Hot, Hot, Hot: an August Hike to Bear Canyon and Switzer Falls

Date: August 22, 2013
Place: Colby Canyon and Switzer Falls, Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates:  34.26633, -118.14570

Difficulty: moderate (strenuous when hot)Length: about 4.5 miles

Last time we've been to Los Angeles, our good friend there showed us around and took us hiking at Solstice Canyon. This time, he was going to take us into Angeles National Forest, to one of his favorite trails: the Gabrieleno Trail to Switzer Falls.
We met at the hotel where we stayed and drove in a convoy into the San Gabriel Mountains. It was a slow drive and our host stopped to show us the after effect of the fire that incinerated the area in 2009. That fire, started by arsonists, had claimed 3 human lives and consumed 650 square kilometers and was the largest in California's history until the Sierra fire of last summer had surpassed it.
Bear Canyon had survived that fire. Deep enough and wet enough, the vegetation there was spared. We parked at the staging area and started walking along the creek.

Blessed shade in a hot day: the trailhead. 

Even in mid-August, the creek was flowing. It was nice to walk in the shade where everywhere else was unbearably hot.

Ripples and Light

The heat didn't bother the lizards. They cherished it.

We met quite a few lizards along the trail. Some were gracious enough to let us photograph them.

 

Whenever I lifted my eyes and looked through the trees I could see the charred evidence of the fire. Such devastation, so close.

Near the water, though, the trees were vital-green, shrubs were blooming and birds were twitting. It was life as usual.

Poplars by the creek

I was actually surprised to see flowers this late in summer. They were right by the water, though.

Fleabane (Erigeron brewery)

The fleabane is local. The chicory is an immigrant.

Chicory (Chicorium intybus), and invasive species

The trail to the falls goes up the hillside, which meant leaving the soothing shade and get exposed to the blazing sun, enhanced by the albedo off the white rock. The vegetation changed too: we were now surrounded by agave, toyon and yucca.

Chaparral Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei)

One particularly pretty sight was the mountain mahogany, displaying its feather-like seeds in the blazing sunlight.

Mountain mahagony (Cercocarpus betuloides)

The feathered tails allow the seeds be carried in the wind. Until then they give their mother bush a very angelic look. 

Mountain mahagony (Cercocarpus betuloides)

And another seed display that caught my eye: 

Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia)

In this case the seeds don't go anywhere with the wind, but are carried off by birds who eat the red fruit. 

There were also dead, blackened trees all around. We were happy to go down into the canyon and be back in the shade.

Raven on a charred tree branch

A short walk along the second canyon and we found ourselves by a little pool at the bottom of the lower of the Switzer Falls. We were delayed but a little, when Papa Quail noticed this canyon wren displaying on a nearby rock:

Canyon Wren

But even the wren couldn't hold us long.  A few minutes later we were sitting by the cool of the pool.

The bottom pool of the lower Switzer Falls. 

The chikas were quick to dip their feet in the water. Papa Quail and I followed our guide and climbed to the upper pool at the top of the fall, which was a bit of a risky business. Grandma Quail stayed and watched the chikas.

The top pool of the lower Switzer Falls. 

We didn't go on to the upper falls. That would have been too much for our heat-exhausted company.
It was high noon and very high heat. It took a great mental effort to get away from the cool of the pool and head back up the exposed hill. The chikas were rebellious, which added to the naturally-difficult conditions. We were very fortunate though, to have our friend guide us on that trail. He knew exactly where to stop and show us another fantastic feature of that trail: the Echo.

Sorry, no echo photo, but that's the magic spot.

We stopped on that spot and for a good long break, stood there, yelling, howling and making all kinds of vocal expressions at the opposite canyon wall. The echo was so clean and impressive that we did it for quite a while. The chikas (all of us, really) felt much better after that stop. We continued back to Colby Canyon and up the creek.

Bear Creek water flow

I just can't understand why anybody would want to hike in Nature while carrying a loud boom box with them. Luckily, those we've seen (and heard for a long while) on the trail were going the opposite direction.
We were drenched in sweat when we got back to the parking lot. The trail is beautiful. I would love to hike it again. Probably not in August, though. But Spring Break is coming soon ...

Many thanks to my friend, Green Thumb, for sharing with us the Nature treasures of Los Angeles County and for his wonderful company!

Many thanks also to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plans!

A view of Colby Canyon

More Nature in the City: Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve

Date: March 5, 2013
Place: Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, California
Coordinates: 34.1725, -118.4692
Difficulty: easy.

The morning that followed our hike in Solstice Canyon we planned to have an early stroll at the wildlife refuge closest to our host's house: the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve. Another friend had joined us and so, armed with our cameras, we left for the Reserve.

Double-crested Cormorant

What was supposed to be a quick stroll to find some hummingbirds had, in fact, filled up our entire morning. That's because there was plenty to see there beside hummingbirds :-)

Red-winged Blackbird, male, tricolored.

The main entrance to the reserve is from its north end. We parked at Burbank Boulevard on the south end and entered the reserve via a thin trail created by people who entered the reserve from this way before.

Other bird-watchers across the lake. Notice all the nests in the trees above.

The proper trail encircles the lake in a two-mile loop, the east part away from the lake and the west part along the shore. We stuck to the lake shores throughout the walk and appreciated the aquatic birds.

Great Egret

And not just the aquatic.

Song Sparrow

And not just the birds.

A crayfish the chikas found on the shore. They cared to return it to the water after the photograph was taken. 

Eventually we got to the north part of the trail, where our hosts took us into the bushes to look for the promised hummingbirds. We spent a good time looking at these magnificent birds and Papa Quail was in sheer heaven. I had a difficult time choosing from all the wonderful pictures Papa Quail took that day. I selected two of them.
This species was new to us:

Allen's Hummingbird, male.

And this one amazed us with aerobatics that only a hummingbird can do:

Anna's hummingbird performing aerobatics. 

Hummingbirds are magnificent flyers, but bigger birds are also graceful in the air.

Great Blue Heron

And no less graceful in the water.

American White Pelican

In the bushes Papa Quail spotted a bird species new to him: the Common Yellowthroat. They were very quick to fly but Papa Quail managed a quick shot of them.
Here's the male:

Common Yellowthroat, male

And the female:

Common Yellowthroat, female. 

Turning the corner brought us to the West side of the lake where the trail becomes wide and paved. It also brought us closer to the waterfowl.

A Mallard and a Hooded-Merganser. Both male. 

This pair of ducks were particularly interesting.  The male is a Wood Duck, wearing his magnificent breeding colors. The female behind him is a Mallard. And yes, they are a couple, all right. We watched them for a long time. They were resting together, swimming together and the male kept chasing away another male mallard who appeared interested in his female (although he was considerable smaller than the mallard). It was a great example of an inter-species love :-)

Wood Duck, male, and Mallard, female. 

We were enjoying the sight, but my older chika was particularly fascinated by it and composed an entire love story to go with this couple, with illustrations.
We slowly completed the loop around the lake.

White-crowned Sparrow

The birds were not the only wildlife we appreciated that day.

Duskywings

All and all, we walked about 1 mile in over two hours. Not much of a workout, but totally satisfying wildlife viewing. 

Western Tiger Swallowtail

 We had a wonderful, and way too short, time in Los Angeles and with our friends. We would have loved to stay more but we had to return home that night. Less than two days after, my friend and I would embark on our long planned great desert trip to see the desert bloom.


Many thanks to our friends, Ofer Dub and Green Thumb for taking us to this wonderful place!


An update from August 22, 2014, The Sepulveda Basin is up in flames. A brush wildfire that started near the Van Nuys Airport. It just breaks my heart to know that all this beauty has now turned to ashes.

Nature in the City: Solstice Canyon

Date: March 4, 2013
Place: Solstice Canyon, Malibu, California
Coordinates: 34.03778, -118.74764
Length: to the waterfall and back, about 2.5 miles.
Difficulty: easy

Last March a close friend of mine came to visit me from overseas. On the first weekend of her stay we drove to Los Angeles to visit mutual friends who live there. Here I have a little confession to make, as well as an apology. For all the years we lived in California, we Quails avoided visiting Los Angeles. For numerous reasons, the topmost being the image we had in our minds of a largely cemented area with very little nature to see.
On our short visit to LA we were proven wrong. Very wrong indeed. There is much lovely nature in LA and vicinity still, which I'm eager to go back to and explore to a greater extent.

On our first day there, our friend took us to Solstice Canyon, in the Santa Monica National Recreation Area. Just off Hwy 1 in Malibu.
Still, being in a largely urban area, and it being a weekend, there were quite a few people there and finding a parking place was somewhat challenging. After some waiting by the creek we started our hike.

The trail is sloping gently up along the creek. Large, majestic oaks grow alongside.

And where there are oaks, one can expect to see acorn woodpeckers:

Acorn Woodpecker

It is easier to see their larders, they are completely stationary:

Woodpecker's storage

The lower part of the trail is wide and paved. After crossing the creek is turns to gravel, but is still wide and comfortable.

Alongside the trail grew these bushes with strong and very sweet smelling flowers. We stepped off the trail for a closer look (and sniffing).

Greenbark Ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus)

On the north side of the trail loomed an impressive rocky cliff. It was only when we were on our way back that our host revealed the existence of a loop trail that goes up to these rocks. Something for the next visit, I guess :-)

Sometimes it's a rock formation. Some times it's a funny-looking tree. Any unusual sight can give me inspiration.  Here is the 'brain' root:

The trail leads all the way to the Matthew Keller House. This house, built by a local land owner who used the creek's water and is considered to be the oldest structure in Malibu. At 1952 the Fred Robert's Ranch was built on the grounds and destroyed by fire on 1982.

The Tropical Terrace: the remains of Fred Robert's ranch that was burnt on 1982.

The trail curves behind the relics and climbs to a little pool.

A thrashing moth making ripples in the pool (we did pull it out). 

The pool is fed by a tiny and refreshing waterfall:

We spent a good time sitting by the waterfall. Our host explained about the history of the place and tantalized me with stories of other trails in the area.
Eventually it was time to go back. We returned on the same trail. My friend stopped to photographed everything blooming. I followed suit.

Clematis lasiantha

I admit, I have a weakness for roses.

Wild California Rose (Rosa californica)

Papa Quail was busy with his camera too. Of all the birds we've seen on that trail, this one, the Black-hooded Parakeet, stood out:

Black-hooded Parakeet

There used to be one species of native parakeet, the Carolina Parakeet, in the United States. Sadly, that species was hunted to extinction. All parrots now found in the wild in the US, including the Black-hooded Parakeet, originated from pets released by or escaped from irresponsible pet owners.

We finished that day with a pleasant walk at the famous Malibu Beach, sharing a restful evening with the gulls and pelicans.

Brown Pelican

My friend עננת - thank you for taking me to Los Angeles!

Many thanks to our dear friend and host who showed us the natural face of the City of Angels! I'll be heading back down there quite soon :-)

And many thanks to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plants. I learn a lot from you!