YOUR PART
California Tree Frog
Another backyard friend – California Tree Frog Nocturnal. Takes shelter in shaded rock crevices or small depressions on boulders near water during the day. Eats insects, spiders, centipedes and other invertebrates. Typically found around canyon streams and rocky washes with permanent quiet pools. Found in desert streams and palm oases, coastal streams, and up into the mountain … Read more
Coast Horned Lizard
A backyard friend – Coast Horned Lizard 5” Body Flat; brown, gray, or sandy; crown of heavy spines on nape; rows of thick spines on back and sides; tail short, spiny. Eats ants. If captured, will inflate itself, bite, hiss, and spray blood from eye corners.
Lizard King
Last weekend we took a hike into the Los Padres National Forest for the night. Along the way we ran into this guy on the path. Pretty scary. Southern Alligator Lizard: 14”, eyes yellow, seizes small animals under objects and in bushes, can hold onto branch with tail
Matilija Dam
The Matilija Dam is a local dam that has been largely obsolete and useless. It is a man-made barrier for the now endangered Southern Steelhead Trout that would naturally migrate up the stream from the Pacific. The construction of this dam and its impact on the environment should cause us to pause and consider the … Read more
Save Our Steelhead – S.O.S
As I have ventured out to local waters I have come across these now familiar signs. Fly-fishing in California’s coastal streams are off-limits in attempts to assist the Steelhead with recovery. As population increases in Southern California many of the once vibrant coastal fisheries are depleting and absent of trout. http://caltrout.org/regions/southern-california-region/ http://caltrout.org/pdf/SoS-Californias-Native-Fish-Crisis.pdf
California Quail
So I looked out the front porch and saw about a dozen of these California Quail. It has been great becoming more familiar with new birds, plants, and animals that I have never seen before. Female California Quail
Gibraltar Road – Santa Barbara, CA
In my attempts to adjust to a new location, I have explored local bike routes. I usually don’t descend down to wharf, but rather start at Westmont College and climb a short distance up to Mountain Drive and then up El Cielito to Gibraltar. But this last time I wanted the whole experience from sea … Read more
If you don’t have this fly…………
A few years back I was in Gander Mountain buying some tying materials, I stopped to look at some of the pre-made fly’s they had. while I was looking a guy walked up to pick out some fly’s, he asked me where I fished, I told him that I mostly fished the oatka. He said … Read more
