Vargas Plateau
Yesterday, I spent the morning at Vargas Plateau Regional Park, which is located in the hills east of Fremont in western Alameda County, CA. The morning was sunny and – after seemingly endless weeks of rain – it was bright enough to hurt the eyes. From the park’s main staging area off Morrison Canyon Road, I followed the Golden Eagle Trail northwards for about three-quarters of a mile to the junction of the Deer Gulch and Upper Ranch Trails. From the junction, I then took the Deer Gulch Trail westwards for another half mile or so, before I finally decided to turn around and head back. Most of the habitat here was
The wet, long, and fairly cool winter had delayed somewhat the onset of this spring’s wildflower bloom, but a couple of days of sunshine had begun to coax some wildflowers from the park’s sodden hillsides. Especially common here were Red Maids (Calandrinia menziesii), Common Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii), California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica), Shining Pepperweed (Lepidium nitidum), and three different species of Stork’s Bill – Musk, Redstem, and Mediterranean (Erodium moschatum, E. circutarium, and E. botrys, respectively). Miniature Lupine (Lupinus bicolor) and Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) were just beginning to emerge.
Wildlife was sparse, and – other than the occasional California Ground Squirrel – it consisted mainly of birds. Overhead, a couple of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) searched the landscape below for prey, while numerous Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) searched it for carrion. Beneath them, a male Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) sang ebulliently from the small lichen-covered rock that functioned as his miniature stage; in the grasslands surrounding him, I also heard a few American Pipits (Anthus rubescens). The most interesting birds of the entire trip, however, were the Yellow-billed Magpies that I spotted near the park’s staging area. These birds do not often get this close to San Francisco Bay, so seeing them here was, for me, the highlight of the entire visit.
