By mihir | Published:
3 August 2010
A brief walk around noon in the hot sun at Briones Regional Park didn’t reveal much in terms of spotting many different species, but did give some great views of possibly the largest Western Rattlesnake I have ever seen (it must have been close to three feet if not over). It’s not often that you [...]
By mihir | Published:
23 June 2010
This Sunday (and Father’s Day), we took a short trip to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area intending to see some dragonflies. Both the summertime and the creekside and lakeside habitat made Shadow Cliffs particularly dragonfly-friendly. Our trip was, by-and-large, a success. Dragonflies were everywhere, swooping, diving and hovering both above and around the water. A [...]
By mihir | Published:
13 June 2010
Two Saturdays ago, we took a trip to Mitchell Canyon in Mount Diablo State Park in an attempt to finally end our quest to find the Coast Horned Lizards in addition to seeing some springtime wildlife. We were successful on both counts. The park’s flowers were in full bloom, splashing colors all over the landscape. [...]
Also posted in Trip Report | Tagged Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Coast Horned Lizard, Indian Paintbrush, Mariposa Lily, Mitchell Canyon, Mount Diablo Fairy Lantern, Mount Diablo State Park, Variable Checkerspot, Western Rattlesnake, Western Tiger Swallowtail |
By ameet | Published:
2 May 2010
This trip consisted of a long drive, starting from Livermore via Mines Road, continuing past the junction with Del Puerto Canyon, into San Antonio Valley, over the slopes of Mount Hamilton, past Joseph D. Grant County Park and ending in San Jose on Alum Rock Avenue. There is mostly private land on both sides of [...]
By mihir | Published:
27 February 2010
On a short walk along South Park Drive last weekend in the hills above Berkeley we made some pretty interesting finds: a Yellow-eyed Ensatina and a California Slender Salamander. Each November through March, South Park Drive in Tilden Regional Park is closed to automobiles due to California Newt and Rough-skinned Newt migration. The newts migrate [...]
By ameet | Published:
17 August 2009
Las Trampas is one of the few parks which is accessible early in the morning. We started our hike at about 7 am with high hopes for spotting wildlife. There was the faint hope of seeing a Puma (Mountain Lion) since they have been seen here. We decided to take the trail leading to Las [...]
Also posted in Trip Report | Tagged Acorn Woodpecker, California Newt, California Towhee, Common Green Darner, Familiar Bluet, Hermit Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Nuttal's Woodpecker, Pacific Tree Frog, Spotted Towhee, Variegated Meadowhawk, Western Fence Lizard, Western Skink |
By mihir | Published:
12 August 2009
On Tuesday morning, I drove to Morgan Territory Regional Park for a hike hoping to see some of the general wildlife of the area. Morgan Territory exhibits classic East Bay habitat and there are no parking fees. For most of the time, I hiked along Volvon Trail. The trail was very easy to walk on [...]
By mihir | Published:
10 August 2009
I drove along Mines Road and San Antonio Valley early this morning hoping to see some reptiles. In the past, I’ve seen Gopher Snakes, Aquatic Gartersnakes, and Western Rattlesnakes along this road. However, none were to be found today. The main highlight of the day was a herd of Tule Elk resting under some trees [...]
By mihir | Published:
9 August 2009
It was a great night for an evening drive along Tesla Road in eastern Livermore. The objective was to look for San Joaquin Kit Foxes, but we failed to find them. Kit Foxes are both nocturnal and extremely difficult to see. We did, however, manage to see several other species of Bay Area animals. As [...]
By mihir | Published:
2 July 2009
A quick walk in Coyote Creek Lagoon last Sunday yielded little overall diversity of species, however we had great sightings of a Forster’s Tern dipping and flying in breeding plumage. A big flock of American Avocets, Marbled Godwits, and Long-billed Curlews also took off in beautiful shapes and patterns. Other interesting species seen were Snowy Egrets [...]