djo@sdchema.UUCP (Denise O'jibway) (01/07/86)
I've seen black squirrels in Michigan. Ann Arbor has black squirrels all over the town. I've also seen them in Traverse City, in the northern part of the state. And in keeping with this newsgroup I will mention that the last time I visited Traverse City I had great fun watching (and listening to) the woodpeckers. We just don't see them here in Southern California. My cousins were not as taken with the woodpeckers as I was as the woodpeckers like to peck on their farmhouse as well as trees!
weissler@randvax.UUCP (Robert Weissler) (01/08/86)
In article <526@sdchema.sdchema.UUCP> djo@sdchema.UUCP (Denise O'jibway) writes: >And in keeping with this newsgroup I will mention that the last time >I visited Traverse City I had great fun watching (and listening to) >the woodpeckers. We just don't see them here in Southern California. >My cousins were not as taken with the woodpeckers as I was as the >woodpeckers like to peck on their farmhouse as well as trees! Begging your pardon, but there are indeed woodpeckers in Southern California. Especially abundant are the Acorn Woodpeckers. I can certainly speak for Big Bear Lake (in the San Bernardino mountains) and for that matter the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains. The area where I live (Agoura Hills, halfway between LA and Ventura) has plenty of the critters pecking at telephone poles. I don't know if you had some specific kind of woodpecker in mind, but I would imagine there would be woodpeckers in the mountains northeast of San Diego, too. They can be found in everything from oak woodlands near sea level to thick conifer forests several thousand feet up. While I'm at it, I spent a morning birding at Malibu Creek State Park a few weeks ago (though not part of any official Christmas bird count). Among the birds I saw were 11 red-tailed hawks, 16 acorn woodpeckers, 1 downy woodpecker, 2 great blue herons, 5 scrub jays, 1 common red-shafted flicker, 1 great horned owl and numerous ravens and crows (I forgot how many). Also, I encountered a not-so-elusive coyote at dusk. Before that, back in late October, I got my first look at a Bald Eagle through binoculars at Fawnskin around Big Bear Lake. The eagle was clearly immature (mottled white throughout the wings, lacking the white head, neck, and tail). It looked like he was hunting for fish, when some ravens decided to pester him. The wingspan was quite impressive when compared to that of some of the hawks that also inhabit the area. His flight was really something to see! -Robert Weissler UUCP: sdcrdcf!randvax!weissler ARPA: weissler@rand-unix "...I'd be a poorer man if I never saw an eagle fly..." - John Denver