Visitors to our Mt. Shasta Pond
In order seen within animal type. Last updated December 2018.


Shortcuts (#seen): Mammals (14), Birds (63), Reptiles and Amphibians (5), Dragonflies & Damselflies (21), Butterflies and Moths (25), Other Insects (12+) ..


BIRDS: Before the pond was even filled, the birds started arriving:

Fox Sparrows came in for drinks!
And a Western Fence Lizard used the manzanita branches as an escape when he fell into the pond as it was filling - you should ALWAYS provide an escape route for your critters!

This site is being constantly added to - come back soon!
"Critters" are listed within each category by order of first appearnce.


Mammals


1.
Human - this is how I cool down on a hot day! ;-)
2. Least Chipmunk
3. Yellow-pine Chipmunk
4. California Ground Squirrel
5. Douglas Squirrel another
6. Black-tailed deer - Bucks another buck! a buck herd!, 4X4, another 4X4
Doe - Fawn - Fawn - Fawn - More!

7. Weasel (sorry, no photo yet)

8. Black Bear - this bear first visited us in 2009 - it has a beautiful 'mantle' so we call him "Mickey"! He returned in 2012 and twice took a swim/bath! We recorded him the 2nd time and put the one minute video clip up on YouTube. More images of his swim are on Flickr & jAlbum. In 2014 our new TrailCam caught him visiting 3 different times. This time in June is an AMAZING photo We didn't see Mickey again until 2017; he'd grown A LOT!!
Another bear visited us while we were eating dinner on the deck in 2011. And in 2013 our 'trail cam' caught a bear by the pond, it could be the same bear as in 2011, hard to tell as it is a night shot

9. Big Brown Bat This one might have been ill...found on deck.
10. Bobcat (I saw it in daylight but didn't get a photo)
11. RaccoonVisits about once a month!
12. Snowshoe HareFound in the bog by our 'trail cam'!
13. Black-tailed Jackrabbit Came in for a drink!
14. Coyote Came in for a drink!
15. Cougar A lactating female came in for a much needed drink at the end of a long hot week (Aug. 2020)!


Birds: (We're the only water around and an arid climate - water attracts a LOT of birds!)


1.
Fox Sparrow more - another
2. White-crowned Sparrow - another - immature
3. Mountain Chickadee another

4. American Goldfinch

5. Golden-crowned Sparrow - immatures
6. White-headed Woodpecker - male , female another female
It's hard to get enuf of this species! - a wet male, another wet male , another male
7. Stellar's Jay - a young one! - a noisy one! Another!
8. Audubon's Warbler (aka Yellow-rumped Warbler) Spring male, - an albino! a pair, same pair - Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1, 2, 3, 4
9. Dark-eyed Junco , wet! collecting nesting material
10. Cassin's Finch - another - another Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1, 2, 3, 4 (female)
11. Spotted Towhee - another
12. Pine Siskin - more! Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1, 2, 3 (female), 4 (female), 5 (female)
13. Red-breasted Nuthatch - another - another Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1
14. Evening Grosbeak - male - more - sometimes it 'rains' Grosbeaks! female & male pair
15. Hermit Warbler another, another, Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1 2, 3
16. MacGillivary's Warbler Another one - Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard:1
17. Western Tanager - young male, younger male, wet male, female, another female
- Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1, 2
18. Red Crossbill - females Photos by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1, 2 (female)
19. Yellow Warbler another image backside, a thirsty one! And a gorgeous photo by visitor Doug Aguillard: 1
20. Nashville Warbler , another, more!!
21. Lazuli Bunting - like a piece of fallen sky! more, more!
22. Mountain Quail another, with chicks
23. American Robin (male) molting, female, another, and another

24. Mourning Dove another view

25. Tree Swallow (sorry no photo yet!)

26. Western Wood Peewee

27. Warbling Vireo (sorry no photo yet!)
28. Green Tailed Towhee another view, his backside with green tail! more images

29.
Brown-headed Cowbird females: 1, 2, 3 - we stopped putting birdfeed out to discourage them as they parasitize the warblers!
30. Northern Flicker another, another, another
31. Chipping Sparrow And, a female or young one, another male
32. Northern Pygmy Owl
33. Black-headed Grosbeak , female
34. Band-tailed Pigeon , another, another

35. (immature)Cooper's Hawk another, mature

36. Pine Grosbeak (sorry no photo yet!)

37. Solitary/Cassins Vireo

38. Orange-crowned Warbler another

39. Wilson's Warbler another

40. Williamson's Sapsucker - what a treat! (sorry no photo yet!)

41. Hairy Woodpecker - male - female

42. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

43. Western Bluebird another another, the whole family

44. Dusky Flycatcher another image, another
45. Hermit Thrush ; another
46. Scrub Jay

47. Common Nighthawk - scoops down to get a drink in flight! (sorry no photo yet!)

48. Golden-crowned Kinglet female another female

49. Sharp-shinned Hawk

50. Purple Finch, another view, female

51. Townsend's Solitare , another photo

52. Common Raven

53. Black-throated Sparrow

54. Lark Sparrow

55. Black-throated Gray Warbler another

56. Bushtits (coastal form)

57. Townsend's Warbler

58. Clark's Nutcracker

59. Black Phoebe (sorry no photo yet!)

60. Sooty Grouse the hen comes in to drink

60.5. Sandhill Crane OK, they only look at the pond....so half a #

61. Brown Creeper

62. immature Great-horned Owl Our 'TrailCam' has caught one twice now.

63. Belted Kingfisher

64. Varied Thrush female


Reptiles and Amphibians:


1.
Western Fence Lizard , another
2. Pacific Chorus Frogs , Froglets, polliwog with hind legs, lots of polliwogs
3. Shasta Alligator Lizard
4. Long-toed Salamander (we introduced them)
5. Mountain Terrestrial Garter Snake another 2017 another


Odonata: Dragonflies & Damselflies:


1.
Common Green Darner one we saved from floating on the surface
2. Tule Bluet a female
3. Twelve-spotted Skimmer , another, newly emerged
4. Western Forktail

5. Swift Forktail (sorry no photo yet!)

6. Black Saddlebags (sorry no photo yet!)
7. Pacific Forktail another, a pair in "wheel", female
8. Cardinal Meadowhawk - another view another male

9. Black-fronted Forktail (sorry no photo yet!)

10. Common Whitetail another view
11. Variegated Meadowhawk

12. Shadow Darner male - caught and released. photo female

13. Variable Darner , a newly emerged female, a female ovipositing

14. Four-spotted Skimmer teneral Libellula quadrimaculaca

15. Striped Meadowhawk , another view

16. Familiar Bluet, another

17. Eight-spotted Skimmer (female)

18. Boreal Bluet (male) appendages

19. Flame Skimmer (male)

20. Wandering Glider - caught and released. This is the Siskiyou County voucher photo.

21.
Vivid Dancer another image- one male, July 24, 2021


Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths


1.
Day Flying Moth, Caterpillar

2. California Tortoiseshell closed wings view - another - multiple Tortoiseshells puddling at the pond's beach

3. Lorquin's Admiral

4. Common Wood Nymph - another one

5. American Lady - wings closed (#3)

6. Northern Checkerspot ; closed wings

7. Woodland Skipper

8. California Sister closed wings - another A short video clip of one I saved from the pond's surface

9. Litocala Moth (L. sexsignata) - another image, another, and another. They 'puddle' on the beach.

10. Mourning Cloak

11. Hydaspe Fritillary closed wing

12. Western Tiger Swallowtail puddling at the pond's beach

13. Pine White

14. Echo/Spring Blue (Celastrina ladon echo)

15. Pale Swallowtail (Papillo curymedon) another image

16. Great Arctic closed wings

17. Common Sheep Moth (sorry no photo yet)

18. Propertius DuskyWing

19. Brown Elfin , another, another

20. Nelson's Cedar Hairstreak , another

21. Red Admiral

22. Zephyr Anglewing (Polygonia gracilis)

23. Monach (Danaus plexippus)

24. Hummingbird Moth/White-lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata)

25. Painted Lady(Vanessa cardui)

25.5. American Lappet Moth (Phyllodesma americana) - didn't use pond, so just 1/2 a number! It looks so much like a chrysalis!

25.75 Anise Swallowtail - It may not have used the pond but was nearby. It landed between my feet while I was weeding!!


Other Insects


1. Common Green Darner dragonfly - See it & other Dragonflies in separate Odonata section (above)

2. Damselfly
nymph - (emerging) - See other Damselflies in separate Odonata section (above)
3. Backswimmers , another

4. Diving Beetles (sorry no photo yet!)

5. European Paper Wasp - these are non-native, non-aggressive.

6. Water Striders - even on the pond when iced over; and mating by June.

7. Potato Bug/Jerusalem Cricket (2 have drowned!) (sorry no photo yet!)

8. Day flying moth - See it & other Moths in separate Lepidoptera section (above)

9. California Tortoiseshell - See it & other Butterflies in a separate Lepidoptera section (above)

10. Golden Paper Wasp - a native species, and luckily not aggressive!

11. Honey Bee

12. Yellow-faced Bumble Bee



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