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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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