo County coast for present and future generations please click here .

Video Credit: Hilary Stamper