An Afternoon Quality Time at Ed R. Levin Park

 

Wild Turkey, males

 

 

Date: February 17, 2025

Place: Ed R. Levin Park, Milpitas, California

Coordinates: 37.447041, -121.849269

Length: 1.5 miles

Level: easy

 

 

Last Presidents Day we discovered, quite surprisingly, that both our chikas, who are now college students, had a regular school day. On days like that Pappa Quail and I like to go hiking someplace together. That day however, we were both quite busy with things that piled up and when we were done with our chores there wasn't much daylight time left. I suggested going out anyway, to do a shorter walk in a close by place, so we went to Ed R. Levin Park, which is fairly close to our home. We hiked a number of times in Ed Levin Park, but every time previously we hiked around Sandy Wool Lake. This time we drove to Spring Valley Pond, which was an area of the park that we haven't seen yet. 

The first thing that caught my eye as we approached the pond was a sign saying that fishing is only allowed for children. Not wanting to fish for any child I joined Pappa Quail who was scanning the pond for birds.

The pond had very few waterfowl, and most of them were swimming near the shores. A pair of mallards swam away as we approached the shore but a few coots hung by the water edge. 

Spring Valley Pond

Pappa Quail wasn't very enthusiastic about photographing mallards and coots but he did take some photos on my request.

American Coot

We didn't plan on any long hike. The trails in that area of the park aren't very long anyway. Our plan was to simply go around the pond and then walk a little along the creek. Eventually we did go up the hill on Spring Valley Trail though, and had some really nice views from there.

Our hike as captured by my GPS

 

We started strolling down the trail, following the northeastern shore of the pond. We walked slowly, looking for birds and chatting. Left of the trail was a large lawn area, and a sole great egret stood there, possibly in ambush of gophers. 

Great Egret

At the edge of the lawn sat a birder on a folding tripod stool and aimed his huge lens-equipped camera at the egret. I tagged at Pappa Quail and he too took the majestic bird's photo.

Great Egret

The narrow connector trail to the other side of the pond was partially flooded and muddy. We walked carefully and managed to get to the other side without too much mud on our shoes. I hoped that there was no more mud on the trail ahead.

Nature Trail

The view of the pond from the southern trail was mostly blocked by vegetation. When we did have a clear view of the water we noticed a few more ducks, among them a male northern shoveler. Most of the ducks that we saw were concentrated on the west shore where a couple of park visitors were feeding them.

Northern Shoveler

T the west edge of the lake we continued straight on the Nature Trail that extended along the little creek spilling from the pond. Thick clouds have gathered above and I wondered if it'll rain. So far it didn't, and we continued hiking on a fairly dry trail.

Nature Trail

Trees and bushes grew between the trail and the creek, but whenever they parted we could see the light flow down below us.

There were many large oaks near the trail, and also some fallen trees, in various stages of decomposing. Many fungi were growing on these fallen, rotting trees but one of them was particularly vivid - the witch's butter fungus. 

Witch's Butter Fungus

Not all trees die when they fall. We did see one tree that broke and fell over, but it was still attached to its roots and its branches kept growing, twisting back in the upward direction. I am always amazed by the resilience of trees and their ability to grow around their problems.

The large oaks formed a beautiful canopy above the trail. i was taking photos of this pretty avenue when Pappa Quail noticed a rafter of turkeys crossing the trail.

Nature Trail

As big as these birds are, they can move pretty quickly when they want to. The turkeys ran fast across the trail and up the hill. At first I thought they were all males because all the toms were ahead of everyone else.

Wild Turkey, males

The hens followed the toms, at a much slower pace. They would also pause every now and then, and peck at the ground.

Wild Turkey, female

A few toms remained below near the creek. They looked at us with clear disinterest. I tried gobbling at them but they didn't reply. Perhaps my turkey dialect was off.

Wild Turkey, males

The creek was a small one, with a mild flow. Behind it was the access road to Spring Valley Pond. That was the road we came in on. It was quiet now, and the few cars that we did see traveling on that road were leaving.

We left the oaks behind us. The vegetation near the creek grew much thicker and denser. It was mostly willows, and they were beginning their spring bloom.

Willow, Salix sp. 

Below the willows I recognized the budding leaves of roses. I couldn't tell whether these roses were a native California species, or introduced plants that established themselves in the wild.

Rose, Rosa sp. 

The trail split. Our original plan was to simply backtrack on the nature trail, but now the plan seemed too short so we decided to return via the Spring Valley Trail that extended up on the hill.

Spring Valley Trail

As soon as we gained some height the wonderful view of Mission Peak, all in green, came before our eyes. From this angle the iconic pyramid that makes Mission Peak's summit wasn't visible. Below us was the dark line of oaks that marked the creek that we walked along. Across the creek I saw a large patch of yellow flowers. It looked pretty, but likely they were either mustard or sour grass, both of which are invasive plants in California.

Mission Peak

The yellow wildflowers that bloomed near the trail were definitely mustard. Although they are introduced plants, I still enjoyed seeing their bright color, especially on a dark, cloudy afternoon.

Mustard

A large oak tree, still bare of leaves, was growing downhill from the trail. The tree looked old and majestic. It wasd hard capturing all of its canopy in a single frame.

There were more oaks near the trail higher up the hill. Most of these oaks were live oaks - they were evergreen. Below one of the oak trees we saw again the rafter of turkeys. There were even more turkeys at the grassy hilltop, and I chose that photo to head this blog post - the turkeys were certainly the highlight of that hike.

One of the trails that lead up to Mission Peak begins at the Ed Levin Park, from the Sandy Wool Pond area. When I decided to join the expedition going up Mount Shasta I started my training by ascending Mission Peak on that trail.

Mission Peak

The trail curved to the south a bit to reach the high point. From the top of the hill we had a grand view of the south part of the San Francisco Bay and the low lands that surround it, as well as the peninsula mountains on the other side.

Bay View

Meanwhile, Pappa Quail found the first bird on this hike that he was truly interested in seeing - a single black-shouldered kite was perched on a tree. It was far from the trail but a few steps forward brought us to a better viewing and photographing position across from the kite.

Black-shouldered Kite

After a nice walk up the ridge the trail started descending down to the east. In that part of the hike, the trail bordered some private lands. We walked along the huge backyards of the local residents there, which had big mansions and horses in a fenced run.

Spring Valley Trail

A small bird was perched on one of these fences and Pappa Quail took some effort to get a good photo of the bird - a Say's Phoebe.

Say's Phoebe

We resumed our descent down the trail. The Spring Valley Trail didn't go directly to the pond but reached a small parking area east of the pond. As we made our way down we saw a young Sikh couple in bright traditional clothes posing for celebratory photos. The photographer was very focused on the young couple and completely ignored the bluebird that was perching on a tree branch right above him. As it happened, Pappa Quail didn't notice the bird either, or otherwise didn't feel inspired to photograph it.

Across the parking area was a large, solitary eucalyptus tree. I don't normally photograph non-native trees but this eucalyptus was in full bloom and looked very beautiful.

I don't have a photo of a bluebird from this hike but I did convince Pappa Quail to take a close up photo of the eucalyptus blossom.

Eucalyptus

We walked quickly down the trail northeast of the Spring Valley Pond, which was the same trail we started on. The great egret was still on the lawn, although somewhat further away. It attracted a number of admiring observers, who kept a respecting distance, thankfully. The seated birder was there still, in the same place we saw him at the beginning of our hike, and he was still looking at the great egret. 

Pappa Quail was a bit disappointed with the bird yield of this hike. i asked him if he wanted to check out the Sandy Wool Pond area, but he declined. It was time to go back home. 

 

 

 

 

 

A Taste of a Different World: Hiking in the Swamp of the Audubon's Beidler Forest Sanctuary

 

Date: November 22, 2024

Place: Audubon's Beidler Forest Sanctuary, Harleyville, South Carolina

Coordinates: 33.220770, -80.354076

Length: 1.7 miles

Level: easy

 

 

Last fall Pappa Quail and I debated over where to go on the chikas' Thanksgiving break. In previous years we would go on road trips, and we pretty much covered all of California and some Nevada and Arizona areas. We discussed revisiting some of the places we've already traveled to when a new idea came to me - I suggested flying to Savannah, Georgia. After a short discussion, Pappa Quail agreed - we have never been in that part of the country, and he was bound to see lifer birds there. As it happened, we actually spent more time in South Carolina rather than in Georgia. On the first day of our break we flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, rented a car, and drove to Charleston, where we had planned to stay for the next few nights. Our flight to Charlotte was a red eye. When we landed I was too tired to drive and so Pappa Quail took the wheel and drove for a couple of hours while the chikas and me dosed off in the passenger seats. Knowing how long it'll take to drive from Charlotte to Charleston, Pappa Quail had planned a birding stop on the way. So after a brief lunch break  he drove us to the Audubon's Beidler Forest Sanctuary where, after listening to the docent at the visitor center we headed out through the back door and onto the board walk trail.  

Our hike as captured by my GPS

 It wasn't clear to me at first why was there a need for a boardwalk, but Pappa Quail, who has hiked in similar southeastern forests in Texas on a different trip told me that this area was periodically flooded. 

Near the trailhead the forest floor was dry, with no sign of recent flooding. What did cover the forest floor, other than dry leaves were lots of little palmetto palms.

I took a few close up photos of the palmetto palms. The only time I've seen these dwarf palms before was in Texas, on a family trip years ago. I was fascinated by them then, and I was still fascinated by them now.  

Dwarf Palmetto, Sabal minor

The Audubon Society focuses birds but preserving habitat and educating the public are high on their agenda. It was nice seeing plant ID signs along the trail. It was especially nice when it was clear what plant was the sign referring to, since many of the plants were winter-bare.

Wax Myrtle, Morella cerifera

Most of the palm species I know grow to decent size trees. Height in the Beidler forest was reserved for other tree species though. Towering over the trail were many tree species, both broad leaf and conifers I recognized none of the species.

After a fairly short distance we started seeing some flooding on the forest floor. Most of it seemed standing water, without any flow. Some of the flooded areas were hard to see because the very quiet water was covered with fallen leaves.

Pappa Quail and the elder chika craned their necks in search of birds. I craned mine in admiration of the tree canopies. Some of the trees were represented in the info signs, with names and illustrations.

Mockernut Hickory, Carya alba

Those trees that still had their leaves on filtered through the soft fall light. Their canopies shines and glowed in soft, almost magical illumination.

My younger chika who was at the rear called me and pointed down on the boardwalk. I walked to where she was standing and looked down to where she was pointing. A bright green stinkbug was walking on the wood plank. It had red spikes on its shoulders. Very cool.

Spined Green Stink Bug

More and more of the forest floor was now flooded. The rainy season has just begun in the area, and it was expected that the flood zone would get much bigger as winter progresses. I expect that summer time there should be gorgeous, but also full of mosquitoes.

Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum

We reached the junction where the loop part of the trail started and took the left turn, following the boardwalk clock-wise. 

We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day. The sunshine that filtered through the canopies to the shallow standing water below came back as a beautiful, and very colorful image of the reddish earth below the water, fallen leaves on the water surface, fallen logs and tree trunks, and reflections of the higher forest story 

I even managed to capture the sun itself, reflecting from the water, as if shining from a deep, mysterious netherworld.  

I did not hold back on photographing the water surface with all of the beauty it held. It did make quite a challenge to select photos for this blog post, though. 

There were plenty of information signs along the trail. While most of the information posted was about the nature we were walking in, some signs were also dedicated to the human history of the place. It was our first hike in this part of the country, and the sign telling us about the Carolina Gold rice raised using slave labor in fields that used to be forests such as this one, and cleared of trees using slave labor. The sign stated that very few old growth forests such as this one remained in the southeast. I hugged the nearest tree I could reach from the boardwalk, conveying regards from the California redwoods which also suffered similar demise in the name of modern settling and productivity. 

We saw very little green in the forest so late in fall. What little green there was at eye level immediately drew my attention. It was quite lovely to see, too. 

The trees that didn't drop their leaves yet were the main source of green in the flooded swamp area. On eye level these were the young trees, such as this juvenile oak. 

Oak, Quercus sp.

Audubon's Beidler Forest Preserve Preserve is within a larger seasonal flooding area named the Four Holes Swamp. In this area used to hide maroon communities of runaway slaves. 

Some of the trees had hanging from their branches what I first thought was lichen but later I found out it was called Spanish Moss. The Spanish Moss, I learned, was neither Spanish nor a moss, but an epiphytic plant. In the old days people used Spanish Moss to stuff mattresses and car upholstery. The plant had to be boiled first because it is the habitat of 'chiggers': tiny bugs that would irritate the skin. 

Spanish Moss, Tillandsia usneoides

At the far end of the boardwalk we reached a lovely viewpoint on Goodson Lake. Goodson Lake was not an actual lake (meaning not fed by creeks and rivers), said the information sign at the site, but a year-round flooded area of the swamp. 

Goodson Lake

A real lake or not, Goodson Lake was gorgeous. Its surface was mirror-calm and the reflections were perfect. 

Many of the photos I took at that place I would not be able to tell were of reflections if not for the occasional floating leaf, or my memory. 

Pappa Quail and the elder chika were searching the trees for birds. I saw that my young chika was gazing at the water so I joined here there, staring together into the watery looking glass.

A slider turtle was warming itself on a log floating in the lake. It was the first (and the only) reptile that we saw that day on the wild (not including the snake in the visitor center). This was reassuring somewhat, because signs posted by the trail warned us about the resident alligators.

Yellow-bellied Slider

After a good break at the Goodson Lake view area we resumed our walk. A three-leaved little plant, getting ready for winter by the color of its leaves, attracted my attention. It looked very familiar to me. Indeed - that was the poison ivy, the eastern relative of our California's poison oak. Leaves of three - let it be! I certainly didn't touch it, but it did look pretty.

Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans

Fungi shelves poking out of tree trunks also attracted my attention. Over all I didn't see too many mushrooms on this hike. Perhaps late fall wasn't the season for them in South Carolina.

Pappa Quail and the elder chika were experiencing a lot of frustration throughout the hike - we were hearing birds in the trees, but as often is the case in forests - the birds didn't make themselves readily visible. Eventually however, they did manage to capture some birds on camera, the first of them being a very common species, one that we see plenty of in California as well.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

We walked very slowly. My family birders kept stopping to look for birds. Me and my younger chika were engaged in a philosophical discussion, and on the while, I was enjoying the swamp forest, which was a very new sight for me. I have never seen anything like this flooded forest anywhere before. I knew that plants could grow and thrive in flooded conditions but it amazed me how many different forms this ability took.

A baby cedar

The next bird that Pappa Quail and the elder chika found got them a bit more excited, but it too turned out to be of a very familiar species. Pappa Quail said that this was not the best season to visit here to see a large variety of bird species. 

Hermit Thrush

Not seeing many birds, the elder chika gave her attention to other things as well. She took also photos of sights that she knew would interest me. She was right of course.

Lichen

My elder chika also saw and photographed the resident squirrel before it darted into hiding. The Eastern Gray Squirrel was introduced in California in the 19th century and became an invasive species there. Here we were seeing it in its natural habitat.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Although none of the trees in the forest were as large as the redwoods or firs of the west, some of the trees we saw did grow to very impressive size. 

The prominent tree in the flooded area is the bald cypress. One interesting thing about these trees are the conical buttresses that poke out of the water out of their roots. An info sign said that it is thought that these buttresses might function as structural support, as starch storage organs, or as 'snorkels' for gas exchange. 

We were getting close to the trail junction where the loop would be complete. Before that we saw some netting on a nearby cedar, and a sign posted there told us that these were part of a gall experiment - the researchers were trying to capture the adult midges that were forming galls on these trees.

Nearly all of the historical information signs focused on the time of slavery and of the enslaved Africans -of their agonizing history and of their culture. There was one sign however, posted near the end of the loop, with some words about the native people of the are. Very little information remained about these people because there was no real interest in documenting their lives and eventually they were forcefully removed from their ancestral land. It is known however, that the marooned runaway slave communities interacted closely with them, and received help and support from the local indigenous people.

I cannot imagine how it was like to live in a regularly flooded area in the ancient time, certainly with local apex predator as the alligator. But then again, people did and do thrive in so many different places, I'm sure they had their ways of dealing with all of the challenges that the swamp presented. For them it was a familiar home and their way of life. 

 

After this hike we went on a short walk in the fields at the edge of the preserve, but didn't see much else other than some Carolina chickadees on a bird feeder. It was late afternoon when we eventually resumed our drive to Charleston, where we would stay for the next four days. 

Audubon's Beidler Forest Preserve was our introduction to the nature of the South Carolina/Georgia coastal region. It was beautiful and strange, and definitely new to me, and I was happy to see it.