Valley Wilds
Volume 22 | Issue 3
March 2013
A publication of the LARPD Open Space Unit
Lynx vs. Bobcat
By Ranger Danny Haberman
I encounter many park visitors here in Sycamore Grove Park,
and a question that I am frequently asked is “Was that a lynx
I saw?” The answer is no. And yes. The small wild cat that
inhabits our area is the bobcat. Though closely related and
similar in appearance, the lynx and bobcat are two different
species. The yes part of the
answer is because “Lynx” is also
the name of the scientific genus
that includes our local wildcat.
This genus has four species
and is the most widespread
genus of cats in the world, other
than the one that includes the
domestic cat (Genus Felis). The
Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) can be
found in Western Europe and
Northern Asia and has the largest
population of the four. The rarest
is the Spanish or Iberian Lynx
(Lynx pardinus), found mainly in
Spain and Portugal. The Canada
Lynx (Lynx canadensis) lives
primarily in Canada and the
IN THIS
Issue
• Lynx vs. Bobcat
• This Month’s Ranger-led
Prgrams and Activities
• The Sore-neck Swallows
Livermore Area Recreation
and Park District
4444 East Ave. Livermore, CA 94550
www.larpd.dst.ca.us
Ranger Office: 925.960.2400
Northern United States. Last, but
not least, is our beloved bobcat
(Lynx rufus) which ranges from
Southern Canada to Southern
Mexico and across the United
States.
How do you know if you are
looking at a bobcat or a lynx?
Starting with the basics we
can compare their physical
characteristics. Both are short
tailed, long-legged cats. The lynx
has less color variation and is
generally a yellowish-brown color.
The fur is white tipped giving
the lynx a frosted appearance.
The bobcat has a wide variety
of color including all shades of
brown from buff to light reddish
brown as well as gray. The fur
is not tipped with white. Both
cats have a furry ruff and tufted
ears. However, the lynx has larger
and longer ear tufts and a larger,
fluffier ruff. The lynx is generally
larger than the bobcat.
but the bulk of its diet is the hare.
The lynx is essentially found only
where the snowshoe hare can be
found, primarily in boreal forests.
The lynx, like its prey, is well
adapted to snowy conditions. It
has large feet that act like snow
shoes, spreading its weight
evenly in deep snow and is well
able to pursue the snowshoe
hare in areas that other predators
can’t.
The main thing that sets the
two species apart and drives
their home range is diet. The
Canada lynx primarily feeds
In contrast, the bobcat is an
on the showshoe hare. It will
occasionally eat rodents and birds opportunistic predator that will
(Continued on Page3)
Ranger-led
Programs
Experience nature and history in a special way. Programs are
generally 1 - 2 hours in length. A $2 donation is requested. A $5
parking fee is charged at both park entrances.
March Programs
Quick Look:
Hike to the Cattail Pond
Saturday, March 2nd
10:00 am
Spring Stars
Saturday, March 9th
7:00 pm
Wildflowers at Holdener
Sunday, March 10th
10:00 am
Owls
Sunday, March 17th
2:00 pm
Bugs and Blooms
Sunday, March 31st
8:00 am
Hike to the Cattail Pond
Saturday, March 2nd
10:00 am
The restoration of this old stock pond
and its associated drainage has led to an
increasing variety of wildlife in and around
it. Join us for a moderately strenuous hike
to the Cattail Pond to see the results of
the restoration project. We’ll be looking
for water birds, pond turtles and California
red-legged frogs. Bring your binoculars and
cameras. Cancelled if raining.
Ranger Patti Cole
Sycamore Grove Park
Wetmore Road Entrance Map it!
Spring Stars
Saturday, March 9th
Map it!
7:00 pm
The skies will be dark and with daylight savings starting tomorrow,
it’s a good night to stay out late. Come to Sycamore Grove Park and
say goodbye to the winter constellations like Orion and welcome the
spring constellations like Taurus. We will also marvel at Jupiter and
watch satellites pass overhead. We will be walking approximately two
miles on paved and unpaved trails. Cancelled if raining.
Ranger Glen Florey
Sycamore Grove Park Map it!
Wetmore Road Entrance
Wildflower Wander in Holdener Park
Sunday, March 10th 10:00 am
Not a lot of people know about Holdener Park but it is a
wildflower hotspot! Blue-eyed grass, lupines, blue dicks and
buttercups abound! This “wander” will be a slow walk of less
than a mile but trails are narrow and steep in some sections.
We may also be walking through grass to get a closer look at
the flowers so wear appropriate shoes and long pants. Children
are welcome but parents should be aware that the trails are too
narrow for strollers. Cancelled if raining heavily. We will meet
in the parking lot at the East end of Hansen Road (by the water
towers). No fee for parking. Please note there are no restrooms
or drinking water available at this trailhead.
Ranger Amy Wolitzer
Holdener Park Map it!
East End of Hansen Road
(More programs on Page 3)
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March Programs (Countinued)
Bobcat vs. Lynx (Countinued)
Owls
Sunday, Mar. 17th
2:00pm
Ghosts of the night?
Signs of good luck or
harbingers of doom?
Throughout
history
owls have been all of
these things to different
peoples. Join us this
afternoon to discuss owl
legend and lore, some
of the fabulous physical adaptations, and to look
at specimens of our local species. This program
will take place at the picnic tables and not involve
any hiking so it is a good outing for those who
want to learn about nature but aren’t up for a hike.
Cancelled if raining.
Ranger Dawn Soles Sycamore Grove Park
Arroyo Road Entrance
Map it!
Bugs and Blooms
Sunday, March 31st 8:00 am
Have you ever seen a sleeping bee? Most people
haven’t but here’s your chance! Our gorgeous
native bees spend the chilly nights wrapped in the
closed petals of poppies and other flowers. We’ll
get an early start so we can peek in on them while
they’re still asleep. Bring your cameras and prepare
to be awed! The full
hike will be about
four miles and
last about 3 hours
but participants
are welcome to
head back sooner
if they would like.
Cancelled if raining
heavily.
Ranger Amy Wolitzer
Sycamore Grove
Park, Wetmore Road
Entrance Map it!
Photo by Amy Wolitzer
readily vary its diet. Bobcats are known to hunt
rodents, squirrels, birds, fish and insects. They are
also known to prey on larger animals such as small
deer as well as other carnivores such as fox, mink,
skunk and small
dogs. They are even
known to prey on
domestic cats. This
wide and varied diet
allows the bobcat
to inhabit a wide
range of habitats
from swamps and
marshes to forests
and deserts.
Though technically
both “lynxes” based
Photo by Terri Bostater
on their genus, our
local cat is the bobcat. However, if somehow we
were to end up with a population of snowshoe
hares perhaps we would have both!
THE END Photo By Jesse Yow
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The Sore-neck Swallows
Birding holds many joys: being outdoors in beautiful
places, spotting a bird you’ve never seen before,
bonding with other birders, and stumbling upon
wildlife like rattlesnakes, mountain lions and skunks.
But there are hazards associated with birding as well:
driving off the road at 65 mph as you try to identify a
hawk, going broke buying all of the latest, top-of-theline binoculars and spotting scopes, falling off cliffs
or into lakes while focused on a bird, and stumbling
upon wildlife like rattlesnakes, mountain lions and
skunks.
There is a type of bird, however, that presents the
intrepid birder with its own unique hazards: swallows!
Swallows are the fighter planes of the bird world.
An inexperienced birder will strain his neck trying to
follow the flight of a swallow as it swoops, dives and
darts across the sky at what seems like supersonic
speeds.
Swallows don’t pirouette across the sky to give birders
sore necks, however. These birds dart through the air,
often brushing the ground (and birders’ heads) with
their mouths wide open, the better to scoop hundreds
of insects out of the air.
Swallows sport iridescent plumage and are wellequipped for their aerial lifestyle with their sleek,
slender bodies and their long, pointed wings.
Swallows are popular birds around the world both for
their voracious, insect-eating habits and their cheerful,
twittering songs. Swallows are also beloved because
their reappearance after winter is considered a sign of
the start of spring. Their spring arrival time, however, is
based on the weather, and can vary from year to year
By Ranger Pat Sotelo
by as much as two weeks.
Sycamore Grove has its
own harbingers of spring.
Many visitors are familiar
with the cliff swallows,
who famously make and
secure their gourd-like
mud nests under park
bridges.
Lesser-known visitors to
the park are the beautiful
tree swallows. True to their
Photo by Polly Krauter
name, these swallows
nest in tree cavities and abandoned woodpecker
holes. They particularly enjoy the park’s namesake
sycamore trees with their numerous cavities and soft
heartwood. Polly Krauter frequently takes photos in
Sycamore Grove Park and has allowed us to use some
great shots she got of tree swallows to accompany
this article!
Tree swallows are greenish-black to bluish-black
above, and white below, with an appearance similar
to violet green swallows. Tree swallows are the
earliest of the swallows to migrate north in the spring.
True to their kind, they eat a variety of insects
including beetles, winged ants, flies, bees, wasps and
grasshoppers. They will even swoop down into the
water to snatch water boatmen, a common aquatic
insect (and crunchy snack!) out of the creeks and
ponds. They will also dine on spiders, and seeds of
rushes, sedges and smartweed. Tree swallows are also
partial to the fruits of the wax myrtle, or bayberry, a
popular ornamental plant.
It’s swallow time here in the parks. Keep an eye out
for these aerial acrobats as they swoop and soar
overhead, eating up those pesky insects. Just be
careful if you try to follow one with your eyes or
binoculars, or you may learn firsthand the difficulty
(and pain) in tracking these sore-neck swallows.
Tree Swallow
Photo by Polly Krauter
The cliff swallows should be arriving this
month. Look for them nesting under the
bridge that is about 1/2 mile walk down the
paved path from the Arroyo Road Entrance to
Sycamore Grove Park! (Map it!)
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