Hi all,
Today I drove a van field trip to Hi Mountain Lookout- with 11
participants- for a “Condor Country” class offered through Cuesta
College Community Programs. Along Hi Mtn. Rd. we met up with the Pozo
Wildflower Weekend field trip led by Charlie Blair, President of the SLO
chapter of the California Native Plant Society. After we looked over the
vegetation growing on the serpentine outcrop along Hi Mtn. Rd., the
wildflower group of 6 joined us at the lookout for lunch and discussion
about the condor radio tracking project. In the afternoon we picked up a
signal from one of the Pinnacles condors to the NW…that was the only
condor radio signal we detected.
Hopefully, a few new volunteers have been recruited for the project.
Surprisingly, one of the participants in the wildflower field trip
introduced herself as a past condor intern at Hopper Mountain N’tl
Wildlife Refuge and this was her first visit to Hi Mtn.
The swallowtail butterflies are now up on the ridgeline in numbers, the
deer flies are starting to bite, and this afternoon there was a flight
of 1000’s of ladybird beetles all over the chaparral-covered ridgeline
at Hi Mountain and swarming around the lookout- a constant movement of
flying insects all about.
Compared to only one week ago, along Hi Mtn. Rd. there has been an
‘explosion’ of Mariposa lilies, Farewell-to-Spring (Clarkia), Larkspurs,
and Chinese Houses flowers.
Steve Schubert
