Location: Bair rd, near Lacks Creek management area
Weather: Warm and sunny, low 70’s, high humidity
Habitat: Clear cut hillside surrounded by Doug fir forests
Found in a very disturbed area that has been used as a shooting range, with tons of trash and broken glass, basking on a rock. ID determined by lack of yellow on legs, black barring on shoulders, rusty side coloration (subtle but present), and leg scales less keeled than would be seen on S. occidentalis.
60 degrees F, sunny, light breeze. This individual was basking on a log in a pile of wood.
Warm sunny day, found on log near western fence lizards and western skink
I thought this was an adult Great Horned Owl at first as I saw one fly into the trees near this one about 15 min prior. On closer inspection it does not appear to be an owl at all. To comment on the size, this was roughly the size of a small beaver and given beavers don't climb trees all I am left with as a possibility is Nutria as it was too big to be a groundhog.
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Nutria
"Cone" that somehow ended up in a tidepool
Dead by side of Hwy 101. No visible signs of wounds or injury. Did not touch it or turn it over as we were concerned it's mother might be near.