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Wildlife Photography Guidelines by Melissa Groo, used with permission Taken from National Geographic 7/31/19 article, "How to Photograph Wildlife Ethically" July 31, 2019 Gray Fox, by Dan Sandri “The ethics of photography are the same as the ethics of life, and they all revolve around respect.” As you strive to capture images of wildlife in Mount Diablo Sate Park, please pledge to have as minimal an impact as possible when photographing flora and fauna, by following the guidelines below. Remember, the use of drones is prohibited at all times. • Do No Harm – I will not destroy or alter habitat for a better shot, will always let animals go about their business, especially in breeding season, and will strive to understand signs of stress. • Keep It Wild – I will never feed our wild friends, in hopes of a photograph, or otherwise, avoiding the possibility of having them connect human contact with food. • Follow the Law – I will always obey applicable laws as I photograph. • Consider the Captive – If photographing wild animals in captivity, I will first ensure the facility is both legal and ethical. • Caption with Honesty – I will always be honest and transparent about the backstory of a pic – camera trap, captive critter, etc. – so as not to deceive viewers. I will also protect sensitive species or habitats by not disclosing location. For more information visit https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/ethical-wildlife-photography (requires free subscription to view) California Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus californicus) by Dan Fitzgerald.jpg red-tailed hawk by Dan Sandri.jpg Ground Squirrel.jpg Tarantula by Ken Lavin.jpg Peregrine by Scott Hein.jpg BACK TO LIST

Additional Resources Browse the resources available from our community partners. 1 California State Parks- PORTS Learning materials from the State Parks https://ports.parks.ca.gov 2 California Environmental Literacy Initiative Parent Portal http:// https://partnerportal.ca-eli.org/site/contra-costa-county-office-of-education/browse/community-based-partners 3 East Bay Parks Educator resources including Ohlone 3rd Grader Program, animals and field trips https://www.ebparks.org/programs/educators 4 Lawrence Hall of Science Programs including Stem Day, Otto Initiative, workshops on matter, circuits, life science, engineering, science kits, and resources for teachers including GEM kits. https://lawrencehallofscience.org/educators/ 5 Lindsay Wildlife Museum Discovery Kits, Hikes and Programs https://lindsaywildlife.org/teachers-and-schools/ 6 Mount Diablo State Park Interpreter-Led Programs Please contact Park Interpreter Sharon Peterson via email (Sharon.Peterson@parks.ca.gov ) for information regarding School Group Programs and/or Education Tours. Presented by California State Parks. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=517 7 Save Mount Diablo About the Mangini Ranch Educational Preserve and how to reserve a field trip. https://savemountdiablo.org/what-we-do/educating-and-inspiring-people/mangini-ranch-educational-preserve/ Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Back to Learn Download the NGSS Fact Sheet

Wildflower Mount Diablo California Dwarf Plantain Scientific Name: Plantago erecta Family: Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family) Blooms: Feb - Apr Color: White Annual herb Native Pale straw brown Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Padre's Shooting Star Scientific Name: Primula clevelandii ssp. patula Family: Primulaceae (Primrose Family) Blooms: Feb - Apr Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Jayah Faye Paley

Wildflower Mount Diablo Water Buttercup Scientific Name: Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus Family: Ranunculus (Buttercup Family) Blooms: Apr-Jul Color: White Perennial herb (aquatic) Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Wildflower Mount Diablo Milkmaids, Tooth Wort Scientific Name: Cardamine californica Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) Blooms: Jan - Apr Color: White Perennial herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Intermediate Suncup Scientific Name: Camissonia intermedia Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family) Blooms: Mar-June Color: Yellow-Orange Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Ken-ichi Ueda, iNaturalist

Wildflower Mount Diablo Poison Hemlock Invasive, naturalized Scientific Name: Conium maculatum Family: Apiaceae (Parsley-Carrot Family) Blooms: Apr - Jul Color: White Perennial herb Introduced Toxicity: Major Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Michael Marchiano

Wildflower Mount Diablo Common Fiddleneck Scientific Name: Amsinckia intermedia Family: Boraginaceae (Borage Family) Blooms: February Color: Yellow-Orange Annual herb Native Amsinckia intermedia is a small orange flower characterizrd by red dots whereas the other species Amsinckia menziesii is a yellow flower without dots. (Jepson, Calflora) Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Leaf Detail Daniel Fitzgerald Plant View Daniel Sandri

Wildflower Mount Diablo Subterranean Clover Non-Native Scientific Name: Trifolium subterraneum Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family) Blooms: Jan-Feb Color: White Annual herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants

Wildflower Mount Diablo Hooker's Onion Scientific Name: Allium acuminatum Family: Alliaceae (Onion Family) Blooms: Jun Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb (bulb) Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

The Birds of Mount Diablo's Chaparral By Kevin Hintsa Chaparral refers to a type of natural habitat where the rocky soil supports a community of nearly impenetrable shrubs. Often chaparral is found on either south or west-facing slopes, locally dominated by such plants as Chamise (especially in older sections), four species of manzanita, Black Sage, Buck Brush, Jim Brush, and California Sagebrush. To the casual birder, the chaparral poses a difficult challenge to even get a glimpse of its skulking birdlife. Mount Diablo’s extensive and relatively easy accessible chaparral provides an unequaled opportunity for birdwatchers to explore its mysteries.The feathered denizens of the chaparral are notorious for being shy and can be difficult to view. Observers should take advantage of chaparral birds using conspicuous singing perches and familiarize themselves with their vocalizations. Sometimes an individual shrub (such as Toyon) can be loaded with ripe berries and will attract a large variety of birds. Many of the chaparral birds are actually very curious and can be easily attracted by a practice sometimes known as "squeaking". This is a series of assorted noises made by the birdwatcher, the principle one being a slurred call that resembles the admonishment "shhh". Note though that birds are easily frightened by sudden movements. Also, I have noticed that birds in breeding season are more easily disturbed when I wear white rather than by other colors. Extensive chaparral is located along Wall Ridge (accessible from either Rock City or Macedo Ranch) and along Knobcone Point trail (access from Curry Point). I prefer the Wall Ridge area due to recent fires. A very productive area along Summit Road is the section from the Pines Picnic Area to Pioneer Horse Camp. One of my favorite sites is Muir Picnic Area, a productive area nearly year round. White Canyon is often visited by birders, though it has rather dense chaparral and it can be difficult to view chaparral birds here. Anna's Hummingbird | Dave Furseth Spotted Towhee | Dave Furseth Breeding birds species in the chaparral include: California Quail (year round) Anna’s Hummingbird (year round) Western Scrub-Jay (year round) Bushtit (year round) Canyon Wren (year round where boulders or caves are present) Bewick’s Wren (year round) Wrentit (year round) California Thrasher (year round) Spotted Towhee (year round) California Towhee (year round) Rufous-crowned Sparrow (year round) Sage Sparrow (year round) Common Poorwill (year round, but mostly April to August, nocturnal) Ash-throated Flycatcher (April to September, needs at least a few trees) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (mostly March to October) Orange-crowned Warbler (mostly February to September) Lazuli Bunting (April to September) Black-chinned Sparrow (mostly late April to June) In winter, look for the permanent residents plus: Sharp-shinned Hawk (commonly hunts over chaparral) Townsend’s Solitaire (rare) Hermit Thrush American Robin (mainly around Toyon bushes) Varied Thrush (uncommon) Fox Sparrow (often the most abundant species) Golden-crowned Sparrow (common) Dark-eyed Junco (a permanent resident, but more common here in the winter) Purple Finch During migration also look for: Calliope Hummingbird (rare) Rufous Hummingbird Yellow Warbler Townsend’s Warbler Hermit Warbler (mostly in May) Lawrence’s Goldfinch (nearly year round, but mostly seen in spring) California Quail | Dave Furseth Chaparral birds are not uniformly distributed, with many species showing marked preferences for certain microhabitats. Sage and Black-chinned Sparrow strongly prefer burned-over Chamise or where there are gaps in the Chamise. Rufous-crowned Sparrow usually prefers California Sagebrush or Poison Oak clumps. Old stands of pure Chamise or pure stands of Coyote Brush usually have the least interesting birdlife. Burned areas usually become very productive about 3 years after a fire. No matter what the season or the location, chaparral birding can be quite interesting with time and patience.