Trip Report: City Nature Challenge Bioblitz Walks
On April 26th and 27th SEA’s hike leader Juliet Malik was joined by local naturalist and birder extraordinaire Ross Schaefer to guide a small but enthusiastic group of citizen scientists along trails in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and the Sacramento River trail. The objective was to photograph and/or take audio recordings of as many living organisms for the Shasta County City Nature Challenge. This is the first year for our region to officially participate in this iNaturalist project organized globally by the California Academy of Sciences and the Museum of Natural Sciences of Los Angeles County and locally organized by Point Blue Conservation. SEA’s weekend bioblitz events yielded hundreds of observations and contributed to a vast database of species documentation, many of which will be research grade and available for use by scientists around the world.
For the Whiskeytown portion,the weather was cool and cloudy and perfect for spending hours taking pics and discussing identifications, many of which were provided by Ross who shared his wealth of native plant and bird knowledge with the group. A special highlight of the trip for plant enthusiasts was the rose firecracker flower (Dichelostemma x venustum). This is an uncommonly seen plant that is considered a natural hybrid between D. ida-maia and either D. congestum or D. multiflora.
We also logged some gorgeous California snowdrop bushes, turkey-tails, California tortoiseshell caterpillars, several biscuitroot (Lomatium) species, pretty face, sulphur peas, a banana slug, mountain phacelia, and several Western black-legged ticks that liked Ross’s exposed legs! (Always a good reminder to check yourself for ticks after spending time in the wilderness!)
The Sacramento River trail never disappoints in plant and bird diversity and the group logged many native species including blue elder, taw man-root, Oregon ash, California maidenhair fern, red-seeded dandelion, and chokecherry. Ross identified several birds by ear, including western tanager, warbling vireo, and a black-headed grosbeak. The whole group delighted in getting eyes on a yellow warbler, a pair of mallards, spotted towhees, and a nesting pair of red-shouldered hawks.
The official bioblitz may be over, but anyone can continue to build up documentation of our region’s incredible biodiversity by uploading photos to iNaturalist of what you see when you’re out on the trail, in your neighborhood, or in a park. Springtime is a great time to get outdoors and share what you see and hear!
