During the Pleistocene period Cervus elaphus migrated over the Bering Straits land bridge onto the North American continent and slowly evolved into several subspecies of elk.  The Tule Elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes) is considered the smallest of all the elk subspecies in N.A. and is endemic to California. Early explorers like John McLeod accounted for vast herds of the large deer, and estimates of 500,000 in the early 1800's are probably accurate.

However, rawhide trade (Hudson Fur Trading Company) in the mid-1800s, followed by the gold rush and cattle baron days of the 1850s and 1860s, led to the over exploitation of the tule elk until 1873 when only one tiny band was left.  By 1895 only 28 individuals were left and they were fortunately protected by Henry Miller, the most prominent California cattle baron of the times.  After Miller's death in 1928 hunting resumed and the herd was dwindled down again to a number of 72 head.

In 1933 Walter Dow took a small group of these tule elk to his ranch in Owens Valley, where they prospered, and through the subsequent efforts of California Dept. of Fish & Game and others, were relocated from this population and now several permanent herds have been re-established in historical ranges.

A shed elk antler found buried in the gravels of Parson's Creek (photo tomorrow) in 1907 prove that elk once roamed the hills of the Hopland Research & Extension Center.  Although possibly a Roosevelt elk antler, it is most probably a tule elk's as the dry hot interior climate around southeast Mendocino County is more of the liking to tule elk.  The tule elk bull photo below is from the re-established herd near Potter Valley, about twenty-five miles to the north of HREC.

(of note:  you should be able to post comments to this blog now)

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the only kestrel found in the New world and is arguably the most sexually dimorphic species in the group in coloration.  The wide geographic range of this species presents a unique system for the study of sexual dimorphism in the life histories of kestrels and other birds of prey.

UC Berkeley's researcher Beth Wommack is using the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center (HREC) as a place to look more closely at specific plumage characteristics that may be used as fitness signals with a multi-year nest box program.

Maintenance of active nest box sites allows for an examination of both differences in tail patterning and reflectance of the shoulder plumage between breeding adult males and between generations of fathers and sons. This long-term study that is on-going simultaneously at the UC Ag and Natural Resource's HREC and at the UC Natural Reserve System's Blue Oak Ranch Reserve will be beneficial to raptor biology on a worldwide-scale.

If you have been following this BLOG site then you may recall two earlier posts that discussed Turkey Vulture (abbreviated acronym is TUVU) nest site criteria research that is currently taking place at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center.  As a part of this study, four motion-activated cameras were set-up on known TUVU nest locations.  All of these nest sites are in oak trees or oak tree snags.  Photos from these cameras are revealing tantalizing tidbits of information about the lives of nesting TUVUs in oak woodlands.

This particular cavity in a live oak tree was used by a raccoon as a daytime sleeping site last spring.  Successful nesting by TUVUs seemed an impossibility with such an experienced predator lurking.  However, the photos have revealed successful nesting from egg laying all the way to the fledging (when the young leave the nest) of two youngsters.

Photos have also revealed that one of these nestlings liked to crawl to the top of the cavity and hang-out near the top (where these youngsters are in the photo) at all hours of the night!  Further analysis of the photos may give clues as to the parental visitation timing and frequency.

Kissing Bugs are prevalent in the foothill areas around the Central Valley, the Coast Ranges, and the foothills and deserts of California.  One of a group of insects referred to as "Conenose Bugs" this genus-group is in the family Reduviidae.   Commonly called "assassin bugs" or "kissing bugs", the most accurate common name for this particular species is the Western Bloodsucking Conenose (Triatoma protracta).

Common in oak woodlands, the Western blood-sucking conenose, as its name suggests, feeds upon domestic and wild animals (and humans) by taking blood meals while the victim is sleeping.  The adults fly and are attracted to lights around the home, and are occasionally found inside the home (like this one was) despite the best of efforts to exclude them (window screens, tight doors, etc.).

Aggregations of this bug have been found inside woodrat (Neotoma sp.) nests, and such protected sites are most probably where the species over-winters as the nests provide protection from the weather elements.  On humans, bites usually occur on the torso, many times on the face near the mouth (thus the name "kissing bug").  The bite location usually ends up as a nasty welt, and if you look closely, it usually consists of a series of several close-spaced feeding bites about 1/4 inch apart and in a straight line.

Some people have allergic reactions to the bites and result in immediate-sensitivity reactions that in severe cases can result in anaphylactic shock.  An adult man in Lake County died from such a reaction about 15 years ago.  For further information please refer to the UC-IPM site: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7455.html