Standing in an open valley surrounded by oaks, the misty sky dusted the vegetation around us with small water droplets. In attempts to stay dry a little longer, we huddled beneath the only shelter near the Sugarloaf Ridge State Park parking lot. In anticipation of going into the field, 20 of us biologists looked beyond the tin roof at patches of blue sky which were immediately masked by the surrounding grey.
We were all there to learn, handle, and identify foothill yellow legged frogs (Rana boylii). Over the course of two days our instructors David Cook and Jeff Alvarez went over the permitting requirements and habitat requirements for the frog and it was time to apply our knowledge of the frog to the field.
Seeing a break in the drizzle, Jeff led us down the gravel road to a drainage typical of a stream and riparian area in Northern California. Most of the vegetation was marred by the first signs of fall where yellow leaves grasped to the last bits of Summer.
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| California's state lichen: lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii) |
Jeff pausing us just before the drainage said, "this is a great spot for frogs. I am going to go up to the edge and see if I can spot any. If I do, I will wave you over." Strategically moving himself to a location with a good vantage point, Jeff brought his binoculars to his face and almost immediately waved us over.
Analyzing each detail at the riverbank, nothing looked like a frog in the mess of algae, stones, and sticks. After a moment of silence someone said, "there's one..."
"Oh, I see another one."
After several minutes of observation, what was once a pile of debris turned out to contain a lot of life. That was Jeff's lesson. It's all in the approach, and without a keen eye and a little patience, you might miss the very thing that you were searching for.
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| Jeff Alvarez showing us proper frog handling techniques. |
Below are several more photos from the trip including our stay at the University of California Point Reyes Field Station.
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| The mouth of Tomales Bay California. |
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| Purplish copper butterfly (Lycaena helloides) |
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| California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus) |
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| University of California Point Reyes Field Station for researchers. |
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| Northern red legged frog (Rana aurora) |
