Aplodontia rufa nigra
I checked the location for Point Arena mountain beaver (don’t remember who recommended it, but thanks!) at the end of Alder Creek Beach Rd. that branches of Hwy 1 just N of Manchester, CA. It worked! The place is now a bit overgrown, but I still managed to see this gorgeous black-and-white subspecies after less than 2 hours of waiting – try the area about 100 m before the terminal parking lot (the road is closed for traffic, so you have to walk for about a mile, but it’s a beautiful place and the views of sunset from the road’s end are superb). As an added bonus for birders, a brown shrike is now hanging out just below that parking circle at the road’s end.
But if you’ve never seen any mountain beavers, Lolo Pass in Oregon is still a bit better because you can watch dozens of burrows at the same time, rather than just a few, and you can sit in your car while waiting.
Vladimir
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vdinets
Didn’t see any ringtails (we drove Hwy 20 late at night and saw only deer mice and tons of ensatina salamanders), but Botta’s pocket gophers were very active in broad daylight along the road to Point Arena lighthouse, and there was a bobcat looking for them.
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vnsankar123
I was here a couple years ago and found burrows both at Alder Creek and not far the main campground at Kinney Beach. For some reason, I never staked them out that evening….
Good to know there is a possibility of sightings – I may make my way up there again now! Reportedly, Ringtail is also a possibility in that area late at night on highways 128 and 20 near Mendocino.
Venkat