tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57007282717318021192024-03-16T13:29:46.988-07:00Dipper RanchSightings and Seasonal Changes on a Nature Preserve and Ranch
in Coastal CaliforniaCindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-46892079632299427642019-07-24T23:37:00.000-07:002019-07-24T17:17:35.814-07:00Take a Break<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUORIa_9LPSJf3h5OF6FCsmJt3j516HbbWnnksJSbCCbQxXa8N2sAwIry7aHj6yjU0z_zCRcybRbpwzavHT7W96pfoddROyRqi2ySrr90Q6MG5LuPy7qs-oDo7ofI0LzYZEfNmyLTH-rc/s1600/Chorro+bog+thistle+800-1020515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUORIa_9LPSJf3h5OF6FCsmJt3j516HbbWnnksJSbCCbQxXa8N2sAwIry7aHj6yjU0z_zCRcybRbpwzavHT7W96pfoddROyRqi2ySrr90Q6MG5LuPy7qs-oDo7ofI0LzYZEfNmyLTH-rc/s640/Chorro+bog+thistle+800-1020515.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chorro Creek bog thistle on a reserve on the Cal Poly-SLO campus. </td></tr>
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2019 UPDATE: I've now moved to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County farther south along the California coast. After taking a break from blogging for awhile, I hope to start blogging about SLO adventures and will share that new blog address here when it's ready. I also have more stories and photos to share about my former decade at the Dipper Ranch (more foxes, more pumas, more weeds!). Thank you dear readers and remember: GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!<br>
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Original 2017 post:<br>
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I'm on crutches and have one foot encased in a boot brace for a few weeks. Not the best situation for a field biologist. Fortunately, I just finished a fine series of spring hikes.<br>
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We did an April bioblitz on a coastal prairie in rural San Mateo County. From sunrise to sunset, thirty biologists combed a 900-acre grassy ranch with ponds, streams, and brush patches. On that one property on one day, we recorded 1290 observations on <a href="http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/toto-ranch-bioblitz" target="_blank">iNaturalist</a> consisting of 326 plant and animal species. We already knew that some of the ponds supported California red-legged frogs, a threatened species, and I was fairly certain I had spotted the rare artist's popcornflower on the property in previous years, but the bioblitz gave us a better idea of where they occur.<br>
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Artist's popcornflower is quite a name. The easterly team reported seeing its tiny white flowers filling swales and I was a bit jealous I didn't get to see the large sweeps of it this wet spring. However, the expert botanists I sent to that side of the property confirmed the tentative identification I had made from scrawny plants in the previous drought years. My west-side team had a view of ocean cliffs and we saw interesting coastal residents too.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2017/05/take-break.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-7921945926560333362017-11-26T20:41:00.000-08:002017-11-26T20:41:35.001-08:00Thanksgiving Bob 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvOtK_o9PJs-e2F-KWjKXNhzqn7FT4pIM5aoOv0U2VTPMOFiIqvAjLjh24mcW4k45XjoVUICD_mRejb8J_XYTzxgmPjrl4GbOrRHTgI_kSS_Lm3p8oI2SJ6QNxqr19scr8qj4v6eucG0/s1600/Thanksgiving+Bob+2017-11-24-9697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="600" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisvOtK_o9PJs-e2F-KWjKXNhzqn7FT4pIM5aoOv0U2VTPMOFiIqvAjLjh24mcW4k45XjoVUICD_mRejb8J_XYTzxgmPjrl4GbOrRHTgI_kSS_Lm3p8oI2SJ6QNxqr19scr8qj4v6eucG0/s640/Thanksgiving+Bob+2017-11-24-9697.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Often there are beautiful days at the Dipper Ranch around Thanksgiving and the bobcats come out to bask in the sun.<br />
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And then there are the <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-bob.html">Christmas Bobs</a>.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-1722670663180265882017-08-09T19:30:00.000-07:002017-08-09T19:30:50.153-07:00The La Honda Way<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguje9gZrQkAYA-rqdjMOpZUUWtUcR_VqPrOtH0oi4KqAQPeSa_xGz9SdADHmV9VPOEEClUrprpbPuYMajZdpS9TGB_zZmtyJAoG1x-ru9MDkMYIo__93si4AD769HUDJI6mIF97whXkgU/s1600/The+La+Honda+Way-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="675" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguje9gZrQkAYA-rqdjMOpZUUWtUcR_VqPrOtH0oi4KqAQPeSa_xGz9SdADHmV9VPOEEClUrprpbPuYMajZdpS9TGB_zZmtyJAoG1x-ru9MDkMYIo__93si4AD769HUDJI6mIF97whXkgU/s640/The+La+Honda+Way-2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-92022374047432158332017-01-23T18:59:00.000-08:002017-01-23T18:59:54.864-08:00Fox Pups in Trees<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSaP2mShdgl4rTEKRVgFbtJrGQDttumEj6TefNJAi3zU0ZfC6bUYxWu6zdVabX3K3CUMhSFHDmDsHjBhFs7iG4LJQZJDznbuVjRWpYTQvHSdiSPAiDuNTIPm9vZirM6DYqgEPmGbWzo/s1600/Fox+pup+in+plum+tree-8921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wSaP2mShdgl4rTEKRVgFbtJrGQDttumEj6TefNJAi3zU0ZfC6bUYxWu6zdVabX3K3CUMhSFHDmDsHjBhFs7iG4LJQZJDznbuVjRWpYTQvHSdiSPAiDuNTIPm9vZirM6DYqgEPmGbWzo/s640/Fox+pup+in+plum+tree-8921.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray fox pup climbing a plum tree </td></tr>
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Every kitchen sink needs a view of nature. My kitchen sink looks out over a birdbath, the orchard, and the skirt of <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/04/lupine-hill-sunset.html" target="_blank">Lupine Hill</a>. In June while doing dishes, I heard a familiar plop outside and reprimanded myself for not harvesting the plums sooner. The fruit trees in the orchard are so old, they only bloom in earnest once or twice a decade. Last spring was one of those lucky years when the fifty-something plum tree cloaked its gnarled branches with bright blossoms and buzzing insects for a few pink days. Before I could climb the slope in summer and set the heavy ladder between its tangle of unpruned branches, the fruits were darkening to purple and dropping.<br>
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As I rinsed a mug, I noticed a single branch in the plum tree shaking wildly. Something fuzzy and gray was moving down its length. A sharp snout poked out of the green leaves and pulled down a plum. It was a gray fox pup 8 feet up in the tree. The backside of the tree was shaking with another fox pup and no adult fox was in sight. What other animal can go from nursing and clumsy <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/11/fox-pups-in-barn.html" target="_blank">puppy battles</a> to climbing trees in less than a month? The fox pups were bigger and more agile than our <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/12/fox-pup-in-garage.html" target="_blank">first views of them stumbling around the garage</a> in May, but I never imagined them jumping up and climbing trees so soon.<br>
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<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2017/01/fox-pups-in-trees.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-36170232881624574502017-01-04T10:16:00.001-08:002017-01-04T23:26:07.269-08:00Fox Pup Screen Saver<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU18oX2jstbi9siih0r5XSEZaR-2_SjksFfqxUVTXEkSmOVDH_kuLHcJYkVppy0jSvS6sZJdN9j8Fh8HUeNKIcYcMu5__UTSAryewA_lmerhT5Knd8GdhLrsDDkXmu5NxgQZ7gE3jMM50/s1600/fox+pup+screensaver+01+small-0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU18oX2jstbi9siih0r5XSEZaR-2_SjksFfqxUVTXEkSmOVDH_kuLHcJYkVppy0jSvS6sZJdN9j8Fh8HUeNKIcYcMu5__UTSAryewA_lmerhT5Knd8GdhLrsDDkXmu5NxgQZ7gE3jMM50/s640/fox+pup+screensaver+01+small-0334.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is smaller size for loading as screen saver on cell phone or smaller computer screens.<br>
400kb <br>
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</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2017/01/fox-pup-screen-saver.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-86118267085174651862016-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:002016-12-25T09:06:00.583-08:00Two Small Grays<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3_0cghDdTqRTA8Pf3XC8qVKug4gMbN7qP6ngCrOFbrUnYwTY5ldBZduzycpOjgnsWiN1MG3wBpgylAuuDiuYMLYvVVM4FLO_nUdP4I1KpuBYOxFyrHeq0MzGfZrcsslRaP5dhPbM5Bg/s1600/Two+small+grays-8722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs3_0cghDdTqRTA8Pf3XC8qVKug4gMbN7qP6ngCrOFbrUnYwTY5ldBZduzycpOjgnsWiN1MG3wBpgylAuuDiuYMLYvVVM4FLO_nUdP4I1KpuBYOxFyrHeq0MzGfZrcsslRaP5dhPbM5Bg/s640/Two+small+grays-8722.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeIoJRl8n_KhV-N9-FTiefEu7rR5A-k9DI4WTYDLP1uiGAxnJPIP436h1gHb02ws6APHAd8VaoGb3MiY3zIYWZjO2aEuhYuNC7ZWR76bBnT-3myFom3Z7LjVXWtR8fKuSPCgavMSO0v4/s1600/Back-000784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeIoJRl8n_KhV-N9-FTiefEu7rR5A-k9DI4WTYDLP1uiGAxnJPIP436h1gHb02ws6APHAd8VaoGb3MiY3zIYWZjO2aEuhYuNC7ZWR76bBnT-3myFom3Z7LjVXWtR8fKuSPCgavMSO0v4/s640/Back-000784.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back </td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-60422767356958503002016-12-23T19:59:00.002-08:002016-12-24T13:56:36.919-08:00Fox Pup in the Garage<div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BAsoETJ1eZU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BAsoETJ1eZU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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I know gray foxes live at the Dipper Ranch because they show up on the wildlife cameras and leave me presents on the kitchen stoop. When I return home at night, I slow for the curve in the Dipper driveway where the view opens up to the deep canyon of Peters Creek, and if the moon is up, forested ridges shimmer all the way to Monterey Bay. Sometimes a smudge of motion catches my attention against the glare of the gravel driveway. It's the bushy tail of a gray fox on nightly patrol. Or even a pair of foxes, the smaller one loping behind the first, until they are just at the edge of the headlight illumination where they turn sharp faces to challenge the car to follow their floating tails under the barbwire fence and down a steep hillside.<br>
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</div><a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/12/fox-pup-in-garage.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-19669744600535353452016-12-17T23:14:00.001-08:002016-12-17T23:14:19.117-08:00Fox Tails<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfQdbk5wn2UeCQCdx-Zhw6wvmZLdpqJH_Q542xz8Et-ExX60xPf13PebBSms_WAhsmB6PNY303aoiiVb-QREk4l4J5dwn1IcVsBww9FMDzidFrIq2aJPE1CRS2m1RKRMZaRh1rSprDi0/s1600/Alarm+tail-000910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfQdbk5wn2UeCQCdx-Zhw6wvmZLdpqJH_Q542xz8Et-ExX60xPf13PebBSms_WAhsmB6PNY303aoiiVb-QREk4l4J5dwn1IcVsBww9FMDzidFrIq2aJPE1CRS2m1RKRMZaRh1rSprDi0/s640/Alarm+tail-000910.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alarm signal? </td></tr>
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With such long tails, gray foxes undoubtably use them to communicate aggression, submission and other messages to each other.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/12/fox-tails.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-79727578203311405312016-12-05T23:08:00.000-08:002016-12-06T06:32:30.871-08:00Fox Truckin'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ30bN0y6sconmJm_p4v7XtKkOtQBW1zLI7RnJXgoic6-hciFO3y1i-vhHRw3J2fmQn6kqeDFmMj11V89akx2VYH7x6PulkK5Y8OPBual1gbvyZR6OHsRaftZiYJIeCgwRyrsClBM5ofw/s1600/Fox+truckin-0319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ30bN0y6sconmJm_p4v7XtKkOtQBW1zLI7RnJXgoic6-hciFO3y1i-vhHRw3J2fmQn6kqeDFmMj11V89akx2VYH7x6PulkK5Y8OPBual1gbvyZR6OHsRaftZiYJIeCgwRyrsClBM5ofw/s640/Fox+truckin-0319.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Just another day of fox pups romping in the farmyard.</span></td></tr>
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Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-46241063963313663442016-11-30T22:52:00.000-08:002016-11-30T22:52:06.989-08:00On the Mound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyzb0diWw1ZmcqyMk6EF1ZLp9lEwE6SOihC3fQaImi4pmxSe3MCEDmyU4crWUJCN6xSzMvu0RIT8FpZbbw-pf6sH8MBihU_6gUPlPZn1stcZSvTbq0Ufh5KWg1MWZbxYJKARK2dQCfog/s1600/Fox+mound-000053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyzb0diWw1ZmcqyMk6EF1ZLp9lEwE6SOihC3fQaImi4pmxSe3MCEDmyU4crWUJCN6xSzMvu0RIT8FpZbbw-pf6sH8MBihU_6gUPlPZn1stcZSvTbq0Ufh5KWg1MWZbxYJKARK2dQCfog/s640/Fox+mound-000053.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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The gray fox pups spent a lot of time on this mound just outside the <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/11/fox-pups-in-barn.html">den entrance</a>.<br>
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<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/11/on-mound.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-44071198450044846322016-11-30T00:13:00.000-08:002016-11-30T00:13:01.655-08:00Fox Pups in the Barn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasPiztkXMPsMO7Lvjp2M6YmTfB8S4G2CQCKDhWnkqsCzqOwyO61w2p5uJ4jB6aIdG80DcV9fGvXish8Qhx22rTpEBpzF0gcHHfQZ0ZWEoTjMnER3Lyk47Vy28yGth1Ck_b9L4hHyZRDw/s1600/Peeking+under+the+Barn+Door-8644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasPiztkXMPsMO7Lvjp2M6YmTfB8S4G2CQCKDhWnkqsCzqOwyO61w2p5uJ4jB6aIdG80DcV9fGvXish8Qhx22rTpEBpzF0gcHHfQZ0ZWEoTjMnER3Lyk47Vy28yGth1Ck_b9L4hHyZRDw/s640/Peeking+under+the+Barn+Door-8644.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gray fox pup peeks out from under a barn door, an improvised den entrance. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: times, 'times new roman', serif;">A family of gray foxes moved into the old barn on the Dipper Ranch in June. For a month, we watched the fox pups tumble, pounce and lounge about the farmyard day and night just steps away from our kitchen door.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fox family packed down a dirt runway under the barn door - just like the entrance to an earthen underground den. </span><span style="font-family: "\22 times\22 " , "\22 times new roman\22 " , serif;">From reading Random Truth's accounts of </span><a href="http://natureofaman.blogspot.com/2016/05/carrizo-plain-triple-play.html" style="font-family: '"times"', '"times new roman"', serif;">San Joaquin kit foxes</a><span style="font-family: "\22 times\22 " , "\22 times new roman\22 " , serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I knew many family interactions would occur at the den entrance.</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> We set up wildlife cameras in front of the barn and over the summer we accumulated thousands of photos and videos of the fox pups. First a head would peek out from underneath the big red door, then a small body and fuzzy tail. Soon another pup would wriggle out and playtime would begin. Lots of running, biting, clumsy tackles, and tail pulling.</span><br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/11/fox-pups-in-barn.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-62763217699480692322016-11-06T22:35:00.000-08:002016-11-07T19:42:31.731-08:00Johnson Jumping Spiders Dance, Sing and Mimic<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_CYOi_G9jrtc0rfSBnZ4pp2HvyYz9RGi4u0fqfDeQY5Ow3ykJXDP5jEDZcCFGwAkru-BmZa8GJMoLt9ZaWFuEr4_3A7YhnJxvpJLLD3SCl1FGEJdopQIRmjtsaLGFeKb_rDSwKOEFs0/s1600/Jumping+Spider+6-31-03-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_CYOi_G9jrtc0rfSBnZ4pp2HvyYz9RGi4u0fqfDeQY5Ow3ykJXDP5jEDZcCFGwAkru-BmZa8GJMoLt9ZaWFuEr4_3A7YhnJxvpJLLD3SCl1FGEJdopQIRmjtsaLGFeKb_rDSwKOEFs0/s640/Jumping+Spider+6-31-03-001.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'PT Sans Caption'; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">A Johnson jumping spider enjoys the late afternoon sun shining on its mushroom cap doorstep</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'PT Sans Caption'; font-size: 11.08799934387207px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> as it crunches on a earwig. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Johnson jumping spider got <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/10/vote-for-2016-walnut-label.html">the most votes</a> and will be featured on the 2016 Dipper Ranch walnut label. This particular spider must be a male because its entire abdomen is covered in red felt whereas the female of this species has a black band down the middle.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Male jumping spiders dance and sing to get the attraction of a female jumping spider. If she likes the performance, they mate. If she doesn't like it, she might eat him.</span><br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/11/johnson-jumping-spiders-dance-sing-and.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-30625571091126987492016-10-27T23:49:00.000-07:002016-10-28T11:46:49.214-07:00Vote for the 2016 Walnut Label<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwjzsfpE4GdG8feGlFD0yA1sGtQOyx3B3onDl5pRD49wLm-FcY3mgec0IBHK4tehUD0rdQ4F6yp_rCFHgvpdoNjcrqogoKOuCk1tmlgCmWuk2sQOjpvHujoeW_W6PWpk7BJRv5fdkmvQ/s1600/Windscorpian+Savo-9264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwjzsfpE4GdG8feGlFD0yA1sGtQOyx3B3onDl5pRD49wLm-FcY3mgec0IBHK4tehUD0rdQ4F6yp_rCFHgvpdoNjcrqogoKOuCk1tmlgCmWuk2sQOjpvHujoeW_W6PWpk7BJRv5fdkmvQ/s640/Windscorpian+Savo-9264.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windscorpian </td></tr>
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It's walnut harvest time. There's going to be a big crop and lots of neighbors and friends to share the bounty. Everybody gets to vote on the critter that goes on the label for the 2016 Dipper Ranch walnuts. Usually the label features one of the snakes that appeared on the ranch during the year, but there weren't many snakes this year. Why? Maybe because of the gray fox family that moved into the barn. Yes, foxes eat snakes. If you don't believe me, check out this <a href="http://cameratrapcodger.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-kill-dead-snake.html">video from the Camera Trap Codger</a>.<br>
<br>
I'm stubborn and even without a huge selection of snakes to choose from this year, I am not going to put some cutesy animal on the label. Instead, you get to choose among local animals I saw in 2016 which have a reputation of being creepy or strange, but really aren't. Mostly reptiles, spiders and bugs, but also some strange mammal tricks.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/10/vote-for-2016-walnut-label.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-11127222877475182082016-05-04T22:11:00.000-07:002016-05-04T22:13:10.698-07:00Annual Birthday Greetings 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpcV-_oWC7Jjr9Hy6USdVorCnYCQ-AzNN8hHLsMtX1AYdYtpNp6_4JY7fFUtyCMeesCMgjRKsUdRZU-LvDIJI2RSJzbc3_6UDHGwLAyf_IpgM46DblCzDrstxmPP2UYdJiTKMy5rZl1I/s1600/Two+teenage+pumas-0215-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpcV-_oWC7Jjr9Hy6USdVorCnYCQ-AzNN8hHLsMtX1AYdYtpNp6_4JY7fFUtyCMeesCMgjRKsUdRZU-LvDIJI2RSJzbc3_6UDHGwLAyf_IpgM46DblCzDrstxmPP2UYdJiTKMy5rZl1I/s640/Two+teenage+pumas-0215-2.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Two teenage pumas kicking up their heels at a lovely spring day. </span></td></tr>
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Last night, I had to climb through the tangled branches of a downed oak tree intertwined with poison oak vines to pick up the memory card from this wildlife camera. We tried to go around but there was poison oak everywhere, so finally I said, "I'm going through!"<br>
<br>
What a fantastic surprise to find photos of these young pumas. Probably worth the risk of climbing through poison oak. And I hope the Extreme Tecnu poison oak scrub works. I will know tomorrow since it usually takes 48 hours for my body to react to this allergen.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/05/annual-birthday-greetings-2016.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-72892769031286208692016-04-17T22:27:00.002-07:002016-04-17T22:27:51.433-07:00Lupine Hill Sunset<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJyPjxLGnVVSQRHs6p2FbnQUfsMJXxd6mZNQNgXWCoY2b_JUgHrFM_pIDD4Kq5xxsPsaA3jwVN09hnzBOaHBXU8trwjMal-k7_bNvY9VjkXQleU7GyVGsIKxOBSrUDm-cWpbxPWXZM1E/s1600/Lupine+Hill+Dipper+Ranch+SR+2016-04-17-8348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJyPjxLGnVVSQRHs6p2FbnQUfsMJXxd6mZNQNgXWCoY2b_JUgHrFM_pIDD4Kq5xxsPsaA3jwVN09hnzBOaHBXU8trwjMal-k7_bNvY9VjkXQleU7GyVGsIKxOBSrUDm-cWpbxPWXZM1E/s640/Lupine+Hill+Dipper+Ranch+SR+2016-04-17-8348.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tonight at sunset, April 17, 2016</td></tr>
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Eight years of pulling yellow starthistle.<br />
<br />
Eight years of seasonal grazing.<br />
<br />
Spring rain with moderate temperatures.<br />
<br />
Farthest location on the ranch from water.<br />
<br />
Poor soils.<br />
<br />
Nature wins.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTEguX_jPrWkaiEoMScAtZ1sY7XTn6Ifwzvzg-alvtke8szocE3sKr_n56ZVv8-HDQBPl0mQeFUktg4y6HSog1J2JZC9mwlxpIrtu-8GgxoaUl2E9vlmNoHHfwJbAZSAHVZoi8MQZcIQ/s1600/Lupine+Hill+Dipper+Ranch+SR+2016-04-17-8280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTEguX_jPrWkaiEoMScAtZ1sY7XTn6Ifwzvzg-alvtke8szocE3sKr_n56ZVv8-HDQBPl0mQeFUktg4y6HSog1J2JZC9mwlxpIrtu-8GgxoaUl2E9vlmNoHHfwJbAZSAHVZoi8MQZcIQ/s640/Lupine+Hill+Dipper+Ranch+SR+2016-04-17-8280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe I'll do a species survey tomorrow</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-32531551192356411532016-02-07T10:06:00.000-08:002016-02-07T10:06:03.525-08:00Vote for the 2015 Walnut Label<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05T1Ow_CL7VD_gljwYVUqBJFaVin9SBJ9w1QXHHzWQQL-Z8ih3rp5xwN8aY7FlkBEUyQ6PfY_HFliPWyAK_Il5K-HRbXpfxirFNFSymY0CWmnaHeKQmqadez8xLmvpk49H_0zrYIqlSE/s1600/Golden+Eyes+Released-1020591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05T1Ow_CL7VD_gljwYVUqBJFaVin9SBJ9w1QXHHzWQQL-Z8ih3rp5xwN8aY7FlkBEUyQ6PfY_HFliPWyAK_Il5K-HRbXpfxirFNFSymY0CWmnaHeKQmqadez8xLmvpk49H_0zrYIqlSE/s640/Golden+Eyes+Released-1020591.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 Snake #1 The Golden-Eyed Rattlesnake - third of four rattlesnakes moved from the farmyard in two days in March and an especially dark one showing off its rattle at the release site (<a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-pile-of-rattlesnakes.html">A Pile of Rattlesnakes</a>). </td></tr>
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Here are photos of snakes we saw on the Dipper Ranch in 2015. Vote for your favorite below. The snake with the most votes will be featured on the label for the 2015 Dipper Ranch walnuts. I will randomly select one of the voters to get a prize - a bag of delicious shelled walnuts.<br>
<br>
What kind of crazy idea is this - snakes on a walnut label? You'll just have to go to past walnut label contests to get an explanation and see the snakes featured on prior labels:<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/vote-for-2015-walnut-label.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-68370723554067476402016-02-05T21:30:00.002-08:002016-02-07T10:07:01.172-08:00Last Call for Rattlesnakes 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6XY9ByNY-J2fq76vWAM_2nkw0sI45DisI93dV7LgwUz6nQveltGnGYx1Htdcb-LW0C8aROMpOMjGLAr9J3bbPYNmm75a_iKsivklRHq5ayHvIdfZ56xGK5aumRmcG93bvrzT3k5ipGs/s1600/Wildlife+at+the+House+Trough-2805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6XY9ByNY-J2fq76vWAM_2nkw0sI45DisI93dV7LgwUz6nQveltGnGYx1Htdcb-LW0C8aROMpOMjGLAr9J3bbPYNmm75a_iKsivklRHq5ayHvIdfZ56xGK5aumRmcG93bvrzT3k5ipGs/s640/Wildlife+at+the+House+Trough-2805.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An unusual sight in an unusually dry summer - six bucks drinking out of the house trough in the day time. <br>
If you look closely at the antlers of the third buck from the left, you can see they are red-tinged from blood vessels under the velvet the buck had just rubbed off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally on August 22, we had our last snake adventure of 2015. The menfolk were repairing a window on the house and I was tending to other chores in the yard. I turned a valve on to fill a water trough on the other side of the barbwire fence near the house. The cattle were gone for the season and the trough had a crack with a slow leak, so I filled it halfway every few weeks to provide water for wildlife in the very dry summer.<br>
<br>
About a half hour later, Papa Bear asked if I wanted him to turn the water off.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/last-call-for-rattlesnakes-2015.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-76727510871798766932016-02-04T23:51:00.000-08:002016-02-06T09:14:12.803-08:00 A Prickly Situation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACFE2ckMqsepo6NwWhS0Dp1GTfspB8iyrPnTyEzPb88Lz6u0JRTkd_IzBUKvwKkqFCuhjHEuPi_Dfdq-sA5V7aRYh3ALkWWZNvC9jdM7Z_vujeg5yJF5-gnm1bjAYcqJV9KSLkIga4zw/s1600/Rattles+and+prickles-5015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACFE2ckMqsepo6NwWhS0Dp1GTfspB8iyrPnTyEzPb88Lz6u0JRTkd_IzBUKvwKkqFCuhjHEuPi_Dfdq-sA5V7aRYh3ALkWWZNvC9jdM7Z_vujeg5yJF5-gnm1bjAYcqJV9KSLkIga4zw/s640/Rattles+and+prickles-5015.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coiled under the prickly leaves of a milk thistle, a small rattlesnake blends in with the brown leaves and dirt. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On May 30, I was digging up milk thistles in the holding pen. I pushed the shovel into the soil around a tall plant and reached down to pull the last weed stem in my target zone for the day when I noticed a small rattlesnake hiding under the prickly leaves. I decided to leave the plant standing for another day. There was a jumble of rocks fortifying a nearby drainage, and surely that was where the rattlesnake must live most of the time.<br>
<br>
I returned the next day and still the little rattlesnake was under the same thistle plant.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-prickly-situation.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-12807230169175976192016-02-03T23:45:00.002-08:002016-02-04T23:52:50.763-08:00In and Out of Harm's Way<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Su3HELLJeWudmE62gMzpL2D1QfhgsvpohlZtXf3UaWr2KxA6OITx59BxLHgGTXdjqCfZZ3_aoktIRcrZxpphmtj5dTMvP1zecqiP7uYkM7XctVMixwUYoaXs_xbGpNwATtvl1sdmkbQ/s1600/Twisted+Racers-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Su3HELLJeWudmE62gMzpL2D1QfhgsvpohlZtXf3UaWr2KxA6OITx59BxLHgGTXdjqCfZZ3_aoktIRcrZxpphmtj5dTMvP1zecqiP7uYkM7XctVMixwUYoaXs_xbGpNwATtvl1sdmkbQ/s640/Twisted+Racers-2.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I prefer to see western yellow-bellied racers in the Dipper farmyard - out of harm's way.<br>
June 2, 2009 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On May 25, I was mowing the orchard with a big walk-behind mower. The coyote brush was starting to take over and this mower is powerful enough to cut down young shrubs as tall as 3 feet. On a return path of my back-and-forth mowing pattern, I found an injured western yellow-bellied racer on the edge of the tall grass. Sadly, I realized I had probably hit it with the mower despite looking ahead and <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2009/06/protecting-wildlife-while-mowing.html">mowing in a way that gives wildlife the best chance to flee</a> from the noisy machine. I set the injured snake in an area that was far away from my mowing duties. It was probably going to be dinner for a coyote or fox that night.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/in-and-out-of-harms-way.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-63089359701950481622016-02-02T21:50:00.001-08:002016-02-04T23:53:46.223-08:00It Was A Brown Snake<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmb7dvOIvUTs5U73ZlfrWKvviHB66hgVcCu57v5K4UpUoO1YqSJDZi3WW4puMOPiB0UoaOj9p9j2n4Rvm3kIT3Ovz1wFOkQxIn55pUcVQ0ZtXYyZLG-XPTTRuqofS4btDQBUL32j9ZeY/s1600/Round+pupil+gopher+snake-4562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmb7dvOIvUTs5U73ZlfrWKvviHB66hgVcCu57v5K4UpUoO1YqSJDZi3WW4puMOPiB0UoaOj9p9j2n4Rvm3kIT3Ovz1wFOkQxIn55pUcVQ0ZtXYyZLG-XPTTRuqofS4btDQBUL32j9ZeY/s640/Round+pupil+gopher+snake-4562.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round pupils, large scales between the eyes, black line through the eye, brown rectangular blotches arranged longways across the body, often shiny, head usually only slightly wider then neck = Pacific gopher snake. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On April 20, I was happy to see the round pupils of a long gopher snake sunning on the gravel in front of the barn. Almost every year I see a long gopher snake in the Dipper farmyard and often it has a reddish color. Same one? I don't know but I just leave these shiny harmless beauties alone and call it/them Stellarosa after a former admired co-worker. Now, years later, I see billboards of a wine called Stella Rosa and it's confusing to me as I drive down the highway and see my fabulous snake name on a wine bottle in the city. I guess if I can put photos of a snake on the annual walnut label then they can . . . no, this is just too disturbing that they can ruin a perfectly good snake name like that.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/it-was-brown-snake.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-29954706569490656892016-02-01T22:39:00.000-08:002016-02-02T21:54:47.381-08:00Counting Triads<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ-LdGTr-XbPTqXIHcaXx2rb0uUM8bHZEbIOBKJJqzZVFujFF5CcFfk0pT-LBqBVkGc12_l1_ufs8UMK51JPZgomr4sc6faxWpk2mbiS50N_o2D1j481mSfg2Jt3_TfN0ZpdrwPL8Eb0/s1600/Snake+Ambassador-7428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ-LdGTr-XbPTqXIHcaXx2rb0uUM8bHZEbIOBKJJqzZVFujFF5CcFfk0pT-LBqBVkGc12_l1_ufs8UMK51JPZgomr4sc6faxWpk2mbiS50N_o2D1j481mSfg2Jt3_TfN0ZpdrwPL8Eb0/s640/Snake+Ambassador-7428.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A California mountain kingsnake checks out a ranger's duty belt. </td></tr>
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On April 15, I found a California mountain kingsnake that had cleverly positioned itself above the water level in the spring box. It had accordian-wedged itself in a vertical crack in the concrete lining. While leaning into the vault to capture the brightly banded red-black-white kingsnake, I spotted a pointed and dull brown tail sticking out from underneath a ledge at the deep side of the springbox. It was a western yellow-bellied racer and it was out of my reach.<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/02/counting-triads.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-91326768692681618372016-01-31T22:49:00.000-08:002016-02-02T21:54:11.909-08:00A Pile of Rattlesnakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQtxL7O62E4z3RY0iu75tuwIpO4I0iBsqCjMME_igz2p96yfcWHRvWkgm0R3IMtVisBIXs0rkX22vdJEdlPj4v1VeQ9kRC1zmwHr22Jxcc_9NDa-1jJUKivAoVxGqhe5L7raFot_nYY8/s1600/Barn+door+pile+of+rattlers-4406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQtxL7O62E4z3RY0iu75tuwIpO4I0iBsqCjMME_igz2p96yfcWHRvWkgm0R3IMtVisBIXs0rkX22vdJEdlPj4v1VeQ9kRC1zmwHr22Jxcc_9NDa-1jJUKivAoVxGqhe5L7raFot_nYY8/s640/Barn+door+pile+of+rattlers-4406.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A pile of rattlesnakes warming up in the sun under the barn door on an early March day. </td></tr>
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We saw 18 snakes on the Dipper Ranch in 2015 despite the <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/01/climate-change-made-me-do-it.html">fourth year of drought</a> compared to just 9 snakes in 2014. Rather than slam all the 2015 snake photos and stories into one post, I'll split them into shorter posts over the next week. At the end, you'll get to vote for your favorite snake which will go on the Dipper Ranch 2015 walnut label.<br>
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We've carefully moved Northern Pacific rattlesnakes away from the farmyard for many years, but we still have a lot to learn from them. The 2015 snake sightings began and ended with rattlesnakes, but 8 total rattlers isn't out of the range of prior years. The days and nights turned consistently warm early in 2015, and I knew the snake season was also starting early when I saw four rattlesnakes around the barn in early March. Did I mention that I think the abandoned barn is a winter den for rattlesnakes?<br>
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<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-pile-of-rattlesnakes.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-3907552374313905592016-01-19T00:09:00.001-08:002016-01-19T12:11:42.770-08:00Climate Change Made Me Do It<div class="tr_bq">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzr_sdtNrOWn4YgbaN1woDxW7mjP1yyweDQtNJI6VxHfb2EgPKjZUUvKEpjcNOfcRP7jcYlnq903bAb3CCCE0R8iDZXWLraBB58HqxB26DmJV2o2D8KH7PyV2Qcr8t1LAag_Qf-9VmXM/s1600/Red-naped+sapsucker-6474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzr_sdtNrOWn4YgbaN1woDxW7mjP1yyweDQtNJI6VxHfb2EgPKjZUUvKEpjcNOfcRP7jcYlnq903bAb3CCCE0R8iDZXWLraBB58HqxB26DmJV2o2D8KH7PyV2Qcr8t1LAag_Qf-9VmXM/s640/Red-naped+sapsucker-6474.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sapsucker stretches after its winter arrival at the Dipper Ranch orchard.<br>
This one looks like a cross between the red-naped sapsucker and the red-breasted sapsucker. </td></tr>
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Me in October:</div>
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Hardly any walnuts have fallen on the ground at the Dipper Ranch and they're all pecked open by birds. There will be no walnut harvest party this year. It must be the four-year drought. The walnut trees leafed out in June this year - two months late. It must be climate change.</blockquote>
The Dipper Ranch walnut trees in December:<br>
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Here's a few thousand walnuts on the ground for you. Sorry, dropped them in their husks this year. And it's going to rain soon so you better pick them up before they mold. Isn't climate always changing?<br>
</blockquote><a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/01/climate-change-made-me-do-it.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-18218166143854264692016-01-05T22:56:00.001-08:002016-01-05T22:56:04.234-08:00Who Scrapes There?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkcyzX1mOYmfF83JAmVAqtdyzcOncnRXF48GzZdeIGkXtloYQhnUtutGoE-2svUskFFfsmtCeb0NEqGfa54iprH_tDRrzJeC5KYqlp1AnddAZKo6pS_1DEty9-KgrwG_jNhcv1Ob3XVU/s1600/Bobcat+15-1112-0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkcyzX1mOYmfF83JAmVAqtdyzcOncnRXF48GzZdeIGkXtloYQhnUtutGoE-2svUskFFfsmtCeb0NEqGfa54iprH_tDRrzJeC5KYqlp1AnddAZKo6pS_1DEty9-KgrwG_jNhcv1Ob3XVU/s640/Bobcat+15-1112-0086.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first time a bobcat goes by the camera in this time period is November 12 near first light. </td></tr>
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A few days after I posted the <a href="http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2015/12/puma-scrapes.html">Puma Scrapes</a> story, I took a hike with my neighbors. To celebrate each new year, we take a hike across our rural neighborhood, usually from one house to another. On this year's Cuppa Sugar Hike, we found a fresh scrape on a trail at the edge of a wooded area.<br>
<i><br></i><i>"</i>What animal left this mark?" we wondered. Especially since the scrape was unusually shaped, more of a square than a rectangle, and with a long narrow scat at the back.<br>
<i><br></i>"No problem," I said, "I've got a wildlife camera mounted just uphill. We'll check which animal went by after the rain five days ago and then we'll know."<br>
<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2016/01/who-scrapes-there.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-47832257251675379752015-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:002015-12-30T09:32:14.814-08:00Puma Scrapes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puma delicately poses on huge paws at the Dipper Ranch night of October 4, 2015. </td></tr>
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When I lived in Florida, we called them panthers. I never saw a Florida panther, but in the 1980's, there were only about 30 Florida panthers left and I didn't know much about <i>Puma concolor</i> then. Officially, they are called mountain lions in California, and cougars seems to be the most popular name in other western states. These days, I like to use the word puma because it's short.<br>
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Max Allen, a researcher with <a href="http://santacruzpumas.org/">Santa Cruz Pumas Project</a> at the University of California Santa Cruz, posted an interesting piece called <a href="http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/22/how-pumas-communicate-through-scent-marking/">How Pumas Communicate Through Scent Marking</a> on the National Geographic Wild Cats blog. In the 15+ years I've worked outdoors in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I've seen four pumas. But I've seen lots of puma sign now that I know what to look for: scat, tracks, scrapes, kills and scratching logs.<br>
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<a href="https://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2015/12/puma-scrapes.html#more">Read more »</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.com7