The California Channel Islands

It was one of those nights where the anticipation of the next day made it so I couldn't fall asleep. Or if I did fall asleep, it didn't feel like it.

It was around 4 in the morning when I heard jingling from my friend's house mate looking for the right key in the dark.

"Oh shit," I heard a startled voice say.

It was then that I realized that my college buddy Ryan never told his house mates that I was sleeping on his couch. Classic.

Lying there awake afterwards, the alarm went off just as expected. Blindly searching around with my hand I turned off the obnoxious noise.

The time had come to travel to the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara. Considered to be the Galapagos of the northern hemisphere, it is one of the many biologically interesting places of the world. Just an hour off the coast of California, the islands have been separated long enough where many species have become endemic to the islands.

Both of us not having slept well, we downed an espresso shot and got on the road. It was just after 5 a.m., the sun was rising and there was already traffic on highway 1. Southern California never sleeps.

Stepping onto the boat, I wasn't sure what role to play. Am I the casual hiker that enjoys the outdoors or do I go full biologist and be the obnoxious person with binoculars, telephoto camera, and point and shoot? I decided to be casual about it but things changed quickly once the pod of dolphins appeared...

Hundreds of long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus capensis) were seen in the channel crossing.

One of the many oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Channel. One of my college friends from the central valley originally thought they were Christmas trees the City had erected as they light up the channel at night.

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) hauled out.

Scale.

Island tranquility. 

Santa Cruz Island wild buckwheat (Eriogonum arborescens) a species that is endemic to the Channel Islands.

Santa Cruz Island buckwheat flowers.

Island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis) which is endemic to Santa Cruz Island.

Giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea).

Ryan and I brought our snorkeling gear. Sunburst Anemone (Anthopleura sola) seen in the shallows.

One of my favorite sea creatures: Spanish Shawl (Flabellinopsis iodinea).

Ryan who is an avid backpacker and all around outdoorsmen. He recently completed the John Muir trail.

 

Isla Vista California. The old stomping grounds. 

Après-surf meal.

Searching For The Foothill Yellow Legged Frog

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.

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.

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.

The mouth of Tomales Bay California.

Purplish copper butterfly (Lycaena helloides)

California giant salamander (Dicamptodon ensatus)

University of California Point Reyes Field Station for researchers.

 

Northern red legged frog (Rana aurora)