FInal Bird's Eye View

Bird's Eye View. We used arrows instead of a compass rose because we were not facing north when we did our observation period.

Habitat type of Eaton Canyon is Dry Shrubland. Shrublands usually get more rain than deserts and grasslands but less than forested areas. There is not a steady amount of rain. There is a noticeable dry season and wet season. Several plants have developed fire-resistant adaptations to make it through the frequent fires that occur in the dry season. Eaton Canyon is located in the foothills of the San Gabriel and our observation location was in the northern end of Eaton Canyon's territory. The dimensions of the area we observed are 90 ft. long by 55 ft. wide.

This honey comb was found in a shaded area beneath a tree as we walked to the right (if you were sitting on the log that we sat on) and out of view of our bird's eye view landscape. We saw a few other honeycomb surrounding it as well.

This picture of the deer track was found as we were walking through the prairie. This would be the same prairie Sierra and I saw the deer bounding across, from the hill we climbed. As we were walking back to where the bus was parked, up a small hill scattered with trees, we saw a doe and a fawn quietly walking. The scientific name for a deer is Cervidae. We saw four deer in total on our Eaton Canyon adventure.
 
This was the view we encountered at the top of the hill which was to the direct left of where we sat on the log at our observation area facing the entrance to Eaton Canyon.

Katherine's 30 Minute Observation

11:45

Wind whistles through the strands of grass and pushes them back softly. I hear the paw of an animal crunch on leaves to my right but when I look over, nothing is there.

11:54

As I eat my lunch silently, flies buzz past my ear. Birds chirp and knock down leaves from the tree overhead.

11:58 The slight breeze is now gone and I begin to get hot.

12:05 A yellow butterfly flies past me and flutters above the billowing grass before disappearing.

12:09 I hear more crunching behind me.

12:15 Sierra went up a hill and encountered a deer sprinting through the meadow as well as a black widow wrapping up a moth.

This is a video of a black widow wrapping up a moth.

This video is of the area surrounding the log I sat on while eating lunch and doing my observation.

This body of a dead bird was found in the open grass meadow. It was most likely a Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma Californica) because those were the most common and typical species of bird found at Eaton Canyon.

Observation

11:38
Its sunny and hot in the sun but not to bad in the shade (75 degrees outside)

11:45
There is a little wind and I can hear animals (birds, flies, and bees) however, I can not see them
Also I can hear a dog barking in the distance

11:50
I saw a yellow butterfly ans some small birds jumping from tree to tree

11:55
I have seen three birds jumping and singing

12:03
Nothing has really happened it is just normal

12:08
A month just flew by

12:15
I saw two brown birds just sitting in a bush

12:20
I can hear people and a dog in the distances

12:27
There is a bush that has some spider webs init and the light is just hitting it right so that the webs glow in the sun light

12:32
There is a little wind but really all is quiet

12:37
I just saw a grasshopper jump on a tree branch on the ground


 

This region to our right if we were facing south and sitting on the log where our 30 minute observation period took place.

This hill, to the left of where we were sitting on the log was what Sierra and I climbed to see the view.

There was a hut to our direct right made of hay and logs. This may have belonged to animals or people may have built it as they passed along the trail.

If you turned around and forced north, this is the view you would encounter from our observation spot.

We found little burrows for small animals all over Eaton Canyon. There were also fallen logs scattered near the back area where we ate lunch and did our thirty minute observation. The lush green canopy is what we sat under when we ate our lunch. Just before we came across the shaded area where we ate lunch, there were swarms of red ants(solonopses)and red ant hills. There were a couple hundred and that was just the amount that we noticed!!

The lemonade berry tree has waxy leaves so that it does not lose very much water.

We found a lizard(Lacertilia) as we walked along the trail. We could barely see the lizard because of the way it blended with the ground. Over time this color adaptation has has evolved and is now what keeps the lizard alive. We encountered one lizard the entire time we were at eaton Canyon.

Evergreen Tree. A.k.a Live oak. All evergreens are conifers, which reproduce by dropping their cones and having them spread to other areas. There were close to 50 of these trees that we noticed.

Black sage or Salvia Mellifera: The color black in the name Black Sage comes from the color of the flower stem. Hummingbirds and butterflies love this plant. Quail love the seeds these plants produce. They are most commonly found in the sunny dry slopes of coastal regions. I only noticed four of these plants.

This is tree tobacco or Nicotiana Glauca. This is toxic to smoke. It has greenish- yellow corrola. It blooms from April to September. We noticed 8 of these plants around the trail.

Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica) flew overhead and chirped quietly. They are often found in suburban areas where they can feed at bird feeders. We saw about 20 of these birds.

This is the Loral Sumac or taco tree. (Scientific name= Malosma) There were about ten Laurel Sumacs lining the main trail. This tree gives off a fragrence and is highly flammable.

Lemonade Berry Tree; Scientific name=Rhus integrifolia. They have waxy leaves to prevent water loss. People long ago, used these berries to make a type of juice. We only saw about five of these trees around Eaton Canyon.

The third picture is a syccamore tree (Platanus occidentalis). These trees are only found in river territories. We recognized about twenty of these trees. They are recognizable by there white tree trunks. They grow quickly and live for hundreds of years.

This is an example of poison oak at Eaton Canyon. We saw it lining the trails near the front entrance. Urishiol is the poisonous sap that this plant contains. Brushing against this plant will not cause a reaction but when the plant is bruised(which they usually are) the poisonous sap is released.