A zoologist from UC Berkeley believes the prey might be a vole instead. Note the relative size of prey vs. predator. I once watched a weasel drag a vole, which was over half its weight, for about 3 hundred meters. The weasel would run forward about 5 meters with the vole dragging between its front legs. It would then stop and breath for a few, then repeat. It saw me watching from only a few meters away, but seemed unconcerned by my presence. Like many members of that family (Mustilidae) they're very curious animals and I've often had both weasels and pine martens come closer to me to see what I'm up to.

Smarter than the average bear? Actually, probably not. This is why bear cannisters and metal boxes are the only things keeping your food safe nowadays! (photographer and location unknown.)

Hi George,

Attached is a photo I took at about 7:30 PM on June 8, 2004, under planted shrubbery bordering the parking lot on the south side of the NPS maintenance building in El Portal, on the NPS administrative site. This juvenile leucistic Western Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica) had been reported right outside the dispatch office for about three days prior. The bird was still with a family group with at least one other fledgling, and the parents were feeding them. The white bird could fly fine. This night it was observed by me, Mike Osborne and Nancy Pimentel. (I know, this group makes the whole thing seem suspect. It really happened. Honest.)

Reading on leucisism in birds on the internet points out to me that there is little agreement of terminology between leucisism, partial albinism and incomplete albinism. There seems to be varying degrees of leucism; this bird would be at the extreme end of the scale. So, my using the term leucistic may be questioned. The bird appears to have dark eyes in the photo, although it was under a bush and there may not have been much light to reflect to show pink eyes. None of the other photos showed pink eyes, even on the pavement in the open. (I was so busy trying to photograph the bird that I did not study it at the time with binoculars.) Because the eyes are dark, I don’t think it would be correct to term it a full albino. The bill and legs seem to be colorless, just to confuse the issue.

Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool! I haven’t found anyone that remembers seeing a white jay around here in the past. I did find a photo of a white Steller’s Jay posted on the internet on a Tehachapi birding site.

Thanks.

Dan Horner

P.O. Box 806

Yosemite, CA 95389

dan_horner@nps.gov

5/04: From wildlife photographer John Senser of Golden Oak Studios:

Two (!) Mountain Lion in afternoon light. This is why they're so rarely spotted by hikers. Tuolumne County, CA Photo© John Senser

Osprey with dead fish coming in to feed two young as mate watches (look very closely to spot the young). Tuolumne County, Ca. Photo© John Senser

Excellent example of the front and back paw prints of a Black Bear. Top print: left hind. Bottom: left front. Photo: © Joseph Migler

Dear Sierra Nature Notes:

Lady bugs (Hippodamia Convergens) congregate in Muir Woods National Monument.

This past weekend, my family and I enjoyed a lovely vacation, staying at the Wawona Hotel (a family tradition, this is our 13th year!). As we were hiking along the Swinging Bridge Trail (Monday, November 10, 2003 in the morning) near Wawona, we spotted thousands of ladybugs on some ground cover and small shrubs just off the trail. We were curious as to what they were doing. Thank you for your very informative Sierra Nature Notes!

Sincerely,
The Migler Family (Anthony, Regina, Theresa and Joseph)


Dear Migler Family:

How cool! Fall visitors to Yosemite often come across ladybug swarms above Happy Isles in the fen there or along the river in Wawona. They're swarming in a relatively warm and protected spot to hibernate for the winter.

Deer Whisperer
Peter Stekel

Editor's note: kids (and adults!) – don't try this at home. Peter's very experienced with wildlife and willing to take the chance. Every year, though, people receive serious injuries from getting too close to deer and other wildlife, thinking them tame. They're not. They're wild animals and even a gentle looking deer can deliver a serious or fatal injury from a hoof strike. Always keep a safe distance from all wildlife.

Everybody wants to see wildlife. Unfortunately, few have the patience to sit and wait — but that is just what it takes. The good news is that there's no particular skill involved in watching wildlife. Cars, for instance, are natural "blinds" and make excellent wildlife observatories. Just sitting for an extended time at the edge of a meadow or by a stream is another great way to see critters. A friend of mine, though, started me on a completely different quest – getting very close to deer. A major goal of his has been to stalk a deer, then touch it.
Continued

An Unexpected Meeting
Erika Jostad

Watercolor © Erika Jostad 2001

We met on a clouded afternoon along the John Muir Trail near Crabtree Meadows. In the absence of shadow, I could see far into the lodgepole/foxtail pine forest rimming Sandy Meadow as I strolled north. Ahead, I spotted an awkward coyote hop a log then get on the trail coming my direction.
Continued

Western Rattlesnake (Crotalis viridis). Photo: © Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences

Buzz-worms of the Southern Sierra
Jim Warner

I've walked the trails of the Southern Sierra for many years, and have seen a good many "buzz-worms," as one former Kings Canyon ranger occasionally calls rattlesnakes. Folks tend to think of rattlesnakes as denizens of low elevations, maybe up to about 6,000'. In the southern Sierra, they are found at elevations up to 11,000'. One was even found near the top of Alta Peak (11,204') in Sequoia National Park. Continued

Blue Grouse chick (Dendragapus obscurus). Photo: © Benjamin R. Miller

My first trip as a backcountry volunteer in Kings Canyon National Park was an especially rewarding wildlife experience and just shows what marvelous critters await the lucky Sierra hiker. My first day, I hiked from Cedar Grove to Junction Meadow at about 8,000 feet. When I reached the meadow, I walked out into it and spotted a medium size cinnamon colored bear munching the grass. At first the bear was unaware of my presence. Upon sensing me, he ran several hundred feet to a spot by the creek and picked up a dead fawn and started to eat it. Within a few minutes however, he snatched up the fawn and ran off into the trees. Continued

From Birdingonthe.net

Imagine treeline in the high mountains, the Kaweah Range in Sequoia National Park as a backdrop, miles and miles of mixed lodgepole and whitebark pine. Up in the high branches, hearing a sweet, delicate chirp ("chirp-chirp" – pause, undulate – "chirp-chirp", again); a plump shape smaller than a robin, moving through the tree – from cone to cone – just a silhouette, not sure the color – was it just a shadow? But then: there are more of ‘em swarming over the branches, clinging as they tear at the lodgepole cones with their strange beaks. Small flakes of cone float to the ground. Continued