Spring Outings

 

Before we go back to Bretagne and (maybe) some prehistoric sites, let me invite you to some of the walks I did in late winter and spring. The first signs of spring are usually visible here in February, but even if they're not, I enjoy being out in nature in every season.

The Lakes, end of February

A fisherman and his dog were looking for a good place to fish. It was the dog who draw me into taking this picture, not the guy...

This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) seems to have no problem with this acrobatic display while taking a nap. Can you sleep on one leg - without losing your balance?

This was the first time that I saw a Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) - quite pretty, don't you agree?

Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla - I think) were in the bushes - I usually see them in the colder months. Their song is a bit mournful I think, but I like it and it is very easily recognizable.

A Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans - I think) sat in the bushes by the lake. I'm still not very sure in bird identification, especially with these smaller ones.

And of course I'm always drawn to the light. Late winter offers some interesting contrasts.

Crane Creek, March

I came here in the hope of seeing wildflowers, but I was a bit too early. However, the California Buttercups were already in full bloom and painted the landscape with cheerful yellow dots.

A Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) seemed to enjoy that as well.

We had a very wet winter and I was glad to still see some water in the creeks that meander through the park.

A Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis - I think) - well, shit happens.

Crane Creek is full of majestic oaks, buckeyes, California bay and lots of dead and/or crooked trees. It's a paradise for Acorn Woodpecker - and for photographers like me.

Sonoma Valley, early April

In a recent post I wrote that Sonoma Valley almost completely burnt during the October fires in 2017. It is amazing to see how nature bounces back from a nature catastrophe like those devastating fires. 

A European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris - I think - David, please, correct all my "I think"s) greeted us at the start of the paved trail that meanders through the shady valley.

Everywhere we could see dead trees, either remnants of the fires or just natural death occurrence. They look interesting and were just waiting for me to take a picture.

A Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) - my new best friend after I had learned about their ability to "de-weaponize" ticks. 

This is Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), another species I hadn't seen before and was glad to find here in the woods.

The shady path through the valley is perfect for walking on hotter days. 

Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus), a native, was found everywhere! They aren't very tall and dot meadows with their bi-colored petals - blue and magenta, how wonderful is that?

Two weeks later when I was at Sonoma Valley again, the Narrowleaf Mule-ears (Wyethia angustifolia) had turned up in many spots. Another native that is found inland in grassland and meadows as well as at the coast.

The Lake again, April

When I walked the less crowded dirt trails a little bit further away from the lake, I finally saw all the wildflowers I was waiting for.

Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) and Italian Thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus)

Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus)

Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)

This True Cranefly (Tipula luna) was happy to be in the cool shade of the forest.

The lichen on the fence was very much to my liking, however, the French Broom (Genista monspessulana) was not. This plant looks gorgeous, but it is an introduced species that is extremely invasive and can take over quickly. What is even worse, it burns easily and can spread fires rapidly. 

Do you look more closely at tree bark? I do and find this oak bark very interesting. Nature is full of wonders.

No, I wasn't drunk when I took the following picture - the trees really grow like this along this path. Isn't it a bit magical? I wouldn't be surprised if some elves would suddenly appear among the trees.

I leave you with a shot of two Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) resting in a dead tree - our natural clean-up crew. What would we do without them?

With so many bird and flower faces I link up to Nicole's Friday Face Off.

Walking Among Old Oak Trees

 

Last week my friend Kris and I took a lovely walk in Crane Creek Regional Park which is one of my favorites. The reason I like it so much is that it has so many old native oak trees that give the park its special character. In the spring a grand show of native wildflowers downright explodes here, but due to my stupid knee and the surgery I wasn't able to see it this year. However, last year I did see the wildflowers and if you are curious about them, you can see them here. 

The first oak we saw was a dead oak.

Most dead trees are simply left in this park where they slowly decay and still give lots of shelter and food supply for the wildlife. I think this is one of the reasons I like this park so much, its very natural state.

Here's another decaying tree:

Isn't it gorgeous? Of course, poison oak is already growing up the trunk in the background.

Below you see two dead trunks in front of and next to oaks and other trees that are way more alive.

Getting closer and changing perspective, they looked a little different.

They actually remind me of a mating dance of (rattle)snakes, only a bit bigger and clumsier.

We were getting closer to the halfway point of our walk, a bench in the shade of this tree. From up here we had a splendid view over the oaks in the valley. While we were sitting there, we were able to observe many birds and feisty squirrels. Crane Creek is home to a good number of raptors; this time we saw and heard Red-tailed hawks as well as White-tailed kites.

The oak we were sitting under already showed some signs of autumn.

Other oaks seemed to have fallen only recently, lying on the ground with their foliage still full and green.

Others were just crooked - my kind of tree!

Do you see the Turkey vulture sitting on the dead tree (this was actually a song Kaefer learned during 6th grade science camp on the Marin Headlands). Just right before it had landed with wide open wings. Their wingspan is enormous, but I was too late with my camera, because...

... I was taking a picture of this. Crooked tree branches over our path. These are the things I love.

You can hardly see the face of the Turkey vulture, but I do need a face for Nicole's Friday Face Off. So I stayed closer to home and took a picture of soundly sleeping Kibeau on top of the leaves in my garden, just wanting to be near me. I love his sweet little face when he is so relaxed. My sweet grumpy old man.

Fiddlenecks and Tidy Tips

This morning my friend K and I went to Crane Creek Regional Park. She had never been there, so we thought it was time for her to get aquainted with this little gem.

When we drove over the hill we saw the morning fog hanging over the plain in front of the Coastal Range. So we hurried to park the car and walk up the hill to get a good view of the fog. There was already considerably less of the marine layer when we arrived at the top. I apologize for the following photo, it's very pixelated, but I love this dead tree and the fog next to it with the Coastal Range peeking through it.

All the yellow you can see here are wildflowers - Tidy Tips (Layia chrysanthemoides). It was so different from the last time when I hiked here and had hoped to see wildflowers - this time there were so many more.

The other yellow wildflower is Yellowbeak Owl's Clover (Triphysaria versicolor).

We were so early that the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), our state flower, hadn't opened its flowers and still looked like little pointed hats. The Sky Lupines (Lupinus nanus), however, were "fully awake" and delighted with their beautiful color. They are often found in the same location as California Poppies.

The native oaks were flowering as well. I actually wasn't sure whether "flowering" is the correct term, but after talking with a botanist I can say with confidence that, yes, the oaks were flowering. What you see here are the male flowers; the female ones are much closer to the leaves and we weren't able to see them.

The oaks were covered with lichen - the one on the trunk and branches is Sunburst lichen. The hanging lichen (the right photo below) is often mistaken for Spanish Moss which does not grow in California since our climate is not humid enough. This is California Lace Lichen (Ramalina menziesii), and believe it or not, it's our State Lichen. California is the first state to recognize a lichen as a state symbol.

Crane Creek Park has many old oaks that I never tire to look at. Such beautiful, majestic trees. Even when they die, park management leaves them in place as part of the habitat. I love that this area is left to nature's ways. 

Well, not completely. Cows certainly don't really fit in this picture, however, they are in the park for about six months each year. Their grazing is a low key way of fire management. There are about 20 cows in the park and they can roam the entire area. This practice has been in place for many years now and it has worked well. I have never seen any severe damage anywhere in the park; new plantings of native trees and shrubs usually get protection for the first few years when they are still vulnerable to curious cows who might like to try the fresh growth. The cows are docile and used to humans; K's dog though was a bit scared of them and only was ready to proceed after she saw that I passed the cows without any incident. I have always had a soft spot for cows; I have loved them since I was a little girl - after all, I'm a (big animal) veterinarian's daughter!

There were more wildflowers - Popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys nothofulvus), Fiddleneck (Amsinckia intermedia) and Blue Dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus). What a wonderful outcome of our wet winter!

My regular hike took much longer today - K and I were stopping over and over again admiring all the flowers and being in awe of the trees. This is such a wonderful place where I always feel I can breathe more easily (not today though, since allergies this spring are awful). It speaks to my heart and my soul.

We were very lucky to see and hear many birds - Red-shouldered Hawk, Western Bluebird, Acorn Woodpeckers, California Thrasher, Turkey Vulture, Scrub Jay and California Quail. I'm pretty sure I forgot a few.

This is my favorite tree - you already saw it in an earlier post. Every time I see it I take a picture of it, and I swear it's always different.

By the end of our hike, the California Poppies had finally opened up.

I think the trees and some of the flowers like the Fiddleneck are fitting for Rain's prompt "twisted" this week - what do you think?

My dinner today for Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date is tortellini with caramelized onions, mushrooms and spinach. This was the first time that I had made this delicious dish.