Author Archives: ameet

North Peak, Mount Diablo after the Fire

By ameet | Published: 30 September 2013

I hiked the North Peak Trail in Mount Diablo State Park over the weekend. Like many others, I was curious to see the aftermath of the big fire that raged on the mountain three weeks ago. You could certainly see large areas that were burnt out. Black, charred skeletons of trees were abundant in some […]

Posted in Trip Report | Tagged Fox Sparrow, Mount Diablo State Park, Say's Phoebe, Tarantula, Variegated Meadowhawk, Western Fence Lizard | Leave a comment

Short Nature Ramble at Long Ridge Open Space

By ameet | Published: 20 April 2013

It was a nice sunny afternoon in early April and Long Ridge Open Space Preserve looked quite inviting. As expected, the wildflowers were putting on a great show. We started with Peters Creek Trail. The view was wonderful, as you looked northwest along the trail. In the first stretch from the parking lot, we […]

Posted in Places, Trip Report | Tagged Banana Slug, California Newt, California Slender Salamander, Fringed Redmaid, Hendersons Shooting Star, Long Ridge Open Space, Manzanita, Milkmaid, Propertius Duskywing, Purple Sanicle, Woodland Strawberry | Leave a comment

Eastern Slopes of Highland Ridge

By ameet | Published: 17 February 2013

This is an account of an afternoon hike in mid-February, on the Eastern slopes of Highland Ridge, in Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. The starting point was the intersection of Morgan Territory Road and Highland Ridge Trail. In the very first section I came across a murder scene. A little scrutiny revealed the identity of the […]

Posted in Places, Trip Report | Tagged Band-tailed Pigeon, Coyote, East Bay, Milkmaid, Morgan Territory, Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, Pacific Chorus Frog, Varied Thrush, Wild Pig, Wild Turkey | Leave a comment

Newts on the Ridge

By ameet | Published: 20 November 2012

The recent rains made for a nice surprise on my hike last weekend. I went to Pleasanton Ridge in the afternoon. It was refreshing to see everything turning green after the hot, dry days of summer. Soon I came across my first California Newt as it was crossing the trail. I find their determined plodding quite […]

Posted in Amphibian, Trip Report | Tagged Acorn Woodpecker, California Newt, Pleasanton Ridge | 1 Response

September Outing – Back Creek Canyon on Mount Diablo

By ameet | Published: 17 September 2012

A nature hike on the northern slopes of Mount Diablo is a good way to enjoy the Mount Diablo wilderness. We started from the Mitchell Canyon Staging area, went East on Murchio Rd and then started climbing up Back Creek Trail. Along the way there were lots of Variegated Meadowhawks. It was a hot day […]

Posted in Trip Report | Tagged California Ground Squirrel, Mount Diablo, Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Western Rattlesnake, Zauschneria | 1 Response

Surprise Visitor of the Reptilian Kind

By ameet | Published: 16 July 2011

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I got a pleasant surprise. A California Kingsnake showed up in our garage (in southern Alameda County) in the middle of the afternoon! Perhaps the hot weather had something to do with it. Somehow it ended up picking the right house to visit. It was about a meter long […]

Posted in Backyard, Snake | Tagged California Kingsnake | 1 Response

sfbaywildlife.info at Foothill College Earth Week Faire 2011

By ameet | Published: 30 April 2011

sfbaywildlife.info was invited to participate in the Earth Week Faire at Foothill College on 20 April, 2011. It was organized by Gillian Schultz and the Sustainability group as part of the week long celebration. We were in great company – other participants included: Acterra Audubon Society California Native Plant Society Santa Clara County Open Space […]

Posted in Event | Leave a comment

Lizards on a Log at Las Trampas

By ameet | Published: 18 April 2011

It was a nice weekend in early April and Las Trampas Regional Wilderness was beckoning. There was no rain. It turned out to be a good day for lizards and butterflies. And some early wildflowers were already blooming. The most common were the California Buttercups. Then I started seeing the butterflies. The first one was […]

Posted in Places, Trip Report | Tagged Anise Swallottail, California Ringlet, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, Millipede, Pipevine Swallowtail, Western Fence Lizard, Western Skink | 1 Response

An Afternoon Encounter with two Ladies

By ameet | Published: 9 November 2010

It was a nice warm afternoon in the East Bay this weekend. I was delighted to see butterflies flying around in my neighbors front yard, which has lots of flowers and catches the afternoon sun. There was the usual multitude of Fiery Skippers. They are very active and playful as they fly around and chase […]

Posted in Backyard, Butterfly, Species | Tagged Cabbage White, Fiery Skipper, Painted Lady | 1 Response

Wildlife Education Day by Santa Clara Valley Audubon

By ameet | Published: 27 October 2010

Over the weekend sfbaywildlife.info participated in a fun educational event organized by the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS). There were over 30 different booths form different organizations and groups. Hundreds of people attended – most of them families with kids. We had a small booth with lots of information about wildlife. We had photos […]

Posted in Education, Event | Leave a comment