Laserfiche WebLink
Streamside live oak communities in the foothills to the east are characterized by similar <br /> species assemblages as noted for Buckeye Ranch. New York Creek, located in El Dorado <br /> Hills, represents a classic live oak streamside vegetation community characterized by <br /> simple structure, liana growth and, in low-lying areas, willows (Engilis pers. obs.). The <br /> diversity of foothill scrub species is missing from Buckeye Ranch. Resident and nesting <br /> birds along New York Creek include: towhees, lesser goldfinch, Hutton's vireo, <br /> phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens), California thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum), wrentit <br /> (Chamaea fasciata),red-shouldered hawk, lazuli bunting(Passerina amoena), and black- <br /> headed grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus). Similar habitat can also be found along the <br /> American River, Sacramento County, between Sunrise Park and Goethe Park. <br /> Dense tangles of understory shrubs and vines provides an abundance of food and cover for <br /> terrestrial and arboreal mammals. Western gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus) are relatively <br /> common in the canopy as are small bats that forage within inter canopy spaces. Terrestrial <br /> mammals observed (either directly or from signs [scat or foot prints] include Black-tailed <br /> deer(Odocoileus hemionus), coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), <br /> raccoon (Procyon lotor), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Understory debris and <br /> burrows do provide cover for numerous small mammals including deer mouse and <br /> probably western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotus), California vole (Microtus <br /> californicus), and ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus) (Appendix B). <br /> Reptiles and amphibians are not as commonly found in this community as those in the <br /> savanna. The dense canopy restricts sunlight to the forest floor resulting in lower <br /> temperatures limiting cold-blooded creatures. Most reptiles and amphibians encountered <br /> were in forest clearings or along the forest edge. Species composition is similar to that <br /> documented in the savanna. The presence of California slender salamander(Batrachoceps <br /> attenuates) in this woodland is likely but has not been confirmed. <br /> Buckeye Ranch Resource Plan (November, 1993) <br /> 50 <br />