tothemax's Favorites

My first time seeing one, I can’t believe it! I was hiking mid-day, it was 94 degrees when I parked at 12:15pm. I saw the burrow at 1:50pm. The weasel was in a burrow peaking its head out like this, on the side of a hiking trail, on the berm. It was like 10 feet in front of me, super close! No shade right here. I saw it looking at me, ahead of me on the trail in the burrow, so I stopped and grabbed my phone out of my fanny pack really quick. He already ducked back in. And then he peaked back out and that’s how I could snap a quick video before he ducked back in for good this time. Because it was so warm and all I didn’t want to stress it out so I didn’t stay long. So cool!!! So cute!!

Sonoran gopher snake X San Diego gopher snake intergrade. Came out onto the road shortly after a monsoon shower. Handled with provisions from USGS permit for wildlife observation within ABDSP boundaries. Snake was >5 feet long and <6 feet long (SVL)

I’ve seen this RTH nest for years now with the adult in it. Today I saw 4 babies in it! Couldn’t believe it, made me so happy. Saw the adult on the nest at 11:01am. Also saw another adult RTH a mile up the road perched on a rock. I think this could be the parter of the other bird. I saw the babies when I drove by later in the day at 5:45pm. Photo of babies with more feathers was taken exactly two weeks later on 5/26/24.

These two were in the middle of the road, and ran off as we approached, I’m assuming this is a male chasing a female. He kept getting in her face head bobbing and really chasing her as your can see in the photos! She is the lighter colored/yellow one and he is the darker colored one in the back. You can even see he’s trying to smell her as he catches up with her. In the road one of them had pooped and there was a wet spot (maybe pee or if the male ejaculated?) It was 75 degrees air temperature wise at 9:42am

Observed two Spea hammondii pairs in amplexus within small pools in Wonder Valley, Ca. One male Pseudacris regilla was in amplexus with female Spea hammondii. Night time visual encounter survey only.

Two individuals in what I presume was a failed predation event. Adult and juvenile locked together by the jaw. Lower jaw was locked together by the teeth. I unhooked them, gave water, and after a short time the adult was gone while the juvenile stuck around in a nearby bush.

I presume the adult tried predating upon the juvie, and the juvie got luck, grabbed onto the adults jaw, and hung on till they were exhausted.

Observation by MTRP Patrol Volunteers, George Varga, Marty Fink, Matt Franco. "The elapsed time between the first and last photo is 13 minutes. The rate at which this snake came out of the expanding burrow with mouth-fulls of dirt was amazing.
The snake literally was spitting a mouthful** of soil out. It kept going down and back up with mouth-fulls of dirt about every three, four seconds. When the pile got big
enough, it would use its body in a sinuous fashion to push the soil out of its way."
**In fact the snake retrieved "neckfuls" of dirt.
Short video of event: https://youtu.be/ZONMSUBvTeM

Observed a coast night snake (Hypsigiena ochrorhynchus) consuming a side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) on the Grotto trail within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area on April 13. I first noticed the side-blotched lizard at 3:45 pm with its head in a burrow on the side of the trail, but when I tried to pick it up it became apparent something was holding on to its head. I stayed and watched as the night snake slowly emerged form the burrow to consume its prey over the course of 45 minutes. Once finished the night snake slithered off the trail into some low shrub cover. It was no more than 12 inches long.

Saw this Mojave Green on my afternoon/sunset walk. Saw it in my side view as I was walking. It was already curled up like that. I sprinkled some water towards it and that’s when it got up and moved. Never rattled. I continued on my way after that. High 80’s/low 90’s at 7:52pm and the sun was just setting. My second Mojave Green I’ve ever seen! There were several holes in the ground nearby that is where it probably emerged from earlier in the evening.

Wow, I just parked on the side of the road and went for a walk for about an hour. The vegetation is SO DRY out here. This hole caught my attention, so I wandered over to it. And this baby rattlesnake was already curled up in this position, in this exact spot. I can’t believe I saw anything living out here due to the dryness. Soooo cool!!!!! And I have never seen a Mojave Rattlesnake before. If this is a Mojave, it’s my first one! So cool whatever it is either way :D

Lyre being eaten by a striped racer. I will create a separate observation for the striped racer, located here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/112218400 . Photo & observation by Bruce Pavalon