HABITAT RESTORATION

 

Providing nesting boxes for cavity-nesting birds, has attracted Western screech owls, barn owls, wood ducks, blue birds, and tree swallows.

I began planting the Valley Oak savanna nineteen years ago on what had been bare land, tilled for agriculture. It is now habitat for nesting birds, hares, squirrels, and foxes. 

Clarkia growing through creek bed gravel.

California poppies on creek bed gravel.

Ceanothus.

Ground cover during the rains of Winter and Spring.

Mixed native penstemons and sages.

Golden-beard penstemon.

Heucheras (coral bells or alum root) with penstemons and sages.

With habitat improvement, the ranch has become a refuge for blacktail deer.

WHEN THE CREEK WENT DRY

 

As the historic drought dragged on, the creek went dry early in the Summer, dooming millions of newly hatched fish including the endangered hitch. Tadpoles too, of Western toads and Pacific chorus frogs, had no time to transition into toadlets and froglets before the water disappeared.

One day later, this section of creek would be completely dried up.

The gravel would be clogged with the countless millions dead of many species of fish and amphibians.

To sustain a local amphibian population, transplantation action was required.

A new, small wildlife pond was excavated on the ranch, which would provide refuge for the suddenly waterless creatures of the creek.

The tadpoles thrived in the new pond. All had time to grow legs and hop away later in the Summer, looking for suitable habitats on land. Aquatic insects too, were translocated.

Indigenous aquatic plants came from a nearby slough. Soon, a rich habitat attracted bees, butterflies,  damsel flies, birds, and mammals - a tiny oasis - the only local water source.

A small number of rescued fish fry adapted to the new pond, controlling mosquitoes, while they were at it.

A full grown Pacific chorus frog surveyed the scene.