Animals of Marcel's Forest. Redwood-dominant forests, in general, are not home to many animals because the redwood canopy keeps sunlight from supporting understory plant growth that provides the animals food and escape cover. But because Marcel's Forest is considered both a redwood and a mixed evergreen forest, more animal species live here than if the forest were dominated by redwoods.
From the commonly seen banana slug and black-tailed deer to the seldom seen salamander and bat, this forest is home to a varied group of invertebrates and vertebrates. Millipedes and slugs live here as well as various birds, raccoons, and deer.
Grizzlies, once common throughout California, most certainly hunted in Marcel's Forest before their populations declined. As early as 1602, the Spaniards' accounts of the Monterey Bay area indicate that grizzlies ate whale carcasses on the beaches and often congregated there. Later, mountaineer Charles McKiernan became a local legend because of his grizzly-killing prowess in the Santa Cruz Mountains during the mid-19th century. One of the last grizzlies in the Santa Cruz Mountains was killed near Bonnie Doone in 1885.
Forest Was Once Home to Animals No Longer Seen
An account by Friar Crespi of the Portola party in the late 1700s mentions seeing the carcass of a large black bird with a wingspan of almost nine feet hanging from poles in an Indian village. Most likely the bird described by the Spaniards was a condor, suggesting that this massive bird, now in jeopardy of going extinct, once flew above Marcel's Forest.
Extinct animals that would seem strange and out of place to us now most likely once roamed this land, too. Mastodons, mammoths, and sabercats, as well as a close relative to the modern-day pronghorn probably lived and hunted on the land that we walk on today. We know these animals existed from the fossil record they left in the Irvington District of Fremont 1.6 million years ago.
Animals Observed in the Forest
Animals observed living in Marcel's Forest are categorized below into the following groups: (For a list of unobserved animals whose range distributions indicate that they probably live here, see the right sidebar)
VERTEBRATES
Birds
Bird feathers adorned Native American regalia or special baskets. The crest feathers of quail and the small green feathers of the mallard were sometimes coiled into basket rims while the black feathers of the raven and the feathers of colorful birds were used to make capes worn as ritual regalia.
Birds were also food for the Ohlone. Bone evidence from an archeological dig in San Jose, tells us that the Ohlone ate many different species of bird including quail, band-tailed pigeons, ducks, and barn owls -- all bird species which live in the forest today.
Frequently heard, but seldom seen for longer than a second, forest birds are hard to identify. Use this list as a starting point and see how many you can identify as you walk the loop:
- Dark-eyed Junco. (Junco hyemalis) This bird, sometimes confused with a Robin, is frequently seen throughout Marcel's Forest. Juncos can vary in coloration. In this forest, look for a robin-like, full-breasted bird with dark hood, reddish back, and pinkish-brown flanks. When it flies, white markings on tail feathers are usually obvious.
- Swainson's Thrush. (Catharus ustulatus) Swainson's thrushes are an easy-to-recognize brownish-grey bird with speckles on its breast. Seen near the Fern Grotto in summer and at the park entrance kiosk during the winter, it has an off-white belly with smudges of beige.
- Band-tailed Pigeon. (Columba fasciata) A mated pair of these birds has been seen near Stop 14 sitting in a redwood tree. Band-tailed pigeons, the largest birds of the pigeon group, have the typical "pigeon body" seen on its city cousins. However, band-tailed pigeons live in the coniferous forest and have yellow legs and a yellow bill with overall gray feathers.
- Brown Creeper. (Certhia americana) This little brown bird with the curved bill grips the barks of trees eating insects while supporting itself with a strong tail. Brown creepers creep UP trees. (If you see a bird climbing head DOWN the tree then it's probably a nuthatch). Several creepers have been seen gleaning insects from the trunks of large Douglas-firs near the ravine and from redwoods near the Pourroy's Picnic Area.
- Acorn Woodpecker. (Melanerpes formicivorus) Seen on the Oak Ridge Trail which runs slightly above Old-Growth Loop, these industrious birds have created a granary (a tree trunk drilled with holes where acorns are stored). Head to the top of Oak Ridge Trail and be on the lookout for a large Douglas-fir snag (a dead tree which is still standing) at the top of the ridge. Look closely and you'll see holes drilled into the trunk from top to bottom. The larger holes are woodpecker nests. If you're lucky, you'll see one of these woodpeckers peeking out. It's worth the trip to the top of the oak ridge trail to see this tree and the possible sighting of one of these beautiful birds.
- Hairy Woodpecker. (Picoides villosus) Sound clip Black and white woodpecker typically seen hanging onto the bark of tanoaks and redwoods; look for a distinctive white patch of feathers on its black backside.
- California Quail. (Callipepla californica) Seen near Stops 4 and 5, these timid birds forage in the leaf litter for insects. Usually seen as a mated pair walking among low-growing shrubs and plants , look for both male and female to sport a beautiful black "topnotch" which was used by the Ohlones as an adornment for special baskets.
- American Robin. (Turdus migratorius) Seen just about everywhere in the forest, the robin is a highly adaptable bird. This familiar bird, seen throughout North America, is paler and drabber here in the West than the brighter eastern variety.
- Steller's Jay. (Cyanocitta stelleri) Usually making all the noise in the forest, look for the Steller's jay searching for food not far from the coast live oak and tanoak forest usually near the ravine at Stops 5-9. (See picture on right sidebar).
- White-crowned Sparrow. (Zonotrichia leucophrys) White-crowned sparrows, a small sparrow-like bird with white head stripes and orange bill, have been seen flitting around the tanoak covered in English Ivy between Smiley Face Stump and the Big "Round". Look for it especially in the summer months.
- Spotted Towhee. (Pipilo maculatus) Spotted Towhees are easy to recognize since they have dark heads, rufous (reddish-orange) flanks, white breasts, and distinctive white "spots" on their dark wings. The white spots on the wings aren't round spots; they look more like an artist's brush stroke. These birds have been seen near Stops 5-9. Look for them there in the understory bushes that line the ravine.
- Anna's Hummingbird. (Calypte anna) Hummingbirds have been seen along Aptos Creek flitting from one red alder tree to the other probably on the hunt for insects.
Do you know why the hummingbird has a ruby throat?
"Eagle instructed Hummingbird to obtain fire for cooking from the Badger people. Although the Badgers initially thwarted the theft, Hummingbird successfully completed his mission on a second try. After grabbing the fire from its hiding place with his beak, Hummingbird got a red throat." -- Rumsen Ohlone Narrative,
from The Ohlone Past and Present.
Anna's Hummingbirds are most abundant along the Pacific coast. According to Cornell Ornithology Online Bird Guide, "the Anna's Hummingbird is the only hummingbird with a winter range primarily in the United States." A favorite native food source is red gooseberry (Ribes
speciosum), an abundant plant that flowers early in spring,
when Anna's Hummingbird begins nesting. It is thought
that the gooseberry and the hummingbird have
evolved together, resulting in the Anna's Hummingbirds'early breeding season.
Anna's Hummingbirds are iridescent with bronzy
green above and grayish white below, with a varying
amount of green wash at the flanks. Males have a deep
rose-red crown and gorget that extends to the sides of the
neck. Females may have some red feathers at the throat,
but none on the crown. Wings and tail are dark, with the
female's tail feathers tipped with white.
- California Towhee. (Pipilo crissalis) Sound Clip.
This bird has been seen near the Pourroy Garden, Stop 9. Look for a gray-brown, stocky bird with cinnamon colored feathers under its backend and underneath the beginning of its tail. The California Towhee is a ground-dweller that forages on open ground near dense bushes.
- Winter Wren. (Troglodytes troglodytes)
This tiny brown bird is hard to glimpse since it seems to continually flit from one landing spot to another. Individual birds have been seen near Stop 2, the Fern Grotto; near Pourroy's Picnic Area; and also at the animal hotspot, Stop No. 5, the Pourroy Garden. This bird likes moist areas and the ones in this forest have been seen near or on downed logs. If you can catch a glance, it is easily identified by its short, upturned brown tail.
- Yellow Warbler. (Dendroica petechia) These small birds have been spotted near the ravine but most often they can be seen between Twisted Grove and Geologic Foundation sitting on tree branches. Yellow warblers are distinctive since their plumage is often a bright yellow. Some males appear drab-colored in their first year.
- Townsend's Warbler. (Dendroica townsendi) Townsend's warblers have been seen in Marcel's Forest during winter mornings hunting for insects in the upper branches of redwoods and also in the lower branches of the tanoaks, especially between Smiley Face Stump and Big "Round". They are brightly colored birds with yellow, black, and white markings. Because of a bright yellow marking next to their eyes, they appear at first glance to have yellow eyes.
- Barn Owl. (Tyto alba) Sound Clip.This owl has been heard at night in Marcel's Forest. It has pale tawny and white plumage with a heart-shaped face.
- Mallard Duck. (Anas platyrhynchos) Although doubtful that they nest near the forest, a pair of Mallard ducks has been seen hunting insects while bobbing down the creek during spring. The Ohlone used tiny green Mallard feathers to adorn their baskets.
Top of Page
Fish
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry can be seen from the Advocate's Seasonal Bridge in late May or early June swimming upstream such as one in the picture. Click on this picture to enlarge it.
Steelhead are anadromous fish which means that they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean to grow into adults, and then return to fresh water to spawn. Because of increased sedimentation due to erosion and previous logging practices, this species was listed as threatened in 1997.
"Steelhead" is the marine form of the Rainbow trout that are found in freshwater lakes and streams. Juvenile steelhead, such as the one shown here will remain in this stream for one to four years before migrating to the ocean. There, in the ocean, it will live from one to five years before it returns to this stream -- the stream where it was spawned -- to reproduce. Unlike salmon, steelhead migrate individually and not in schools. Also, steelhead do not always die after spawning. Some migrate back to the ocean and live to eventually spawn again.
Notice the gravel between the cobble stones at the bottom of the creek in the picture of the steelhead. These fine gravels are important for providing a place for the female fish to lay its eggs. The redd, as the nest of fish eggs is called, must be deposited in the gravel of the creek near the point where smooth water breaks into a riffle so that the fish eggs have a steady supply of oxygen. Running through the creek, moving cobble stones, and even walking through the creek during spawning time can disturb or possibly destroy the nest.
The small steelhead in this picture was spawned in Aptos Creek and will rely on the creek to provide a home to some of the marcoinvertebrates that it eats: caddisflies, mayflies, and water mites for food. It then will rely on the creek to provide it passage to the ocean. This "fry" will return only here, to Aptos Creek, to spawn.
Sculpin These small brown fish blend inconspicuously with the creek bottom. Examine carefully what looks like dead leaves on the creek bottom or wedged up against a rock. See if you can detect an irregular leaf shape. It just might be a hiding sculpin.
Top of Page
Mammals
Although the mammals of Marcel's Forest are not abundant, they're certainly easier to observe than insects. The mammals seen today in Marcel's Forest are listed below.
Have you wondered what the animals that roamed this forest looked like long before the Ohlone and the early Europeans arrived? Fossil records discovered in the Irvington District of Fremont in the 1940s just 35 miles northeast of Marcel's Forest help us to glimpse the past of the Pleistocene Epoch, 1.3 million years ago. See Descriptions of Pleistocene Mammals.
Several types of mammals have been spotted throughout the forest, but particularly on the north side of the ravine, at Interpretive Stops 8, 9, 10, and 11. The list below is just a few of the mammals that you might see on your visit to the forest.
Herbivores
- Western Gray Squirrel. (Sciurus griseus) The western gray is a large, beautiful animal. Its fur has a salt and pepper look and a large bushy tail. This squirrel has a white belly. The underparts to its large, bushy tail are also white. The ones seen in the forest appear healthy and have been seen near Stop 8 gripping the trunk of a Douglas-fir not far from the oak woodland where they probably feast on the acorns of the nearby coast live oak (Jameson et al. 244). They also feed heavily on "hypogeous fungi" (truffles).
- Black-tailed Deer. (Odocoileus hemionus) Seen near Stops 4-12. Almost completely a grayish-tan in color, look for the hairs on the top of it tail to be black. The tail underneath appears white with white hair on its rump. The Sierran form of this deer is usually referred to as the Mule Deer. (Mr. Pourroy, former owner of the forest, erected a fence around the tiger lily garden to keep the deer from eating his garden flowers. The deer still eat the tiger lily blossoms when they bloom in the middle of June).
- Bat. Biologists call bats "crepuscular" animals which means that they are active at dawn and dusk (Jameson et al 114). That's the best time to see bats (Jameson et al. 114). Many people don't think of a bat as a mammal, but it is, representing the second largest mammalian order with approximately 926 species (Vaughan et al. 139). The only other order of mammals to be more prolific, with about 2024 species, is "Rodentia" -- the group of animals that mice, rats, voles, and squirrels belong to.
Yuma Bat (Myotis yumanensis), a small, gray, fur-covered bat only two inches long makes the forest home, flying along Aptos Creek at night hunting insects (Johnston 22 Aug. 2001). Other species of bats that probably live here are the red bat and the hoary bat.
- Brush Rabbit. (Sylvilagus bachmani) This species is common in the chaparral vegetation in the western two-thirds of the state. It prefers dense brush and seldom strays from the cover it provides. A juvenile rabbit has been seen in dense brush near the Kiosk just before "Split Stuff Trail" begins.
- Raccoon. (Procyon lotor) Seldom seen, but definitely there, tracks along creek banks indicate that raccoons are foraging for food where they catch crayfish and frogs. Their species name, "lotor," means "one who washes." Captive raccoons have been observed washing their food when given a pan of water. Raccoons are now seen in many uburban neighborhoods where creeks still run, causing some people to refer to them as pests. In some cities, raccoons live in storm drains where it is presumed they prey on rats. As with all wild animals, raccoons should not be fed.
Carnivores
- Coyote. (Canis latrans) Coyotes have been seen at the entrance to the park and have probably traveled through Marcel's Forest on occasion. Because of nearby homes and frequent hikers, though, most coyotes will shun Marcel's Forest and move into the deeper, more sheltered parts of the park to hunt.
- Bobcat. (Lynx rufus) An unconfirmed sighting of a bobcat with kits, surprisingly close to Marcel's Forest, was reported in June of 2001. Most sightings of this animal, however, have been in the park farther inland where there are fewer people. This animal has beautiful reddish or light brown fur with dark brown spots as a juvenile. It loses the spots as it grows into adulthood. The mother bobcat dens with her babies under fallen logs or in the rootball of trees usually around late spring or early summer. The kittens will stay with her until late fall when they strike out on their own. Bobcat attacks on humans are rare.
Top of Page
Reptiles and Amphibians
Garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) have been seen in the forest near the Tiger Lily colony. These snakes are easily identified by the stripes that run the full length of their bodies. The most widely-distributed snake in North America, and common throughout California, these snakes are harmless and provide a benefit for the environment by eating frogs, toads, and salamanders. Occasionally, they've been known to eat small mice and fish. Most often, they're seen near streams, ponds, drainage ditches and can tolerate cold weather. In this part of California, this snake is active year-round. The snake in this picture had just been killed, probably by a bird.
Salamander (Ensatina) (Ensatina eschscholtzi) Seen near Aptos Creek at night, this light-colored salamander had probably just come from the creek and made no attempt to move fast. They can be identified by the constriction near the beginning of the tail.
It isn't surprising that an ensatina was found along Aptos Creek. It is one of the most common salamanders in both redwood and mixed-conifer-hardwood forests of northwestern California.
INVERTEBRATES
Arthropods
Crayfish. (Family Astacidae) Aptos Creek is home not only to steelhead but also to crayfish (also called crawdad). Crayfish are the animals that look like a smaller version of a lobster. They live out their lives eating decaying material from the creek bottom. Typically they spend most of their time sheltered by a rock overhang or in the deeper, dark portions of the creek. Several sizes of crayfish have been seen in the creek, from juveniles to larger adults.
Banana Slug. (Ariolimax dolichophallus) Especially during the wetter months, you can't travel far in the forest without seeing a banana slug. Unlike the brown European slugs that most gardeners despise, this bright-yellow slug is native to the area and members of its genus live only along the west coast north into Alaska and south to just below Marcel's Forest. While research indicates that banana slugs eat redwood seedlings, these animals may also enhance forest growth by dispersing seeds after they've eaten them. According to one researcher, they are "almost certain to play a minor role in forest plant regeneration."
Painted Arachnis. (Arachnis picta). Found along the Oak Ridge Trail above Old-Growth Loop, this pretty tiger moth has splotched wings and body. (See picture on right sidebar).
MACROINVERTEBRATES
The majority of macroinvertebrates are found in and around creek water. Fish and birds eat these small invertebrates. The most commonly seen macroinvertebrates are the caddis fly and water slider.
Caddis Fly. (Trichoptera).
Mosquito. (Family Culicidae) Mosquitoes have been seen during summer months near the Pourroy Garden. Male mosquitoes don't bite. It's the female that does all of the biting since she must have a blood meal before producing eggs. Of all the insects, mosquitoes probably cause the most problems for humans since they have been known to transmit diseases such as yellow fever and malaria, and in recent years, the West Nile virus.
