Baum Lake, Shasta County - 5/20/07

Today, the family and I went to Baum Lake to fish Baum Lake is about an hour's drive east-northeast of Shingletown. We didn't catch any fish, so it was good that I brought the camera. But it was very windy, as Baum is wont to be, so that didn't go too well either (not many poses and only four decent pix). All was not lost, however. I found a goodly number of Swift Forktail along the shore of the lake, the first time I've seen them there (and probably the first time I've looked for odes at Baum in the month of May). This is as far east as Swift Forktail has been reported in California. Many of the females appeared partly pruinose, something I had not observed before in this species. I found one female Swift eating another forktail (see below), which by the pale stigma and legs, is a young female Pacific. Other ode species seen include Blue-eyed Darner, California Darner, Grappletail, unidentified Meadowhawk, Vivid Dancer, Northern/Boreal/Familiar Bluet, Pacific Forktail, and Western Forktail.

Male California Darner. Walking along a trail by the lake, I saw a darner land nearby in low vegetation. As I prepared to take its picture, he flew off. After a short while, he circled back and landed.

Male Swift Forktail. These were common along the lakeshore. Baum Lake is now the easternmost known occurrence of of Swift Forktail in California (by about 20 miles).

Female Swift Forktail. Note the pruinose on the abdomen.

Female Swift Forktail eating a young female Pacific Forktail.