Yep, thats the one. From photos, I've long since concluded the one I saw was a male.
I looked up several guides when I was writing the original reply, and it seems like no two of them agree on the extent of the range of this species.
The book I found was a mid 90s publication, and it showed a long "finger" of range extending into Shasta county.
I think the range shown now may have been reduced, based on no new reports since the massive building boom in the state destroyed so much habitat.
Bear in mind the one I saw was in maybe 1974- And I never saw him again. Never saw any others either, and I spent a LOT of time over the years looking in the area after failing to catch him. That little valley was plowed up and turned into tract housing in the early 80s, so the little guy's territory was destroyed a long time ago. The tiny little owls we used to see there left when that started too. My father insisted they were burrowing owls- but I'm not sure. I only got poor looks at them a few times. Just enough to say they were grey/brown, and about the size of a larg-ish lovebird or a quail. (First time I saw one, I thought it was a quail till my father pointed out it had no crest and was holding still...Something quail never do when they know they've been spotted.)
I couldn't identify them from memory now- its been too long, and I never got as good a look as I did at the leopard lizard- which I was close enough to that I nearly caught him.
no subject
From photos, I've long since concluded the one I saw was a male.
I looked up several guides when I was writing the original reply, and it seems like no two of them agree on the extent of the range of this species.
The book I found was a mid 90s publication, and it showed a long "finger" of range extending into Shasta county.
I think the range shown now may have been reduced, based on no new reports since the massive building boom in the state destroyed so much habitat.
Bear in mind the one I saw was in maybe 1974- And I never saw him again.
Never saw any others either, and I spent a LOT of time over the years looking in the area after failing to catch him.
That little valley was plowed up and turned into tract housing in the early 80s, so the little guy's territory was destroyed a long time ago.
The tiny little owls we used to see there left when that started too.
My father insisted they were burrowing owls- but I'm not sure.
I only got poor looks at them a few times.
Just enough to say they were grey/brown, and about the size of a larg-ish lovebird or a quail.
(First time I saw one, I thought it was a quail till my father pointed out it had no crest and was holding still...Something quail never do when they know they've been spotted.)
I couldn't identify them from memory now- its been too long, and I never got as good a look as I did at the leopard lizard- which I was close enough to that I nearly caught him.
-Badger-