Lake Sonoma Wildlife - August 2014

 We took a hike to Lake Sonoma with the intent of sitting at the point on the lake and watching the wildlife. A few days earlier we had visited and the lake was alive with an uncountable number of dragonflies and fish biting on the water. It was so magical, I had to go back.

The beavers have been at the lake for almost a year now, but we had yet to see them. Their activity is hit and miss so you can't always tell if they are still around or not.

On the way, we stopped to look at which trees were birch trees for our experiment (later to be a failure) of making birch beer.  I still have a hard time identifying birch versus beech and a few other trees with similar leaves.

 A small birch tree with dark leaves.

Husband shows the type of bark a young birch sapling has.

 This is a more mature birch tree with different bark as it matures.

In the background, down in the swampy area, you can see the Cardinal Flower blooming. It's too far off the trail to see up close without sliding down the mountain and slogging through the tick-infested leaves. For a closer look at them, you can always go to Jennings Hollow.

The Manaticut Point trail. Fantastic trail. You're welcome.

Another example of birch bark but a different kind of birch.  This was a blowdown over the Lake Sonoma trail. Husband took out some of it with his samurai sword but it took too long to cut by hand. It will have to be finished up another day.

Lake Sonoma looking so peaceful!

A clearer view of Lake Sonoma from the secret point.

Another view of the lily pad section of Lake Sonoma from the secret point.

One of the many dragonflies that posed for my camera. Not as many as their had been only a few days before (I think the fish are full) but still enough to enjoy and photograph. We must have come a few days earlier to catch them mating or hatching. I saw one dance in the water with its butt. Not sure if it was a mating dance or laying eggs. One day when I'm motivated, I'll look up the behavior. I didn't have a camera with me the day that I observed that behavior, so alas, I only have my memory of that dance.

There were a couple different kinds of dragonflies but mostly all varying shades of blue.

Bees drank from the water drops on the lily pads. 

Another blue dragonfly.

 A view of the lilies.  You can clearly see the pathway that the beavers take to get to the shallows from their lodge.

 This was a bird that flew overhead. Some sort of hawk-like bird. I need to look up what kind. You can see the banding on its feathers if you look up closely.

 Some pretty flowers that were in bloom with a bee somewhere in the photo.

 The highlight of the day was when one of the beavers came out to visit and check me out. He didn't slap his (or her) tail in the water. Eventually the beaver came as close as 30 feet away from me. It helped to have binoculars. With my naked eye, it looked like a log floating in the water.

 See if you can spot the beaver. (Easier if I tell you he's in the middle of the photo.)

Hello Mr. (or Mrs.) Beaver floating in the shallows like a drifting piece of wood! I know you're there you little cutie!! CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP!

Lake Sonoma from the point, looking so peaceful and reflection twinned.

Twinned lake reflection.

Another view of Manaticut Point trail on the way back. 

A slightly better (?) photo of the red Cardinal Flower in the background.