The summer 2020 issue of the 
California Fish and Wildlife Journal (PDF) is now online! This issue contains a number of excellent articles, including a couple on taxonomic groups that are often under-represented in the Journal — invertebrates and raptors.
Raptors can provide a benefit to agriculture by reducing rodent populations, yet many croplands and pastures do not provide adequate perching structures needed by raptors to hunt effectively. In A novel method using camera traps to record effectiveness of artificial perches for raptors (PDF), Clucas et. al report on a new method that allows for 24-hour monitoring of artificial perch utilization. The resulting high-resolution photos capture a variety of raptors landing, perching, and consuming prey. The authors report that their method can be easily used to study the effectiveness of hunting perches for raptors in agricultural areas.
In Notes on reproduction of Cascades frogs from California (PDF), Dr. Stephen Goldberg tackles the challenge of studying a nearly extinct species without collecting or euthanizing individuals. Using museum samples of 36 R. cascadae collected from 1954 to 1972 in Plumas County, Goldberg is able to gather and analyze tissue samples that document the timing of events in the frogs’ reproductive cycle. This data will prove useful in subsequent attempts to reestablish the species in its former range.
Longcore et. al examines the habitats of another species in decline. Nearly all California monarch overwintering groves require non-native trees (PDF) provides a thoughtful analysis of a conservationist’s paradox: the critical need to preserve exotic trees—namely eucalyptus—to protect the preferred overwintering habitat of this iconic butterfly species.
Dr. David Boughton provides a literature review of the striped bass in coastal California—a non-native species introduced in California in the late 1800s for sport fishing. Striped Bass on the coast of California: a review (PDF) addresses three key questions: Where do Striped Bass occur on the California coast? (2) Do they comprise locally reproducing populations, strays from the Golden Gate, or both? and (3) What is the general scale or scope of their potential impact on coastal salmonid populations?
Finally, Dr. Vernon C. Bleich (a past editor of the Journal) describes the presence of a species in an area that has not been previously reported in the scientific literature. Locality records for Woodhouse’s toad: have wet washes in a dry desert led to extralimital occurrences of an adaptable anuran? (PDF) details the presence of Woodhouse’s toad in the Santa Rosa Mountains on the western edge of the Coachella Valley, and discusses the probable role of extreme weather events in expanding the geographic range of A. woodhousii in southeastern California.
As it has for the past 105 years, our scientific journal – previously known as California Fish and Game – continues to publish high-quality, peer-reviewed science that contributes to the understanding and conservation of California’s wildlife. For more information and other back issues, please visit CDFW’s website.
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