Point Reyes National Seashore - 1/30/11

Black Tailed Deer

          It was a rainy day and we needed to get out of the house for a while. So we decided to take a drive toward Samuel P. Taylor State Park and the Nicasio Reservoir. By the time we reached Samuel P. Taylor the weather had cleared up and we decided to make the trip to Point Reyes. Once in Point Reyes we drove out Pierce Point Road where we parked at the Abbots Lagoon Trailhead to stretch our legs. The surrounding landscape was blanketed with beautiful yellow wildflowers.

Black Tailed Deer

View Toward Abbots Lagoon

Red Tailed Hawk Perched on One Leg

Lunch Hour - Cesar Chavez State Park Berkeley - Burrowing Owls - 1/28/11

          I've spent the past few lunch hours observing the burrowing owls at Cesar Chavez State Park in Berkeley. Today I located another owl that I had not previously seen before. The owl posed quite nicely as I took several photos.
Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

          I also revisited the two owls in the fenced off area. These owls were crouched in or near their burrows

Burrowing Owl in the Grass

Burrowing Owl Halfway in it's Burrow

Burrowing Owl

          As I was driving back to work I noticed a Great Blue Heron perched peacefully on one leg in a marshland beside the road so I quickly pulled over for a photo.

Great Blue Heron

          If you do go to Cesar Chavez to check out the owls please be mindful and respectful. Refrain from pointing at the owls as this can draw the attention of predators putting the owls at risk. If you are walking a dog please keep it on a short leash. If you happen to see dog owners with unleashed pets, don't be shy, tell them about why it is important to leash their dog.
          Just as I got in my car and pulled away I noticed a Hawk perched on a light post above me. I was able to capture the following photo out the window of my car.

Red Tailed Hawk

          It is great to see nature start to reclaim and reform the land as the whole shoreline is essentially landfill.

Lunch Hour - Cesar Chavez State Park Berkeley - Burrowing Owls - 1/26/11

          Working so close to the Berkeley Marina I was able to take advantage of Cesar Chavez State Park on my lunch hour. I wanted to see if I could find any of the Burrowing Owls that have been wintering here each year for well over a decade. As I parked my car and set off along the paved path I quickly noticed a large Red Tailed Hawk being mobbed by two Ravens. It was fun to watch as the Ravens annoyed and pestered the Hawk as all three birds maneuvered in unison throughout the sky.

Red Tailed Hawk

          On the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez State Park is where the Owls like to hunker down for the winter. The city of Berkeley has started and almost finished an art installation that acts as a protective barrier for the burrowing owl habitat. Cesar Chavez is a very popular dog park and there are many owners who do not follow the leash law making it that much more dangerous for the owls and other native wildlife. The number of returning owls has greatly declined over the past several years. With more than 15 or 20 owls wintering here over 15 years ago compared to roughly 4 that were counted this year.
          As I approached the northeast corner the Hawk and Ravens were circling overhead. I believe this is what caused most of the owls to retreat to their burrows as I was only able to spot one owl that day.

Burrowing Owl

Burrowing Owl

          The owl was definitely nervous and kept a keen eye on the Hawk overhead. The owls are very funny looking and could be described as a mix between a gremlin and R2D2 from Star Wars because of the way they turn their head from side to side.
The owl did not stick around long as the Red Tailed Hawk made a quick descent and tried to prey on the owl. The owl was deep in its burrow as the Hawk scoured the area ready to kill.

Red Tailed Hawk Hunting Burrowing Owl

Luckily, with no avail the Hawk took off.

Red Tailed Hawk After Take Off

          Because it is not good to give too much attention to the owls as it stresses them out, especially when there is a predator in the area, I headed back to work. In fact pointing at the owls can even draw predators to the area so there are signs posted that you do not do so.

Auto Tour - Marin Headlands - 1/24/11

          The days are getting just long enough to where we can enjoy sunset after work. We headed South on 101 from San Rafael and took the last exit before the Golden Gate Bridge up into Marin Headlands. The Headlands offer great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. The landscape is strewn with a vast network of underground bunkers and old war remnants that are fun to explore. Click here for a map of the roads and trails of the Marin Headlands.
          We headed past Hawk Hill, which gets its name from the vast number of Hawks that regain their strength here by floating in upward currents before their migration across the open water. There is a volunteer group that is responsible for a “Hawk Watch” where they tally the number and different types of raptors seen each day. You can visit the following website for more info on the “Hawk Watch” http://www.ggro.org/.
          Past Hawk Hill you can either turn around or continue on Conzelman Road, a one way road that descends along a cliffs edge at a steep grade of about 18%. This is possibly the most fascinating road to drive during the sunset hour offering fabulous views of Point Bonita and Ocean Beach across the Bay.
          Conzelman Road comes to a T junction where we veered left to briefly check out Point Bonita. Just Past the parking lot for the lighthouse to the right is a great dirt parking lot to watch sunset from. After sunset we drove back through Gerbode Valley where we saw a bobcat.

Sunset

Bobcat

Auto Tour - Point Reyes National Seashore - 1-17-11

          We headed out to Point Reyes for the third weekend in a row. With no real hike planned, we opted for a day of auto touring. We’ve had great luck seeing wildlife in the past two weekends and today was no exception. We explored the Pierce Point Road area, as well as Mt. Vision, Marshall Beach Road, Drakes Beach, Bear Valley and Limintour Road.
          As we first came into Point Reyes the sun was out and it looked to be a beautiful day. Within an hour or two the fog rolled in thick. We headed up to Mt. Vision which was poking out of the fog where we ate lunch and enjoyed the sun before moving on.
          We saw many birds of prey as well as several coyotes and even a bobcat. I’m not a wildlife photographer but the images below are what I was able to capture. Currently all I own is a point and shoot, however, after borrowing a friends DSLR with a 300mm lens I quickly realized my photography would greatly benefit by owning a DSLR.

Turkey Vulture

Great Blue Heron

          We saw several coyotes scampering in the grass beside the road. The fog was thick but I managed to capture a couple.

Coyote

Coyote

Lining the fence posts along the road were many birds of different species.

Finch ??

Red Tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Red Tailed Hawk in Flight

We then drove by a bobcat which we could barely see due to the fog.

Bobcat in the Fog

We also passed by another coyote which we stopped and watch hunt for a while.

Coyote

Coyote

Turkey Vulture Feeding on a Carcass

Gopher

Black Tailed Deer

Quail

Day Hike - Point Reyes National Seashore - Estero Trail - 1/9/11

          We had such a great time last weekend we decided to revisit Point Reyes. We left the house at 8AM and headed out Sir Francis Drake. As we headed toward Drakes Beach we passed several Hawks lining the telephone poles along the road. We arrived at the Drakes Beach parking lot and started scouring the cypress trees for Owls and Hawks. No luck with the Owls, but we did see a Red Tail and Sharp Shinned Hawk.

Red Tailed Hawk

Sharp Shinned Hawk

          Back at the beach there were two giant Elephant Seals lying in the sand. Federal Law requires that you maintain a 300ft distance from the Elephant Seals, so the beach was basically inaccessible.

Elephant Seal

Elephant Seal

          A short path led us uphill to an overlook where you should be careful not to get too close to the edge of the cliff as it is eroding away and unsafe.
          We got back into the car and drove north toward the Estero Trailhead. About a half mile from the Drakes Beach parking lot we spotted a herd of Tule Elk in a field beside the road. There were also many predatory birds hunting in the area.

Tule Elk

Red Tailed Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk

          Several cars were in the parking lot at as we pulled into the Estero Trailhead and a few more pulled up just as we were setting off on our hike.
          The multi-use trail travels slightly downhill for about a half mile before entering a forest of old Christmas trees and Monterey Pines. This is a prime environment to spot owls and other rare birds perching in the trees. Continuing downhill through forest cover the trail then opens up and crosses the Estero via a small foot bridge. Often times herons, shorebirds and other waterfowl can be seen feeding in the exposed mud flats.

Estero Trailhead

Estero Trail

Entering the Pine Forest

Bench on the Footbridge

Great Blue Heron & Snowy Egrets in the Estero

          After crossing the foot bridge the trail climbs west offering views of the Estero far below. In the winter and spring months the trail past the footbridge can be rather muddy making it very difficult to remain balanced. There was still a good amount of frost still lining this shaded section of trail. As the trail tops out we passed through a cattle gate and stopped to admire the views from a lookout.

Overlooking the Estero

Tidal Patterns

          Looking ahead we saw that the trail descends a short ways before regaining the elevation lost. Because the mud was making things far less enjoyable we decided to retreat to dryer grounds.
          We passed back over the footbridge and noticed an old dirt road (more like an old trail) heading off to the left. We took this as it basically paralleled the actual trail yet with much greater solitude. The double track eventually let out at a gated ranch where we observed several species of raptors.

American Kestrel

Swainson's Hawk ??

American Kestrel

          From there we took a short cross country route to connect back with the Estero Trail near the beginning of the Monterey Pine forest. As we strolled back to the car we noticed another herd of Elk in a distant valley.
          Once back at the car we drove back to Pierce Point Rd. and headed out toward Tomales Point. Again we were greeted by several Tule Elk just as we entered the Preserve. This time however there were several bulls.

Tule Elk Bulls

          Just before the parking lot at the Tomales Point trailhead is a pullout situated on the last sharp right curve in the road. We pulled over here to have a late lunch and enjoy the views.

View of Tomales Point


          A short path leads to an overlook of a small pond with the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop. Another herd of Elk was situated no the hill below us. After lunch we contemplated revisiting McClures Beach however, I counted 17 cars in the parking lot and that was enough to discourage us. Instead we sought out serenity. While passing the parking lot for Abbots Lagoon we spotted a coyote hunting for food in the grassy field to the east.

Distant Coyote

          We then continued on Pierce Point Rd. where we soon spotted what we thought was another coyote. As we stopped for photographs we quickly noticed that it was actually a bobcat.

Bobcat

Bobcat

Bobcat on the Move

          Observing these animals in their natural habitat and environment is truly a privilege and we feel very blessed. We admired the bobcat for some time before it eventually dipped out of sight in the valley below. We drove onward and took Marshall Beach Rd. which leaves Pierce Point Rd. traveling uphill through a forested area past a very neat home that makes me jealous. The road turns into a well graded dirt surface and levels out as it opens up with views to the west. We pulled over and relaxed for a while soaking in the views as the sun sank lower toward the horizon. Again we observed several Hawks inhabiting the area.

Marshall Beach Road

Red Tailed Hawk

Swainsons Hawk ?

Swainsons Hawk ?

          A park ranger stopped and we chatted for a while. He suggested that we drive to the roads end at the Marshall Beach trailhead. As we drove off toward the trailhead we noticed another bobcat lying in the grassy field to the right. We pulled over slyly and observed it for a while before it darted into the thickets.

Bobcat

          All of the wildlife seems to be very healthy. The coyotes are very large compared to the scraggly ones I see in the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed.
          We continued to the roads end at the Marshall Beach Trailhead where we watched the sun set.

Sunset
          From there we called it a day and drove home to face another work week.