A lovely Birding Hike at the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge

 

 

 

Date: March 1, 2025

Place: San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, San Joaquin River Unit, Vernalis, California

Coordinates: 37.615504, -121.211687

Length: 4.3 miles

Level: easy

 

At the beginning of the month we attended an event in Manteca, after which we decided to go on a birding walk at the San Joaquin unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. We've been there once before, about nine years ago and we thought it would be nice to see it again and see what birds were there at the time. There is one trail in this unit, which opens into three linked loops. 

 

Already in the parking lot we could see that spring has begun here. The grasses and other annuals were already at a good height, and the parking lot area was yellow with sourgrass bloom, which I didn't photograph. The trees however, were still in their winter-bare appearance. We took our cameras and started east on the wide, flat trail. 

Pelican Nature Trail

We could here quails in the brush, but couldn't see them well or take any photos. The red-tailed hawk that flew above us however, we saw very clearly. 

Red-tailed Hawk

The first area we walked through was a dried up flood area. Clamps of dry tule formed circles on the dry pond bed and lined up the trail side. A little but of water remained in the lowest parts of the field. 

I was bringing up the rear, and when I caught up with the rest f my family I saw that they were gazing at a brown dot far out in the dry field. The dot was barely visible to the naked eye but when it moved there was not mistaking of what it was - a coyote! In fact, there were two of them that crossed one by one the large dry field, pausing momentarily to look in our direction. 

Coyote

We stood there for a long while, watching the coyotes move across the dry field until they vanished from our sight. We then continued to the line of trees where the trail split and we turned left on the nortyh arm of the first loop. 

There were more birds along that part of the trail. A pair of white-tailed kites were perched on the top branches of a small tree. `they too were very much aware of our presence, and followed us with their eyes. 

White-tailed Kite

There were noises from the low brush - spotted towhees were scratching the mat of dry leaves in search of bugs to eat. 

Spotted Towhee

We saw the birds not only on the ground or on the trees - pelicans were flying across the sky, possibly in search of a wetter place to land. 

White Pelican

A single vulture flew above us also, but the vulture wasn't crossing the sky. Rather, it was circling round and round, looking for local carrion.

Turkey Vulture

I was paying attention to the vegetation by the trail. I was happy to see that the wild roses were already buddbg out with new foliage. 

I was even happier when on our next trail junction I saw a bush covered with little yellow flowers. I recognized the leaves but I didn't recall ever seeing this species in bloom. 

Golden Currant, Ribes aureum

The grass was taller along the next part of the trail, and clamps of orange-flowered fiddleneck were blooming here and ghere. The fiddleneck was just starting its blooming season. 

Fiddleneck, Amsinckia sp. 

We were walking northward on a high levee. Tall, and mostly dry vegetation bloced our view of the cannal that was on our east. 

Soon the trail split again and we took the eastern arm of the second loop. The canal was mor distant now, and we had a nice view of the lower areas next to the levee we were walking on. 

There were more birds there too - a small group of western bluebirds foraged in the grass below the levee on the west. A couple of the males perched on high sticks and kept watch over their little territories. 

Western Bluebird, male

On the east the trees were still blocking the view of the canal. Almost of the trees there were deciduous and completely bare of leaves. Some trees had large green masses hanging on them: mistletoe balls. 

The chikas started discussing the practice of kissing under the mistletoe. From there their conversation deteriorated to updating one another with the latest slang foul language. I slowed down, allowing my offspring to get ahead of me so I won't have to hear them. Besides, there were flowers blooming in the grasses. 

Red Maids, Calandrinia menziesii

Soon the vegetation closed in on us once more. This time these were bushes, many of them green and the rest were in the process of greening. 

A few little brown birds on the trail ahead turned out t be sparrows of the most common species in our area - white-crowned sparrows. 

White-crowned Sparrows

Among and on the bushes were vines of blackberry. It was still pretty early in the season but the ere were already flowers on the blackberry vines. 

Blackberry, Rubus sp. 

A curve of the trail brought us within sight of the San Joaquin River. Pappa Quail and the elder chika scanned the river for birds but saw none. Pappa Quail wondered if there was a point in continuing the hike to the third loop but eventually he was convinced to continue onward. 

San Joaquin River

Soon the view of the river was obscured by vegetation once again. We followed the trail until the third and final loop opened up. We turned on the eastern arm which was the farthest from the river. 

Pappa Quail and the elder chika kept scanning the trees to see if they could find any birds. I looked at the massive clamps of mistletoe and was duly impressed. 

We didn't see and birds or other wildlife on that art of the trail, but I did find some more wildflowers, even if tiny ones. 

Dwarf Allocarya, Plagiobothrys humistratus

We curved around the third loop trail, aarching our way back toward the river, going southward. Directly ahead loomed a large mountain. The mountain was on the eastern side of the coastal range but I do not know its name. 

Through the tall, dry vegetation could see glimpses of the San Joaquin River beside us. Eventually we did come upon a large enough opening in the vegetation that allowed us a better view of the river. There was also a small bench there and we all sat down for a short break. 

We couldn't see any birds in or near the river. The next wildlife I saw was a spider on a bull nettle plant. The spider quickly hid himself under the nettle leaf. 

We completed the third loop and wend down the connector path again. It was getting late now, and it was also getting cold. Couds were gathering above us, but it didn't look like t would rain anytime soon. 

A solitary great blue heron rose into the air and the elder chika caught it in mid-flight as it was moving away across the sky. 

Great Blue Heron

We reached the second loop again and this time we turned on the western arm. On that path I saw another golden currant bush in full bloom. The bright yellow blossom stood in happy contrast to the gloomy brown and dark green of the plants in the background. 

Golden Currant, Ribes aureum

I paused for a minute or so to get some close-up photos of the golden currant small, delicate flowers. I wondered to myself wether its berries would be edible. 

Golden Currant, Ribes aureum

When I caught up with my family they were once again staring at a coyote. This time the coyote was much closer to us - she stood right there on the trail, only a few yards away. 

The coyote looked quite scruffy. She also looked thin. She looked at us and after a few awkward moments, she turned around and started walking down the trail. We resumed our hike also, assuming that the coyote would soon dive into the vegetation. 

Coyote

To our great amusement, the coyote kept walking down the trail. For a good long mile she led the hike, keeping the same distance from us the entire time. She even took the southern arm of the first loop when we got to it - the same part of the trail that we were taking. We wondered wether the coyote would lead us all the way back to the parking area. Then, far down the trail we saw a couple of birdwatchers. Caught between us and the other humans, the coyote finally decided to give us the slip and disappeared into the brush.

We continued down he path, my family birders looking for birds in the trees, especially in the direction they saw the other birders were looking. I just looked at the trees themselves. 

The elder chika found another red-tailed hawk. This one was sitting majestically in the tree nearby. It looked a but tired and ready for his night sleep. 

Red-tailed Hawk

The southern arm ofthe first loop was higher than the northern arm. From where we walked, wherever the vegetation parted enough, we could see the dry flat we walked through before. Fromour new vantage we could also see a bit of water that remained from the previous rains, now long gone. 

Eventually we met with the other two birders, We stopped and had a nice long chat. Next t were we stood was a small almond tree that was blooming. Almonds a a large cash crop in California and there is a big debate wether it is fitting to raise this water-guzzler crop in our water-limited state. As a consumer of almonds and almond products and also a water-aware person this is a sore point for me too. Either way, almond, which is a middle-eastern species, likes it in California. It went feral and established itself in the wild as well. 

Domestic Almond, Prunus dulcis

There was a canal to our left but only near the end of the first loop we got to see a direct glimpse of it.It had some water, which looked stagnant. The plants were happy having it, though.  

We completed the first loop and paced quickly along the last part of the Nature Trail that led to the parking area. A tall poplar tree was ahead of us, and a bunch of blackbirds were noisily setting in on its top. 

Just before the parking lot we saw a black-tailed jack rabbit. The rabbit took one look at us, and hopped away across the trail and into the bushes. Later we saw a cottontail too, but by then our cameras were already tucked and packed in the car.  

Black-tailed Jack Rabbit

 

 It was the dead of winter when we were here nine years ago. At that time there were lots of sandhill cranes and no wildflowers. This time we saw no crane, but the spring wildflowers have already started. 

 

 

 

 

Not Only on Foot: Charleston River Tour to Morris Island

Piping Plover

Date: November 25, 2024

Place: Charleston Outdoor Adventures, Charleston, South Carolina

Address: 1871 Bowens Island Rd, Charleston, SC 29412

 

 

This is a hiking blog but occasionally I post about other outdoor experiences as well. I consider nature boat tours a kind of a floating hike even if not much sweating is involved. Other boat tours I wrote about before were the travel to Santa Cruz Island, and a birding boat tour we did as part of the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. This blogpost is about an eco boat tour that Pappa Quail booked for us in Charleston, on our family trip to the southeast last November. 

After a wonderful day in Huntington Beach State Park in which we birded along the Mullet Pond and had a lovely beach hike at the North Murrels inlet beach, it was once again time to satisfy our historical and cultural interest in the area, so we started the next day with a nice and very informative walking city tour of downtown Charleston, and after a nice lunch in the downtown area, we drove directly to the nearby Bowens Island which was the starting place of the boat tour that Pappa Quail scheduled for us that afternoon.

The first thing the skipper did after the mandatory safety talk was to turn the boat opposite of where we were supposed to go. He moved us a short distance upstream to a wide curve of the river because it was a place where dolphins liked to hang around. Sure enough, a single dolphin was cruising there. We all got very excited, especially us from the West Coast. The dolphin was the common bottlenose dolphin - a lifer species for us. We would see many more on this river tour.

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

The dolphin didn't want our attention and soon slipped away in the murky water. The skipper turned the boat again and started moving downstream. Overhead flew many birds, and both Pappa Quail and the elder chika were busy clicking their cameras at them.

White Ibis

A heron jumped from the tall grass that grew on the river bank and flew over our heads. That heron was also caught on my daughter's quick camera.  

Tricolored Heron

The Charleston River where we started the tour at is also a commute channel for many boats, and numerous docks extended into the water. 

These docks were the perfect perch for birds, mostly pelicans and cormorants, with the occasional seagull. 

Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans

We were going very slowly through the more developed part of the river. Pappa Quail and the elder chika had plenty of time to identify the birds on the docks and the buildings, and to take their photos. 

Great Cormorant

After we passed under the road bridge the skipper increased the cruising speed. Soon we were passing through a wilder-looking area. He slowed down again at a place that looked like a confluence of two water ways and pointed at a forest to our south. This was Long Island, he told us, which was one of the numerous barrier islands in the area. The barrier islands were the dry land part of the extensive estuaries/wetlands area that separated the open ocean from the mainland along the southeastern coastline.

There were exposed mud bars along the sides of the slough and on the mud there were numerous birds that took the opportunity to rest in a fairly safe spot.

Laughing Gull

Some of the birds we saw on the mud bars were American oystercatchers, and Pappa Quail was excited because this species was a lifer for him. The elder chika and me have seen them already on our April 2024 trip to Puerto Rico. 

American Oystercatcher

The skipper made a point to tell us about the tide cycle in the region. By the time we would be back here after our Morris Island landing, he said, all of the exposed mud would be well under water, and the resting birds would be somewhere else. 

The grass that was growing on the estuary tide zone was definitely good with being flooded twice daily. The incoming tide of saline ocean water would wave in under the river's fresh water, the grass doesn't have to deal with high salinity conditions. 

A solitary willet prowled the exposed mud between the grass and the water. It was well camouflaged - I didn't noticed it. My chika however, has keen eyes. 

Willet

The birds of course, were not restricted to the exposed mud. Frequently birds would fly near or over our boat. 

Forster's Tern

Sometimes the birds would fly at the boat level or even below it. Shorebirds and waders were keeping low, flying below the grass tops when relocating between different mud bars.

Short-billed Dowitchers

The skipper slowed down again when we reached the next slough confluence. There, he said, the dolphins liked to hang around to catch the fish that are moving with the tide. Sure enough - a single dolphin was there, cruising along the muddy banks. 

Common Bottlenose Dolphin, male

The dolphin was well aware of our proximity, and did a little show for us, turning, flipping, and hitting his tail on the water surface. 

he also turned over and exposed his pinkish tummy to the air and to our cameras. We did keep a respectable distance but it might be that he just wanted us to move on. 

The dolphin we saw was a known individual of the resident population on the Charleston area. Each dolphin is identified by their skin tone, the shape of their fins and tails and the scars they've accumulated throughout their lives. 

After our encounter with the dolphin the skipper moved on at a higher speed - he wanted us to have plenty of time to roam around the beach at Morris Island. 

Morris Island

We saw more dolphins when we approached Morris Island. These were in a pod, and the skipper told us they were mature females and juvenile dolphins. Mature males are often solitary. 

Not forgetting his primary reason for going on the boat tour, Pappa Quail spotted more American oystercatchers on the opposite shore, across the river from Morris Island. 

More birds were flying overhead, perfectly framed in the deep blue, clear sky.  

Royal Tern

The most prominent feature of Morris Island was the deserted lighthouse. This lighthouse, the skipper told us, was once on land, when Morris Island was twice the size it was now. Building the jetties of the Charleston Harbor he said, stopped the flow of sediment from the river. Without new sediments deposited on its shores, the natural erosion of Morris Island (and of other coastline areas) was no longer balanced, and the island lost and is losing land still, at a quick rate. Now the lighthouse is off shore and is also off limits to visitors. 

Morris Island Lighthouse

The skipper landed the boat and we all got out on the beach, which was strewn with oyster shells. He timed our stay for one hour and told us that we could look for shark teeth and take them as souvenirs. 

Morris Island Beach

We looked a little but at the shells, but pretty quickly Pappa Quail and I left the chikas to search on their own while both of us went a bit more inland where we found a log and sat down for a quick snack. We has a nice view from there to the end of the island. From the place where we were, the lighthouse still looked like it was on dry land. 

I didn't see any trees on the island, except for a small juniper that was more of a dome-shaped bush than an actual tree. We could hear birds there and Pappa Quail said they were sparrows. 

Behind the low sand dunes was a large field of the grass and far on the horizon were the towers of the hanging Charleston Bridge. We had driven back and forth on that bridge for a few days now. Naturally, there was no mountain in sight, the entire area was flat.

A movement below caught my eye - from a freshly dug hole in the sand a small, pale crab was peeking out. At the moment I lifted my camera the alarmed crab retreated back int its hole. We played this camera tag fpr a few moments but eventually my patience won and I got my photo of the wary crab. 

Sand Crab

After our snack break Pappa Quail and I got up and continued wandering around. I was looking for interesting plants and I saw that vining sand plant like the one I saw the day before at Huntington Beach State Park. 

I also saw a wildflower in bloom - a small gumweed plant, similar to those we see on the Pacific Coast, which had a few open inflorescences. 

Gumweed, Grindelia sp. 

Pappa Quail was looking for birds but he also took photos of the butterflies that we saw on the island. The familiar monarch butterfly was one of them. 

Monarch Butterfly

But then we also saw the gulf fritillary - a butterfly that we've only seen a couple of days before at Fort Sumter. 

Gulf Fritillary

I was very surprised to see yucca plants on Morris Island. For all I know, yucca are desert plants of the southwest. It is possible however, that these were introduced, not native plants. 

On the edge of the grassy area was a sandy depression with a puddle. It looked like this would be an area flooded on high tide rather than collected fresh rainwater, but I didn't try checking the water salinity. We made our way down there to see what we could find. 

Little crabs were running to and fro on the semi-damp sand. I did my best to take photos of these little critters but the elder chika, who joined us at that spot, did better capturing them with her birding lens. 

Fiddler Crab, female

These crabs, it turned out, were fiddler crabs. The males of this species have one of their pincers much larger than the other. Apparently they use it in combat with other male crabs. 

Fiddler Crab, male

The main focus of both the elder chika and Pappa Quail were the little birds that were near the puddle. We kept our distance so to not bother them, and from that distance I could barely see the well camouflaged birds. 

There was a solitary semipalmated plover there. We've seen such a plover on the mud bars on the way in, and many of them in California. 

Semipalmated Plover

But there were also a number of piping plovers near that pond. They were certainly a lifer species for that trip, having seen on for the first time just the day before at Huntington Beach State park. Here there were several of them, and they seemed unbothered by our relative proximity. Still, we kept our distance.

Pappa Quail looked at his watch and motioned us that is was time to start heading back to the boat. On the shore I could see the silhouette of my younger chika - she was still looking at shells and sand dollars. We started moving slowly in her direction. I moved the slowest, stopping still for any interesting thing I saw. 

One of the things that caught my attention was a weathered red brick. The boat skipper told us that the original base f the lighthouse was built of bricks made from mud by slaves, likely at the Boone Plantation, where we had visited two days ago.

 I wondered if that brick was a relic of that sad time period, detached from the now useless lighthouse. apparently those old bricks are more valueable now, because of the historic burden they carry. 

Morris Island Lighthouse

Another familiar bird waited for us at the strandline area. This one was a western sandpiper, a bird which we were very familiar with from California. 

Western Sandpiper

The sun wes getting a bit lower on the west. I loved the light playing with the low waves and ripples that washed onto the island's shore. 

The gull was also apparently enjoying ut. It wasn't looking for fod, it was simply standing there, allowing the small waves wash his feet again and again. 

Ring-billed Gull

It was time to say goodby to Morris Island. All of our group gathered by the boat and I was the last one, other than the skipper, to climb on board. The skipper had to pull the boat a little more inland - the tide was already rolling in.

We didn't stop at all on the way back. The skipper kept the boat fast, saying that he had to be back prompt, because there was another group going out after us. None of us objected - it was a very fulfilling tour, and one I'd love to do again next time I'd visit Charleston.