May 10-12, 2008

Eagle Lake news:

• The water level of Eagle Lake is very low this year. Tom Rickman (USFS) says that boats will have trouble getting in and out of the Marina--particularly large boats. They are calling this a drought year, like last year. It hasn't been as hot as last year but, like last year, there has been very little rainfall this spring.
• Due to the low rainfall, Pine Creek only ran a few days for spawning trout this year. They could not get enough eggs to donate to the other California lakes as they usually do. Papoose Creek hardly ran at all.
• A Marina employee gave us a dead snake she found in the parking lot. It was an adult female T.elegans. It had a green bruise on the ventral side in the mid-body region, with some scale damage on the dorsal side opposite. There also appears to be some scale damage at the head. It does not appear to have been run over by a car. The employee suggested that an eagle had dropped it there, which is quite possible as the Marina eagle's nest is occupied again this year. I have frozen the snake, and intend to take pictures (if I can get a camera battery in Susanville...).

FIELD NOTES:

May 10, 2008

Pikes, AM

• Saw 2-4 black-crowned night herons roosting near Pikes D (they kept flying away and back, so it was difficult to tell how many there actually were). Other species: Sceloporus occidentalis, Sceloporus graciosus, Eumeces, robin, B3, pelican, Western grebe, horned grebe, Forster's tern, Caspian's tern, lesser scaup, common loon, bufflehead, bald eagle, osprey, raven, cormorant
• Caught 22 T.elegans--lots of juveniles & "teens"

Mahogany, PM

• Parts of road covered with snow drifts. Made it most of the way up but had to hike for the last bit. Hyla metamorph on the road.
• At Mahogany, still patches of snow on the south side. Water level the lowest I've seen it.
• Saw 12 T.sirtalis (under rocks, out basking, feeding, and in the water) , but only one T.elegans.
• Birds: eagle (bald juv/golden??), bufflehead, mergansers
• Found (live) T.elegans on the road on the hike back to the vehicle; adult, non-gravid female. Also, another Hyla.

Colman, PM

• Hyla calling but no snakes along eastern shore. Water level very low.

Nameless, PM

• Unlike last year, green and lush. Water warm. Lots of tiny Bufo tads and water arthropods. Juvenile bald eagle. No sign of snakes. Too late in the day (~5PM), despite warm water??

May 11, 2008

Papoose, AM

• Hardly any water in Papoose Creek. Water level across meadow very, very low, but springs still running. Saw one minnow in Spring B, lots in Spring C.
• Caught 23 T.elegans. Lots of neonates. One neonate T.sirtalis.
• Birds: red-tail, raven, juv. bald eagle, snipe, RWBB, sandhill crane, robin, flicker, kestrel

Marina, PM

• Cool and windy. Only caught two non-gravid adult snakes.
• Birds: Raven, osprey, pelicans, turkey vulture.

May 12, 2008

Nameless, AM

• Extremely cold! Caught one very cold T.elegans.
• Hyla calling.