My first hike - Napa Oak Woodlands - Example for Module 1 journal.
My first hike was an oak woodland in my neighborhood. It was green after the rain. A few wildflowers were blooming, and I know them to be common early spring wildflowers. This woodland was in the hills and so the organisms had to deal with steep slopes to get from one place to another.
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I hiked in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach CA. I observed biotic factors like birds, plants and animals. There were numerous types of insects in the area. I saw a bunny hiding in the bushes.
I also saw abiotic components like inner and outer Bolsa Bays in the reserve. The full tidal bay to the Pacific Ocean was the area where more birds. You could also see the low tide rocky areas.
I went to East Shore Trail and I saw lots of trees and plants I never saw before. Many of the trees were cut down due to fires, on purpose, or for some other reason. The flowers i saw were beautiful. side of the trail was similar to redwoods because there were remains of trees that were burnt or cut down. I observed biotic factors like birds and plants. I would say that this trail has lots of plants and trees.
For this first hike I went to the estuaries at the Hayward Regional Shoreline and trekked the Bill Lockyer Trail from the shoreline center to the Winton parking lot. It was a clear and sunny day with lots of people also walking and biking along the trail. Despite the abundance of people there were plenty of birds such as geese and egrets out and about. There were even some squirrels chilling in burrows and atop some rocks. The plants were many but most of the ones along the trail seemed decaying or dehydrated. What captivated me the most was the abundance of Bermuda buttercups mostly bunched near the coastlines. I haven’t seen so much yellow at the estuaries before. The estuaries overall seemed lively, marshy, and swampy.
My first hike was at Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay. The weather was perfect only 60 degrees but almost no clouds so it felt much warmer. I have been Half Moon Bay many times but never to Pillar Point. The trail was not too long but it was so calming by the water I stayed awhile. I noticed many natural springs on the cliffside had lots of algae surrounding them. I had never gone on a hike looking for species so it was eye-opening how diverse the beach is. On the beach some spots were nearly all shells instead of sand I wonder if the current always sends them there. I had lots of fun with this hike and ended up spending the whole day in Half Moon Bay driving around after the hike. Looking forward to the next module!
My first hike was in Monterey Bay. The weather was in the 60s and sunny. I started my hike by going towards Hopkins State Marine Reserve and walked the trail alongside it which goes through Andy Jacobson Park (most of my findings were there) and Berwick Park. My goal was to make it to lovers point for some tide pooling, however the tide was only starting to get low and the swell was actually higher than expected. The name of the trail I walked specifically is called the Monterey Bay Coastal trail (this eventually connects to the Monterey Peninsula Recreational trail which would lead to Lover's point). There were many harbor seals by the reserve laying out in the sun. There was not as much drift algae as expected when I hit Berwick park but there was plenty of dead California mussel shells washed up on the shore.
My first hike was at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park in Oakland on Sunday morning. The weather that day was in the low 60s and at the start of the hike it was cloudy but towards the end, the sun started coming out. I started out on the bridle trail and then forgot to track what trail I followed after but I believe I started to go up the Chown trail, got halfway through then came back down and took the bridle trail back towards the start. On my hike I was able to hear lots of birds chirping in trees and saw a banana slug but overall there wasn't much movement going on. I also noticed that the environment seemed moist as it had rained a couple days before.
I chose salt marshes and estuaries as my field site option from Module 1 because in our assigned reading, An Island Called California: An Ecological Introduction to Its Natural Communities by Elna Baker, the author states:
By all standards, San Francisco Bay is the state’s largest and best known estuary.
For my first hike I went to the wetlands of the Hayward Regional Shoreline and walked the Cogswell Marsh Loop Trail which is a part of the East Bay Regional Parks System. When I arrived, the blossoming wildflowers and lush grasses of the near spring were covered in morning dew with Canada Geese scattered across in flocks. I observed Deathcap and Western Destroying Angel mushrooms as well as Mustard flowers and Orange Bush Monkeyflowers growing. The weather was 50 degrees fahrenheit and it sprinkled for most of my visit but it wasn’t windy so birds were still active around the brackish water marsh. By the end of my hike, the sun was starting to come out along with the American Crows in the area.
I selected to hike at Alamo Creek Trail in Dublin, CA! It was a very chilly day with fog and rain, but this made the stream of water flow beautifully rapid! The environment felt very fresh and serene; with so many different trees, flowers, and the direction of the water currents. I noticed that the area was popular with Blue Scrub Jays who were chirping away within the wet bushes above the creek. The trail was partially open as the elevated sides were closed due to flooding! However, it was very beautiful to see so many greens that the rain has nourished over the past few months! I definitely recommend this hike on the pretty hills and creekside of Dublin!
The community that I went to for my hike was the Hayward Marsh. It was cloudy and cold that day, the temperature probably being in the 50s or 60s if I can remember it correctly. While I was at the marsh, there were also periodical times where it would start to sprinkle. During my hike, I saw that there were many different plants at the marsh, like the Bermuda buttercup flowers, field mustards, and a few willow trees. There were also some animals, such as geese staying in groups away from hikers and egrets walking near the water looking for food, that were out during my hike as well.
The community I went to was the Hayward Marsh (Hayward Regional Shoreline). I went around 4 in the afternoon. The weather was cool and it was cloudy. When I first came into the grass land, I could hear different birds in proximity. I observed geese, red-winged blackbirds, as well as ducks. The shoreline is made up of salt, fresh, and brackish water marshes. Within the shoreline, There is also public trails as well as seasonal wetlands. The ground was very much packed with moisture. I was surprised to see how much plant life was not quite native to California, let alone the US, however, did well to thrive in saltwater marshes. There are three different marshes that make up the shoreline. That is the Cogwell Marsh (tidal), Hayward Marsh (fish and brackish water marsh), and the Oro Loma Marsh (another tidal marsh). I was happy to pick out this location and was pleasantly surprised to not smell much of the sulfur from low tide.
The community I went to was the Hayward Regional Shorline/Hayward Marsh. I went around 2 pm. It was pretty cold and cloudy. There was a lot of mud when I was walking on the trails. I saw some geese and a white great egret. The neck was super long, I had never seen anything like that before. There was some bikers and some runners on the trails also. I even got to see some squirrels and a stray black cat.There was also a lot of dead plants.
The community I went to for my hike is a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area by the ocean known as Fort Funston. I hiked the Sunset Trail at the end of the day/beginning of the evening. It was the end of a somewhat sunny day after many days of strong rain. The area is very cold and gets lots of head-on wind from the sea shore. The area is comprised of cliffs overlooking an extensive beach. The trail I went on crosses many sand dune habitats and also meanders through a small area of non-native trees and shrubs including cypress and eucalyptus. This area is also a popular off-leash dog park and suffers intensive trampling of vegetation by dogs and humans alike. Many of the plant species I found are non-native and have likely been planted to stabilize the sand dunes in the area. Unfortunately, most of the native dune habitat have been taken over by the invasive sea fig. Most of the plants have to deal with strong winds and high salinity as it is predominantly a coastal environment.
I selected Hayward Marsh (Hayward Regional Shoreline) because I like the weather there and it is very close to my home. I went around 1pm in the afternoon. The weather was sunny when I arrived but as soon as I entered the gateway to the shoreline, it started sprinkling. I saw crows, ducks, and also different kinds of birds. The shoreline seemed to have salt, fresh, and greyish blackish water. The water looked like the type of water for marshes and a safe environment for animals to live in. There was a lot of moisture as well because of the marsh and also the weather played a factor in it as well. There were many trees and plants near and at the marsh such as the Coast Silk Tassel, French Fern, and Eucalyptus tree. I was very astonished on how humid it is at the marsh as I usually thought only forests were humid. Three different marshes make the shoreline and each are very important. The Cogwell Marsh, Hayward Marsh, and the Oro Loma Marsh create the shoreline. The ducks also go near the marsh area to hunt for food which was very interesting to me.
The hike I took for this module was the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach. Due to storm damage the actual area where you could access the tide pools and seal cove was closed. The low tide happened around 5 in the evening and that's actually when the park closes. Still, I was able to observe surrounding species such as harbor seals from a distance. I went with my family and we were all bummed because we felt like we might have been able to come close in contact with the harbor seals. I was able to observe various shrubs and plants in the surrounding areas of the tide pools like cape ivy, dicots, cogon grass, and sea figs. The observation area was full of trees like the Monterey cypress. There's actually an area of cypress trees that creates a tunnel of trees for the hikers. We were even able to spot a whale from a distance. It was surprising since the area we were at was only about a 3 minute drive from the beach where we saw people surfing and enjoying the high tide.
I hiked the trail behind the CSUEB dorms. During my hike I encountered a beautiful butterfly and a few species of plants that were dominant in the area because during my hike I kept seeing them over and over again. Midway in my hike I decided to capture a picture of a mushroom and I had to go off of the trail, as I was getting closer for the right shot of the mushroom, my eyes caught this is very well hidden California Newt in the leaves on the ground. So I captured it's picture first then the mushrooms. On the trail I saw this strange fungi and I saw that a few of the trees on the trail had it so I decided to capture and share it. The woodlands were nice and cool and had a lot of shade. The area was also kind of muddy and wet from the recent rainfall which kind of made the trail a little slippery but it was a very beautiful and fun trail to hike.
I went to Half Moon Bay to explore its beach dunes and seacliffs. When I went it was 53° with 8 mph winds. It was very cloudy and sprinkling so it felt very cold and I wore 2 jackets. There was a lot of greenery by the sand dunes because it was for the most part dominated by the ice plants, but there was close to no green down at the beach besides kelp that washed up. Some flowers were blooming in yellow, pink, a light lavender color, and orange. The only animals I saw were birds, I saw a lone goose fly by and a couple birds that looked like hawks because of the shape of their head however I cant be too sure. I observed the types of plants change dramatically the further you got from the beach where the ground changed from sand to dirt.
For this first field assignment, I went to a local trail near me, the "Alameda Creek Trail." The trail is about a 8 minute's drive from my house, I always pass by this trail and always wondered how it was. The trail is a long dirt road that stretches a long way in Fremont, there is a little river in the middle, aswell as a bunch of rocks on the side. The trail is pretty busy I saw a few bikers and other hikers along the trail. It was not too cold during my hike since I had two layers on; it was just the right amount of cold for me. The trail is honestly very spacious and perfect for getting your exercise in while enjoying some nature. I would definitely come back again whenever I have free time.
For my first hike, I went to Hayward Regional Shoreline. I arrived there at around 11am and it was cold and cloudy during my time there. During my hike, I found various birds, Canada geese, and plants. However, a lot of the plants I encountered seemed to be dry on the trail. Some of the plants I found was the prickly sowthistle and fennel. The marsh seemed to support organisms quite well, as I was able to see a variety of different organisms living at the marsh.