It’s For The Birds – Audubon Canyon (2/8/11)

Out string of good-weather, winter hikes continued as we returned to hike at Audubon Canyon Ranch for the third year in a row.  Although the thermometer on Dick Jordan’s car said the air temperature was a chilly 37 degrees as he drove through Samuel P. Taylor State Park on the way to the trailhead, we had plenty of sunshine and shirt-sleeve weather by hike’s end.

About twenty of us showed up for the second hike of the College of Marin Winter term.  Our reward was the first appearance of the year for Indian Paintbrush, Calypso Orchids, Suncups, Douglas Iris, Star Lillies, Mission Bells, and Stick Monkey Flowers.
 
The first leg of this hike was a long, slow uphill trek on Zumie’s Loop Trail that took us about three-quarters of the way from sea level to the crest of Bolinas Ridge.  During the lower stretches of the trail was had great views across Bolinas Lagoon over to the Mesa and south past San Francisco.  Low tide left small rivulets running through the mudflats where egrets and herons will soon be plucking food for their hatchlings in nests in the canyon just east of the ranch buildings.

A Pacific Wren (aka “Winter Wren”) was singing his spring song and hoping to mind a mate.  Butterflies flitted by and we spotted a Seven-Spot Ladybug.

As we reached the highest spot on Zumie’s Loop we left the chaparral lands behind and entered a mixed fir-bay-redwood forest.  While we stopped here, Wendy and Neil took a break and went for a ride on a large swing that we had not seen on previous hikes in this area.

 
Ferns lined the often narrow trail that led us on a traverse southward crossing the small canyons that descend from the ridge to Bolinas Lagoon as Zumie’s Loop merged with the Griffin Loop Trail that begins behind the ranch buildings and passes by the birding overlook above and just north of the egret and heron nesting area.

About 12:45 pm we reached the intersection of the Griffin Loop Trail and the Bourne Trail which comes down from the ridge, emerged from the forest, and sat in a sunny clearing to enjoy our long-awaited lunch.

It was all downhill from there, and within a half-hour after finishing out meal we were back at the ranch parking lot.  A large bird perched up in a tree above the ranch defied identification: Was it a hawk or an owl?  The answer:  Neither. The final verdict:  Peregrine falcon.