Girls’ Night Out at Russian Ridge

First, the scouting trip on 8/9. KG and I left the trailhead at 6:00. It was relatively warm, maybe 75. We were going at a somewhat slow pace, but kept moving except for a couple of stops. There was an orange velvet ant on the Ridge trail, and a brown beetle. We heard a couple of Western Bluebirds and saw one.

Clarkia was blooming, and there were a few pink thimbleberries. We reached the deck at 7:25. It seemed like the view was better than it was the last time we were there; we couldn’t remember being able to see sunset, but we weren’t sure why. After the sun went down at 8:15, the temperature was about 68F. We thought we could get through on the trail on the Mindego side of the hill, going past the windmill, but at the top, there wasn’t a visible trail connection. We returned to the deck and back to Hawk Hill the way we had come.

Harding grass and the moon

Harding grass filled the area looking towards Borel Hill. Warm air and chilled air wafted across the trail as we walked. A distant Great-horned Owl called from below. Crickets, small ground beetles and darkling beetles were plentiful on the trail.

A couple of deer bounded away in the grassland. As we approached the Ridge trail again, we spotted a small-medium spider which, at first glance, looked like a wolf spider. But after a photo, we discovered it was actually a small Calisoga, a surprise. Returning on the Ridge trail, a Barn Owl called. We arrived back a little before 10:30.

The actual hike occurred on 8/12, with KG and KP. We had 20 on the reservation list, with two cancellations. 12 actually showed up. A few were new, and a few had not been on a night hike. We started on the trailhead at 5:50. The temperature was similar to Tuesday’s.

As we approached the telephone wires, a huge flock of Violet-green Swallows got stirred up, perhaps by a family in front of us. There were hundreds of them; I don’t remember having seen such a sight there before.

Hundreds of Violet-green Swallows

We stopped on Borel Hill and pointed out landmarks. We stayed there a bit longer than I’d planned, so we kept a good pace on the way to the deck. Small, light-colored insects aggregated in low swarms. (If this had been another type of hike, I would have taken the time to catch one to see what they were.) A lone Red-tailed Hawk perched on the snag below the Caltrans vista point intersection.

The bulk of the group arrived there around 7:13, close to schedule.

The air above the oats in the meadow north of the deck was filled with small insects, perhaps the same ones we’d seen on the trail. Dragonflies patrolled also. Coyotes yipped from nearby, surprisingly early. Two American Kestrels called from nearby. We speculated that one was a young one bugging its parent. A flock of Bushtits flitted between trees. Straight out, a vertical arc shined in the sky.

In keeping with the theme, we enjoyed treats and butterfly tattoos. We headed off towards Hawk Ridge. We heard the owl again. Just after sunset, we came upon a young rattlesnake in the trail. When I  shined my light on it to see it better, it slithered into the grass.

Once under tree cover, we distributed glow bracelets. Because the moon was out, it was still somewhat light even under trees. Bats flew around ahead of us in the open. Back in the grassland, we saw deer cross the trail again. Crickets and katydids serenaded us.

We arrived at the cleared area at 8:50, giving us 20 minutes to sit and enjoy the rest of our treats under the almost full moon, before heading back towards the Caltrans entrance trail and around the side of the hill.

When we reached the main trail again, someone spotted a small Calisoga spider, and we stopped to take a look at it. A little further along, and we saw a Jerusalem Cricket, and then a medium-sized wolf spider predating a cricket. (We don’t see that too often. I’m not sure how well that went over with the “girls”, but I thought it interesting.)

Back at the lot by 10:30, everyone appreciated the beautiful night.

More photos are here.

As we drove down Page Mill, a Barn Owl flew across the road and landed about 10-12′ up. We stopped the car underneath the tree, and got a quick look at it looking down at us before it took off. A hare also ran across in a different spot.

A Night Hike for Newbies

At Russian Ridge on 7/23/10, KG, JO and I were surprised, honored (and a little intimidated) to find DWB awaiting our hike, along with 11 other participants. The reservation list was at 11 until the night before, when it went up to 23. One person had cancelled, but it was odd that people signed up at the last minute and then didn’t show (a group of 6 among them).

The night was warm, 70-75 degrees all night, warm enough for me to stay in shirtsleeves.

Despite intentions to get out quickly, we left the lot around 6:23. We would have had to keep moving to reach our planned dinner spot on time, but we saw lots of things along the way. The swarming bugs that we saw on our scouting hikes were still around. We pondered their behavior and if they associated with a particular plant. They seemed near some purple sand spurrey, which was not in bloom. The Aculepeira orb weavers were also still around, as were the true bugs on Harding grass. A Western Bluebird chirped from atop an elderberry. We observed lots of tracks and scat in the trail. The darkling beetles and other small beetles plodded along.

Velvet ant, really a wasp--don't try this at home!

We stopped for dinner close to 8:00, at the same spot has we had on our scouting hike. While we sat, some Band-tailed Pigeons flew over, and swallows looked for insects. There were small clouds of gnat-like insects above our heads. KG found a true bug and a katydid as we ate. We heard some seabird-like bird calls coming from downhill.

The group below

While KG talked about night vision and other things, I checked up the hill to see if I could find the mygalomorph in the hole that we’d seen previously. I couldn’t find the hole, but I did see what was producing the calls: two Red-tailed Hawks perched in a snag, with the low fog behind them in the valley.

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks squealing

Continuing on our alternate route, we headed down towards the Mindego Ridge Trail. A few brush rabbits scurried into the vegetation at the side of the trail. Eight deer, many with antlers, watched as we approached in the twilight. We passed a couple of badger holes, and found a hole in the middle of the trail with dirt fanned out on one side, made by a coyote. I wonder what it was after.

 

As we entered some trees, we flushed a roosting quail. The katydids and crickets were calling. JO found a crab spider.

Near the Ancient Oaks intersection close to 9:30, we found a katydid that fluoresced–not brightly, but it stood out. There was also a scorpion, and a small millipede of the dark brown and yellow kind.

Taking the left fork up in the oaks, we reached the Ridge Trail again at 10:00. When we got closer to the lot, we stopped to do the scent activity. As we stood in a circle, a Barn Owl flew around some brush in the west.

We continued on, and as we approached the curve and the telephone pole on the right, a loud “who-who-who…who-who” startled us. I looked at the top of the pole, and on the far side, a Great Horned Owl perched! It called a few more times, then flew to the lower telephone line near the parking lot.

On the last leg, we came across a small Jerusalem Cricket.

The moon was out, so most of us went into the tunnel for one more activity (triboluminescence). After we finished, DWB took advantage of the acoustics to give us a wonderful song that suited the night.

Russian Ridge OSP

JO, KG and I (plus four newbie docents) spent almost 4.5 hours scouting on the night of 7/16/10. It was warm enough to go without a jacket, perhaps 70ish. There was a slight breeze in parts.

The wild oats had grown up since the burn last year. We passed several blooming soap lilies, clarkia, three fence lizards, many darkling and other smaller beetles, and tracks in the dust. An American Kestrel called in the distance. A bumble bee with two yellow stripes on the abdomen puzzled us.

Yellow-faced Bumblebee, apparently

Squiggly tracks

On the trail leading north from Borel Hill, we spotted a smallish (around 1.5′) gopher snake, which promptly slithered into a nearby hole. There were also a few tarantula or other mygalomorph holes, one occupied by a mygalomorph that was brown with dark brown patches on its cephalothorax and abdomen. During the night there were a few medium-sized wolf spiders, as well as some smaller dark spiders.

A pile of coyote scat in the trail had what appeared as scales over the surface; unfortunately at least some were bits of plastic bag that had apparently been ingested, something that is not uncommon.

What happens to plastic (and maybe a few reptile scales)

We ate dinner at the vista entrance intersection cleared area. Grasshopper Sparrows were singing, and tree crickets were trilling.  A White-tailed Kite flew by. The view of Mindego Hill included a carpet of low fog, and crepuscular rays lying low over the hills.

Crespuscular rays

In several places in the middle of the Ridge Trail were swarms of tiny true bugs moving around on or close to the ground. The first looked like dirt-colored gnats, but they had beaks and the antennae were wrong. Further along was a swarm of younger bugs without wings. Here’s a video:
Bug swarm

Four deer bounced away on the Ridge Trail at dusk, and we heard distant Great Horned Owl. Between Hawk Trail and Ancient Oaks, we found one small scorpion. During the night there were a few medium sized wolf spiders, as well as some smaller dark spiders. The pillbugs were also out on the trail.

We’ll have to find a way to speed up our trip to fit all the activities in…

As we wrapped up in the lot, a state parks ranger stopped in to make sure everything was ok.

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Update:

On 7/18, JO and I went back to try to get a better look at the bugs and bumble bee. We started at 2:00; it was pretty warm, 85 or more.  The bug swarms weren’t as large, but they still were there. We didn’t find the winged ones again.

In the wild oats, we did spot a large jumping spider which skittered down the oat as soon as it saw us approaching from afar. There were multiple orb weavers, the kind that we had previously found at Monte Bello. One had prey wrapped in silk, and the silk was covered with little flies. This was a mystery–we weren’t sure at the time if it was an egg sac or prey. It turns out that these are Milichiids, which are commensals of predatory insects.

We also saw several true bugs perched on the tops of dry Harding grass, as well as a pair of mating robber flies.

At 3:50, we turned down the second left from the Ridge Trail, past the Borel Hill turnoff, and continued on to the trail that leads to the Caltrans vista point entrance around 4:35. We passed a badger hole. Around 4:50 we started up the Ridge Trail (lower trail leading past Borel Hill).

Tidy Tips

Back on the main part of Ridge Trail, a surprise was Tidy Tips right in the middle of the road. A yellowish-orange velvet ant was our last wildlife sighting before we got back close to 6:00.

 

More photos are here.

A Midsummer’s Night

On Friday 7/10, KG, PB, JO and I led 17 people on five mile hike. Some people hadn’t been to this preserve, and some had not been on a night hike. The weather was mild enough to do without my sweatshirt most of the time.

From the lot, I could hear Red-breasted Nuthatch in the trees along Skyline. Two Western Fence Lizards were tangling on the fence. There were a couple of Red-tailed Hawks flying near there.

The voles and mice were very active in that area. There was a dead vole that was intact and appeared not to be injured. It seemed like the rodents were right at the edge of the trail, where a thin strip of wild oats was left. When the front of the group came close, they’d scurry to a hole, of which there were many. If they hadn’t moved, we wouldn’t have known they were even there, blending in with the color of the burned grass. One of the rodents went into a hole, then turned around to look at us. It popped out a few times–it had the look of one of those pet hamsters, big ears and cute. To me it acted like a gopher, but didn’t look like one. I didn’t see buck teeth.
There was a mouse that ran to a hole, but there was some invisible problem because it had trouble getting in. Eventually just its hind end was sticking out, and then just its tail!

On our scouting hike, there were a lot of pillbugs in the first stretch, but there were none this time (although there was one in the bathroom). Some of the ants carried pieces of their bodies and also a small grasshopper, so maybe they got toasted. There were many small grasshoppers. When we returned, the crickets were calling in this area.

A Coyote patrolled the burned area ahead of us, and stopped to dig out a rodent. Darkling beetles, small spiders, and a Velvet Ant crossed the trails. Lesser Goldfinch called.

Further on Ridge Trail, a pair of Ravens poked around in the ground, and we saw both California Quail and Wild Turkey tracks in the trail dust, along with smaller bird tracks of various sizes, beetle tracks, coyote and deer tracks. There were several active Harvester Ant nests, including one where they were carrying larvae to another location. That one was on the edge of the burned area by the trail. There were also a few winged reproductives.

There were quite a few clarkia out, and a Western Meadowlark called while perched on a shrub.

After we crossed the trail leading in from the Caltrans vista point, a Brush Rabbit was spotted, swallows were flying around on the west side, and two deer were also in that area. A Savannah Sparrow called from the top of a shrub close to the trail. Another Red-tailed Hawk was perched on a snag.

Heading up to dinner, burned area behind

At the intersection of Hawk Ridge Trail where we stopped for dinner around 8:00, Grasshopper Sparrows sang. The closest one was not singing the typical insect-buzz, but sang a song similar to Winter Wren, only shorter. PB and JO talked about the burn.

Looking west from Ridge Trail

After the sun set, a bat or two flew overhead.

Around 9:15, we stopped to view the ISS pass and an Iridium flare a couple of minutes later, and at the same moment a large owl emerged from the trees in front of us. A Western Screech Owl also was heard by some.

We stopped for a minute of quiet listening under the Ancient Oaks. Emerging from the trees, the blackened landscape at night was like walking on a different planet (except we picked up a fair amount of trash). The odor of burned grass was more apparent to me after dark.

When we arrived back at the Ridge Trail, we stopped for a few minutes of stargazing. The moon didn’t rise until after 10:30, so we just had ambient light.

Another vole crossed in front of me on the way back.

As we were getting ready to lock up, we were treated to a stereo coyote serenade, with the moon recently risen behind clouds, but still bright. One was yipping from the hill above the first part of the trail, and others were calling from the other side of Skyline.

See photos here.

Russian Ridge OSP

KG and I left Long Ridge close to 6:30 to go over to Russian Ridge for our scouting hike on 7/02/09. We started on the trailhead around 6:50 with PB and JO. The weather was mild, the sky clear, and the moon was out.

There were a lot of beetle tracks in the very dusty trail. And lots of darkling beetles (there are 445 species in CA, not all of them squirt noxious chemicals). We noted the fire breaks for the upcoming prescribed burn.

We took the Ridge Trail directly to the cleared area at the intersection near the Caltrans entrance. Soap Lilies were blooming, and bees were visiting them. Along the trail, there were many beetle tracks. We also came across a lot of the track makers, and also a few lizard tracks.

After dinner, we continued on to Hawk Ridge Trail arriving at the intersection around 9:00. We admired the blanket of fog lying low,

View from Hawk Ridge Trail

and heard a Great Horned Owl.

As darkness fell, JO and I took out our UV lights to see what might appear. A scorpion! That entertained us for a while. It was on the trail bank in dirt, and was only about 2.5″ long.

Small scorpion

We took Alder Springs to Mindego Ridge to Ancient Oaks (the open part) back to Ridge Trail. That was almost five miles.

Almost back at the lot, there were a lot of pillbugs around. There was also a small Solfugid, as well as a large field cricket and a centipede.

We started later than the scheduled hike, so got back to the lot a bit late. It was a beautiful night, though.

More photos here.