Summer Camp, Week 3 of 5.

A couple of random quotes that somehow caught my attention over the last week or so:

"It's the size of a peep!" - one of my CITs (counselor in training) from last week, aptly describing the size of a Pacific Wren.

"Tyler's real mom is in jail" - overheard during lunchtime a few days ago.

In some ways, summer camp chugs along like it normally does. I'm doing a lot of the same things, and the added burden of wearing masks and checking temperatures doesn't really detract from things. This week, I didn't have a co-leader, which didn't really hinder things either. I had two counselors and two CITs to help take the burden off.

I saw another bird for the first time, and unlike the Sharp-shinned Hawk from week one, it was truly a new bird to me - the kind that birders would call a "lifer." It happened while we were eating lunch near the reservoir. Since we were all sitting, the birds in the nearby trees felt confidant enough to flit closer, and I of course pointed my binoculars at them. One of them proved to be a Cassin's Vireo, the bold eye ring helping differentiate it from the similar-looking Hutton's Vireo. I didn't have my camera with me, at least not the one with the proper lens, so I didn't get any photos.

I did, however, get a lot of photos of other things.

This is the first Gopher Snake of the summer. We found it relaxing in the shade near the pond. It humored us for awhile.

Our one Western Pond Turtle (technically a Northwestern Pond Turtle, I'm told), went on walkabout. Another group found it in the meadow and told me about it. Turtles lay their eggs on land, so maybe it was an instinctive journey of futility - futile because it is the only member of its species in the pond. If this is the case, one could surmise that it's a female.

I thought this picture of a female House Finch came out nicely. Usually, they all dart off before I can get close.

The Lesser Goldfinches, on the other hand, are good at ignoring my presence.

I saw at least one Gray Fox every day, I think. Once, I saw two siblings at once. They look uncomfortable with the engorged ticks hanging from their faces.

I took a bunch of pictures of this California Towhee as it got ready for the day in an intense grooming session.

More nature art was created, photographed, and destroyed.

The 2020 summer camp look:

There are a lot of new signs around the park, mostly to protect people from themselves. This one made me laugh. Who dives into a foot of water?

Speaking of protecting people from themselves, the rangers report that they're running out of ice packs due the number of Yellowjacket attacks this summer. One of my counselors got stung on Monday during a game of camouflage, and another group had a run-in with another nest the following day. On our Friday hike, I spotted 4 nests. Then I remember it's 2020, so this kind of thing is to be expected.

Speaking of unfortunate events, the tile wall behind the bathtub in our second bathroom collapsed, revealing rotted, moldy underpinnings. Expensive remodeling work is under way.

I'll end with a photo of a message left by one of my campers this week. Safety is on all of our minds. I hope summer camp is helping kids process things. I've seen articles about other summer camps having outbreaks and closing down. The arguments about the upcoming school year continue. Time will tell.

Summer Camp Photos

Shortly after the pandemic began, I started noticing more people on hiking trails. More people means more trash, more lost items, more shelters made out of branches, more bridges and dams built along creeks, and even graffiti. The lost items are pure accidents, but the rest indicates many of the new visitors don't take responsibility for their actions when visiting our shared open spaces. I love that people are finding solace in nature, but I hate that some of them are leaving very obvious traces of their presence.

At camp, we have noticed more people on the trail than in previous years, although for the most part, they are wearing masks and keeping their distance. For our part, we are doing the same, even to the point of staying off of the single-track trails when possible.

Our reduced numbers of campers do come with at least one benefit. We are seeing more wildlife. The deer and foxes are spotted more often, as are various bird species. Reptile and amphibian sightings haven't noticeably changed. So far, I've only spotted one "new" animal ("new" meaning new at camp, but not new to me) in the form of a distantly flapping Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Below are some photographs taken at camp over the last two weeks.

We've heard more California Quails than we've seen, but this one posed nicely on top of a garden bed before doing the usual panicked flight into the underbrush.

This fledgling Spotted Towhee likes to hang out in the garden too, where it is busily denuding the fig tree of figs.

The photo below perfectly captures the inquisitive personality of the Steller's Jay.

There are lots of California Ground Squirrels around as well, digging their ankle-breaker holes and keeping an eye out for danger. Our resident Red-tailed Hawk is hopefully helping keep the population in check. Ground Squirrel burrows are used by many other species, so they never go to waste after the squirrels become lunch.

The adult Spotted Towhees are much more handsome than the fledglings.

I've spent more time watching the moon lately, which is saying something. When the passage of time becomes amorphous due to shattered schedules, the moon rises in importance as a timekeeper.

The Acorn Woodpeckers are competing with the Spotted Towhees to see who can eat more fruit.

This is the aforementioned Sharp-shinned Hawk, heavily cropped since it was a distant speck in the sky.

Anna's Hummingbirds are always fun to watch. This one was more cooperative than most.

We saw three Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes the first week, and none the second week. This was rattlesnake number three. We encountered it on the way back from Lake Ranch Reservoir as it crawled across a shady trail and took refuge in a hole up the hill.

This Robber Fly was still long enough for me to take a few photos. All things great and small, after all...

There are at least two young Gray Foxes who own our garden. This is the one without ticks in its ears.

The Steller's Jays seem even bolder this year, especially the fledglings.

Despite their name, Common Sharp-tailed Snakes are uncommon around camp, but when we do find them, it's always on or near our front lawn.

And now for some nature art:

Summer Camp During the Pandemic

Two weeks of summer camp recede in the rear view mirror, and three wait in the wings. It's weird how quickly the new normal has become routine. We are in cohorts of no more than a dozen campers, with attendant counselors and staff members. So far most groups have two leaders each. I've been working with Wolf, and even though it's his first summer and my 15th, the new routine has leveled the playing field somewhat. We have been checking temperatures in the morning, leaving masks on the majority of the time, and staying appropriately distant from each other. The need to stay distant means that some activities have been modified and others have been temporarily abandoned.

The pool and the ropes course are closed. The campfire, night hike, and sleepover aren't happening, although we recorded a "campfire" consisting of songs and skits for kids to watch at home. Each kid also gets a s'more kit so they can make a gooey mess while watching our antics on YouTube.

Oh, and it's nearly impossible to keep kids apart, and hard to make sure they're always wearing their masks properly. We're doing the best we can. We have one staff member out because he had close contact with somebody who tested positive over the weekend, and one who is out from what is almost certainly seasonal allergies. It's funny how all of sudden seemingly inconsequential things are suddenly cause for concern. Following the strictest recommendations is the way to go though, since cases continue to mount.

The first week, we had a mere six campers in our group, plus one counselor in training and one counselor. The second week, we had nine campers, two counselors in training, and three counselors. The age range within the groups is greater than previous years, simply because siblings now have to be in the same cohorts. We had one little girl who was only six years old this week, but she was a very capable kid, hiking over six miles on Friday and not complaining at all.

So what have we been doing? We've been playing games, a bit of archery, tie-dying, soak a camper, nature art, eating ice cream, hiking, visiting the creeks (we've played in all three creeks within easy walking distance), visiting the nature lab animals, and generally enjoying being outside. Some of these kids have been pretty cooped up. Late this week, the Covid guidelines shifted slightly, so keeping the kids six feet apart from each other is recommended, but not mandated. They still have to stay six feet away from us old folk though.

I think about all of the people who claim to be short of breath after wearing mask while shopping. I've been going on long hikes while masked, and I haven't had a problem at all, so I call bullshit.

Where We Are and Where We're Going

I'm going to park some more Covid-19 statistics here for future reference. The information comes from the nCoV2019.live Coronavirus dashboard and the Covid-19.direct page. I'm posting U.S. and California-centric information because that's where I reside.

The U.S. currently has 2,934,172 cases. That's right, almost 3 million cases. Brazil is in a distant second place with 1,577,004 cases. What do the U.S. and Brazil have in common? Leaders who aren't leaders.

New York still has the greatest number of cases, but California has pushed its way up through the ranks to achieve second place with 255,696 cases. Texas and Florida currently hold 3rd and 4th place.

The San Francisco Bay Area has an even 25,000 cases as of today, with Santa Clara County's share being 4849. Most of California's cases are in Southern California, with Los Angeles County being particularly hard-hit, although on a per capita basis, Imperial County is much worse off, with 39,988 per million having the virus (as opposed to L.A.'s 10980). Santa Clara is well down the list, with only 2722 per million.

According to the sites I referenced, 132,302 United States citizens have died of Covid-19 to date. That's above and beyond all of the other deaths. A quick search reveals that in 2017, 2,813,503 people died in this country. Here is a link to an article about the top 10 causes of deaths in the U.S. If we factored in the current Covid-19 death toll (keep in mind that it's only July though), it would fit snugly in at number 6 on the list, right between stroke and cerebrovascular diseases and Alzheimer's disease.

This pandemic has highlighted the stark political divide splitting the country, and sadly, the issue about whether or not face masks should be worn has been politicized.

That said, our delayed summer camp program starts on Monday, with adherence to all of the strictest Covid-19 guidelines. It's going to be a lot different from our usual routine.

I'm aware that it's the 4th of July today, and I'm even less inclined that usual to celebrate in any way. The holiday is the domain of nationalists and people just looking for excuses to drink and blow things up. Plus, fireworks are horrible for the environment. It is weird to me that the people who shout the loudest about how they love our country are almost always the ones who prove the least willing take the steps to improve it (that's kind of the definition of "conservative" anyway). If nothing else, this year has brought all of the social pus to the surface of the still-infected wound of race relations. It has also revealed that any perceived "greatness" in the way we do things is just that, a hollow perception not based on objective reality.

Change isn't often easy, but it would be nice to see a glimmer of hope that any of this will result in change for the better. Either way, we'll keep on keeping on.

Written to the tune of: Volcano the Bear "Classic Erasmus Fusion"