Wildlife

Thursday, 1/28, was a beautiful day in Southern California.  Apparantly the blue skies and fresh air attracted a lot of wildlife, including some birds that we don't often see at the Nature Center.   Here is a Green Heron enjoying the sun. 

   Below is a Double Crested Cormorant scanning the water for a morning snack.  Just after the photo was taken, this cormorant snapped up a fish that looked to be about 4" long.

This juvenile Least Bittern didn't seem bothered by the heavy equipment moving boulders on the streambank about 30 feet away.  The sun and the wealth of pollywogs in the water more than made up for the noise.

The Nature Center turtles have been hibernating in the mud around the lakes for the past couple of months and the warmer weather brought them out in droves.  Dozens of turtles were floating happily in the lakes, with just their faces above the water, soaking up sun and air.  Below is a River Cooter showing off the pretty yellow markings under his/her chin.

Fungus are sort of the bridge between flora and fauna and, of course, the rains have been great for the fungus population.  Below is a photo that I really like, showing a very clear image of gills.