projects : nature sightings

This page is meant to list plants and animals I have seen and identified in my local area that I have formally identified. This is easier for some mammals and birds (where I just know them on sight), but to drill down to the species level for lots of other things I use books to help me identify things. I will mark anything seen while traveling with an asterisk (*) so as to differentiate my local nature from that I find abroad. I have seen a lot of things that do not appear on this list for a few reasons. One: I don't always know what something is; this happens a lot with snakes in particular. I know it is a snake, but not what species or subspecies. Even with something clear, like a rattlesnake, there are a 36 species in the US and a ton more subspecies. So I don't list them unless I can get a solid identification. Two: I started this list in August of 2024. I am adding some things that I saw before that date, but I cannot remember everything and am just adding as I see stuff from that point forward.

Birds

• California scrub jay, Aphelocoma californica
• Northern flicker, Colaptes auratus
• Common raven, Corvus corvax
• Stellar's jay, Cyanocitta stelleri
• Brewer's blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
• House finch, Haemorhous mexicanus
• Acorn woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
• Spotted towhee (formerly Roufus-sided towhee), Pipilo maculatus
• Mountain chickadee, Poecile gambeli
• American robin, Turdus migratorius

Mammals

• Bobcat, Lynx rufus
• California ground squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi

Reptiles/Amphibians

• Blue-tailed skink, Plestiodon fasciatus

Small Plants

• Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata

Trees/Shrubs

• Deer brush, Ceanothus integerrimus
• Jeffrey pine, Pinus jeffreyi
• California black oak, Quercus kelloggii

Insects

None identified at a species level as of yet. I do not have a large interest in insects and have not tended to look up specifics. However, I felt like the section still needed to be here. Maybe I'll add something at some point.