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
Birds: (We're the only water around and an arid climate - water attracts a LOT of birds!)
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)!
1. Fox Sparrow
more - another
2. White-crowned Sparrow
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)
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:
Odonata: Dragonflies & Damselflies:
Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths
Other Insects
The End, for now! This site is constantly being updated. Check back soon please.
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
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
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!!
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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