Monday, 29 October 2012, 11:30-12:00
Weather Information: very sunny, hot, barely any clouds
Temperature: High: 29 degrees Celsius
Low: 24 degrees Celsius
Alviso
During this observation, everything was quiet in the shady spot. There was very sunny with barely any clouds in sight. It was hot in the mid to late twenties degrees Celsius in a 18m by 18m area. Most of the time it was quiet until there was this bird that flew into the shrub behind us. It blended in with the twigs of the shrub. It flew through the shrub from twig to twig. After that event, it became quiet again and there were no animals to see, so we went back to our observation of the surrounding plants. Finally, we left the scene of a cool, shady place with our notes. On our way back we managed to find a few lizards that were basking in the sun on top of rocks. Once we got close to them they started to run.We managed to get back to our bus on time.
Way
Around 11:30, we decided to settle down in a general area about 18m x 18m. It was a grove of trees near a hillside with the hill one one side and tall grass on the other. There was a sort of definite border between the grove and the tall grass. Lining this border were several varieties of trees (see Pictures). While the ground on the tall grass side was just dirt, the ground near the tree side was covered with leaves and sticks so that it was impossible to see the earth underneath (see Pictures). There was a large amount of shade provided by the trees and I noted a Poison Oak bush which I hastened to avoid. As I sat down on a log to look for evidence of life, Lance spotted a small brown bird which he caught on video.
Photos and Videos
Monday, 29 October 2012
This is a Coast Live Oak in the day time.
Monday, 29 October 2012
This is a skinny unknown tree. We found this in a field of tall grass with trees surrounding it.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Monday, 29 October 2012
Poison Oak- taken the minute we got off of the bus
Monday, 29 October 2012
This is Black Sage.
Monday, 29 October 2012
This is another unknown tree in Eaton Canyon.
Bird's Eye View
This is a bird's eye view of the area we were in. There were a lot of trees and shrubs as well as dead leaves and small sprouts in the ground. There were a variety of trees and plants and we could only name a few since most were still sprouting. There were a few Poison Oak plants in the area which we must avoid so that we would not get any rashes.
Site Description
Monday, 29 October 2012
Location: Eaton Canyon
Habitat Type: Chaparral
Dimensions of Site: about 18m by 18m
Eaton Canyon is a chaparral biome area that includes long hot, dry weather with temperatures in the twenties in Celsius. The hot temperature and weather can cause periodic fires in the chaparral area which California has experienced during the destructive fires of 2003. There were many plants and animals, which probably or most likely adapted to the weather and temperature conditions. My classmates spotted some deer and lizards, while we spotted a sparrow and a few lizards on the way back.
The area was shady under the trees and was very cool. There were a lot of trees in this particular area except near the path of dirt and rocks, which was cleared out. It looked like a nice place to rest if we were hikers. There were many plants there that we saw like a large oak trees. The trees were broad and tall, they must have been here for more that 100 years. There were also different kinds of sprouts sprouting out of the leaf-covered ground. There was a shrub that was behind us that had branches or twigs curled up, making it look like a ball of wire. In the shrub, there was a little grayish, brownish bird the flew and hopped from twig to twig. It looked like a small sparrow. We took notes in this shady/sunny spot and left, for it was time to leave. On the way back we saw very few lizards basking in the sun but once we got close they ran away.
List of Plants
Monday, 29 October 2012
Number of Plant Species (Seen): 4
Scientific Name
|
Common Name
|
Quercus agrifolia
|
Coast Live Oak
|
Salvia mellifera
|
Black Sage
|
Salvia apiana
|
White Sage
|
Toxicodendron diversilobum
|
Poison Oak
|
Plant Descriptions:
Number of Coast Live Oak (Seen): 3
Salvia apiana- The common name of this plant is White Sage. It is a small shrub-like plant with wide, long leaves. It also has a strong sage smell. The leaves are kind of a dark green covered in a thin sheet of white. The Native Americans used this plant as medicine, seasoning, incense, and insect repellent.
Number of White Sage (Seen): 1-2
Number of White Sage (Seen): 1-2
Number of Animal Species (Seen): 2
Number of Fox Sparrows (Seen): 1
Sceloporus occidentalis lonipipes- It is a lizard found in most habitats. It has a dark grayish color and are seen on top of rocks, logs, fences, etc. They have spiny scales and have a blue throat and side which are slightly paler on the females. It also basks in the sun and feeds on small arthropods. They can reach the length of six inches. There are also other snakes and lizards in the chaparral.
Number of Great Basin Fence Lizards (Seen): 3
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| Passerella iliaca | Fox Sparrow |
| Sceloporus occidentalis lonipipes | Great Basin Fence Lizard |
Animal Descriptions:
Passerella iliaca- It is a small bird, with grayish-brownish feathers with a white belly. It is roundish and has a medium sized tail. It has a thick based bill.Number of Fox Sparrows (Seen): 1
Sceloporus occidentalis lonipipes- It is a lizard found in most habitats. It has a dark grayish color and are seen on top of rocks, logs, fences, etc. They have spiny scales and have a blue throat and side which are slightly paler on the females. It also basks in the sun and feeds on small arthropods. They can reach the length of six inches. There are also other snakes and lizards in the chaparral.
Number of Great Basin Fence Lizards (Seen): 3
References
Alderfer, Jonathan. "Complete Book of Birds." National Geographic, 2006. 8 Nov. 2012.
Campbell, Neil A. et al. "Biology: Concepts & Connections." San Francisco: Pearson, 2006. Print.
"Fox Sparrow." The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, n.d. 7 Nov. 2012. Web
Haznedl, Chuch. "Great Basin Fence Lizard." Eaton Canyon Natural Area, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.
McLean, Gabi. "Black Sage." Eaton Canyon Natural Area, n.d. 7 Nov. 2012.
McLean, Gabi. "Coast Live Oak." Eaton Canyon Natural Area, n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.
McLean, Gabi. "Poison Oak." Eaton Canyon Natural Area, n.d. Web. 6 Nov. 2012.
McLean, Gabi. "White Sage." Eaton Canyon Natural Area, n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
