Nature and wildlife

At their home Tuesday, Ken and Barbara Quinn chatted with neighbors who stopped by to ask about Ken’s recovery from the two rattlesnake bites he received on his right hand last week.

Information about dealing with rattlesnakes

Ken Quinn knows about rattlesnakes.

"I've lived in California all my life and I've been in areas where there have been snakes. ...  I've been especially careful to avoid them as much as I can. I generally look very carefully where I walk ... and I don't put my hands underneath shrubs or areas that I can't see that it's clear," said Quinn, a lean and fit man of 80.  Read more »

A De La Cruz Drive resident was bitten by a rattlesnake Wednesday evening and apparently is doing well. A Security log entry lists the time of the incident as 6:08 p.m. and says Station 59 responded to the bite, but it provides few details. The entry reads: STATION 59 ADVISED A RESIDENT WAS BITTEN IN THE HAND / RESIDENT WAS TRANSPORTED TO FOLSOM / RESIDENT DOING WELL / SNAKE STILL AT LARGE. Security would not release the name of the victim.

There's something timeless about kids filling a beautiful spring day. These boys were riding Saturday afternoon on the path that leads to the south side of the new bridge.

Temperatures in the 80s Saturday gave the community spring fever -- nearly the summer variety. Some headed for Lake Clementia while others shopped the first Spring Bling Boutique at the Villas Clubhouse. As kids splashed in the water, above, Ryan Kjome caught and then released a hefty bass in the first half hour of fishing with friend Brandon Stomsvik. Meanwhile, shoppers had everything from jewelry to wine tasting to choose from at the Villas event. Delaney Maskovich, 6 months old, waited in her stroller while grandmom Laurie Bowhay shopped for handbags at vendor Natachia Taylor's table, below.

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Residents are advised to be aware and cautious after a couple reported seeing a large mountain lion on Venado Drive in Murieta North Wednesday night.  They may have smelled the lion before they saw it.  Read more »

The good news about the fall salmon run on the Cosumnes River is there was one, according to the Fishery Foundation of California.  Read more »

Green plastic bait boxes marked “poison” aren’t what residents expect to see on the slopes of the dams at Calero and Chesbro lakes. When people started asking questions about the rodent traps, the answers came from the Community Services District.  Read more »

In the forums, neighbor Jeff Birchard shares photos of the bald eagle that has been sighted around the community. Click here to take a look. Be alert for the eagle as you're walking around the open areas. (And if you see the eagle or take a photo, please share here!)

With hunting outlawed here, even the community's wild turkeys have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Neighbor John Weatherford took this spectacular photo of preening tom turkeys in his backyard earlier this year.

The weekend's rain ended Sunday, leaving puddles on the trail around Lake Calero and more than a little autumn in the air.