| |
|
|
|
Over the years I've birded in Marin County many
times. I've spent countless hours searching for vagrants on Pt. Reyes,
or counting hawks at Pt. Diablo, or watching waders at Bolinas Lagoon.
But I'd never been to the lakes of the Marin watershed before (off
Bolinas Road south of Fairfax), where an Osprey can
catch big fish (right). On 7 April, Rita and I visited this series of
lakes that flow into each other, starting upstream at Lake
Lagunitas (above), working the little stream between it and Lake
Bon Tempe, and then a bit of marsh on Lake Alpine
below that. A fine benefit of looking for odes is visiting lovely spots
— like this — that would otherwise have been missed.
All photos this page
7 Apr 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some of the species were now 'old
friends' with whom we got reacquainted in a new year: a voracious male Tule
Bluet (above; appendages checked), for example. Others were
species just recently learned, like California Darner.
We ended up with 8 of them during our 3 hour midday visit, including
this female that Rita followed to a perch (below left).
|
 |
Neither of us had ever seen a perched female of
this species before. Amazingly enough, the very next day, while
enjoying a Giants game at the ballpark at 24 Willie Mays Plaza in San
Francisco, another female Cal Darner would spend the game circling the
crowd and repeatedly trying to land near us. At one point it landed and
remained stationary — like a very fancy jeweled pin — on a gray
sweatshirt a couple rows in front of us.
Indeed, all the odes this weekend were friendly,
including the Pacific Forktails that landed on me
(below; on a sleeve or on my finger).
|
|
|
|
| But the dragonflies that would really catch our
attention this day were three new species for us. Exclamation
Damsel was common along the little stream that runs between
Lagunitas and Bon Tempe, with males sitting on sunny rocks, limbs or
leaves (next two photos). This large damsel is well-named for the
"exclamation marks" that adorn the top of the thorax. |
|
|
|
|
|
We understand that Zoniagrion exclamationis
is the totem ode for Kathy Biggs, who was instrumental in convincing
the naming committee to adopt the wonderful English name, Exclamation
Damsel. Look for the totem trademark in her postings!
One pair that we watched for rather a long time
(right) was rather heavily engaged in, well, exclamations !!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Certainly the least expected species was found perched
high in redwoods or adjacent deciduous trees, up and away from the
water, and only briefly fluttering short distances through the filtered
sunlight. These proved to be teneral or very young Grappletail
(above) in a color pattern not shown by any of the literature we owned,
nor found on-line. Presumably these young bugs will 'color up' soon as
gain a much blacker body, although the yellow patches were already well
in place.
[Although the appendages seemed to fit
only this species, the body pattern was so odd that we had to consult
experts for confirmation of this i.d. Thank you Ray Bruun and Dennis
Paulson.]
|
| Our final 'lifer' was the euphoniously-named Beaverpond
Baskettail (right & below). We saw these members of the
Corduliinae (or family Corduliidae of some experts) only in flight, as
is apparently typical. I've seen rather few photos of this species, and
none of them in flight, so was pleased to obtain even these marginal
snaps. Remarkably, even the canine 'muzzle' shape of the cerci can be
seen, identifying the species as Epitheca (Tetragoneuria)
canis. Males patrolled short stretches of
reed-edged water on Lake Lagunitas. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Our list for the visit (noon to 3 pm) to the three lakes
was:
- Vivid Dancer – 5 teneral or imms
- Northern Bluet – 1 male (appendages seen) + 1
adjacent female (i.d. likely on association) at Lagunitas
- Tule Bluet – 1 male (appendages seen) + 1 female in
nearby marsh (i.d. likely on habitat) at Alpine
- Pacific Forktail – 30 at all 3 lakes
- Exclamation Damsel – 25 along stream between
Lagunitas & Bon Tempe
- Blue-eyed Darner – 1 male at Alpine
- California Darner – 8: 7 males (Lagunitas, Alpine) +
1 female perched at parking lot next to Bon Tempe
- Grappletail – 3 teneral or imms adjacent to Bon Tempe
(where stream enters upper end)
- Beaverpond Baskettail – 3 males at Lagunitas,
occasionally involved in 3-way aerial battle
– D. Roberson & R. Carratello
|
|
|
