2 April 2016, Sunol Regional Wilderness, Flag Hill Trail, 390-1345 ft, Alameda Co., California

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
48°F, cool and misty, no breeze, no clouds, no cell signal.

General field trip with Jim McGuire and UC Berkeley classmates for birds, herps, and mammals. Wilderness area consists of rolling hills dotted with oak woodlands in and around open grassy areas. There is cattle grazing allowed. Alameda creek runs generally S-N, parallel to Geary Rd. which leads to the main entrance. The first parking lot grassy areas had non-native grasses (including foxtail and needle-type), cranesbill (Geranium sp.), pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea), clover (Trifolium sp.), lupine (Lupinus sp.), and burclover (Medicago polymorpha).

While still in the lot, heard one wild turkey and saw two mourning dove, three Canada goose, and one Western scrub jay. Heading N from the parking lot to the W edge of the creek, saw three golden-crowned sparrows feeding in the dirt just before a bridge over the creek. There were also three European starlings in the tree overhead. The creek was broad, shallow, and very clear. The banks were lined with white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), Western sycamore (Platanus racemose), and willow (Salix sp.), with I think blackberries (Rubus sp.) in the understory. Could hear acorn woodpeckers in the riparian area, and saw one sitting high up in a large willow on the E bank. European starlings were seen flying into some alders with nesting materials in their bills.

We crossed the bridge to the E bank and began following Shady Glen Trail where it paralleled the Creek to the NW. Plant species in the area between the creek and the trail were bedstraw (Galium sp.), miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata), Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), CA buckeye (Aesculus californica), CA bay (Umbellularia californica), oaks (Quercus sp.) and associated oak mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum), vetch (Vicia sp.), chickweed (Stellaria media?), Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), and field madder (Sherardia arvensis). I saw one small Shooting Star (Dodecatheon hendersonii) about a foot from the path. Where there were gaps in the oak canopy on the E side of the trail, there was occasional coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis). There was a cat print in the mud of the trail (possibly bobcat), and at 8:39 a.m. our group found two Batrachoseps attenuatus in the riparian area. They seemed a paler shade of brown than the slender salamanders we have found in other parks.

Shady Glen Trail meets with Flag Hill Trail, and we continued to climb N and pass through a cattle gate. Just beyond the gate, our group turned up a Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha. There was a rocky seep in this area that was lined with Artemisia californica. At approximately 490 ft elevation, began to see buttercup (Ranunculus sp.) in the breaks in the oak canopy, lupine on sunny slopes, and tiny CA lotus (Acmispon wrangelianus?). As we continued up, the hill opened up into grassland and became much more weedy. There were non-native turf grasses, foxtails, pineapple weed, and geranium, but also oats (Avena sp.) and shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). There was an acorn woodpecker granary in the area, and we could hear several birds laughing at us. We watched several distant oaks for a while, and saw more European starlings and a turkey vulture sitting in a snag with its wings spread, sunning. There were six more turkey vultures riding thermals overhead.

At 620 ft, noticed yarrow (Achillea millefolium) for the first time, limited to the shade under oaks. Also purple owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta) on sunny E-SE facing slopes with very small lupine (< 1 ft tall). We stopped at this sunny slope for a while and found Pseudachris regilla under a log, heard a Steller’s jay, and saw 13 wild turkey feeding on a distant hill (W of the parking lot and entrance). I did not see buttercups above 640 ft on this trail (they reappeared on N slopes immediately after we crested Flag Hill). At this height the trail wound under a short distance of dense oak canopy that was thickly lined with possibly milk thistle (Silybum marianum… but possibly Italian thistle).

At 655 ft began to see what looked like purple needlegrass, the same small lupine but with some plants seeding, fiddleneck (Amsinckia sp.), and sparse blue dicks (Dichelostemma sp.). By 9:30 a.m. the sun had burned the mist away and it was in the low sixties with bright blue, clear skies. Looking toward the summit of Flag Hill, observed at least six turkey vultures in and on the rocks. About 25 cedar waxwings could be seen when they flew from tree to tree. At 835 ft began to see CA poppies (Eschscholzia californica) beginning to bud. There was also a very steep cut in a S-facing slope here, rocky, again filled with Artemesia and I think chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). We lingered in this area a while and observed one sharp-shined hawk, and a Nuttall’s woodpecker preening in the crown of a tree. Looking N toward the summit, spotted a single beautiful Bullock’s oriole in the crown of an oak.

As we continued toward the summit, I heard an Anna’s Hummingbird but could not locate it. At 1255 ft, heard but did not see a Western meadowlark, saw a yellow-billed magpie perched in the top one-third of an oak tree, and saw a red-tailed hawk flying overhead. Occasional rocky outcroppings appeared to be a cement-like amalgam, and felt like sandstone.

We reached the summit of Flag Hill (1345 ft) at 10:22 a.m., and in addition to non-native turf grasses and geranium saw lupine, CA poppies, purple owl’s clover, scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis), wavyleaf soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum), scattered blue dicks, yarrow, peppergrass (Lepidium nitidum), a very few purple sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida), and two Western wallflower (Erysimum capitatum). The lupine was different here, taller than 1.5 ft and more bush-like (possibly Lupinus albifrons). Buttercups reappeared here, and at all elevations on N-NE facing slopes of Flag Hill. On the rocky outcropping at the summit there was also some Indian paintbrush (Castilleja sp.), some type of white sage (Salvia sp.), and tiny wavyleaf soap plant that were growing directly in rock crevices. Observed one rock wren (appropriately perched on a rock and singing), two lark sparrows, at least five cedar waxwings in a nearby oak, a Western scrub jay, Thomomys bottae sign, and one Scoloporus occidentalis doing push-ups on a rock.

From there we continued N on Flag Hill Rd., but instead of following the trail we cut across a steep E-NE-facing hill to skip a switchback. The hillside was shaded by many oaks, one of which had many galls on its limbs and trunk. Observed two lesser goldfinch and one cedar waxwing in these oaks. The shaded slope was covered with non-native turf grass, buttercups, yarrow, and occasional wavyleaf soap plant.

By 11:00 a.m. the mist had all cleared, the sun was shining, and it temperature had reached low sixties. We came upon a small square watering hole located in a depression between Flag Hill Rd. and High Valley/Hayfield Rd. The water was quite muddy. There were many ground squirrels on the slopes leading to it, one peeping in alarm at our presence. There were no trees around the pond, just short grassland with scarlet pimpernel. The grass here was different, very short (~6 in high), soft, pale, and fine-bladed. The E slopes all had buttercups, and the steepest, rockiest slopes had the tall lupine bushes. There was considerably less geranium to be seen the closer one got to the watering hole. This area yielded Bufo boreas, Pituophis catenifer, and both Thamnophis atratus and T. sirtalis. The T. sirtalis was quite large (Jim informed us it was probably a female) and was missing the tip of its tail. It appeared to have something its stomach as well (the belly was somewhat distended), likely a frog. There were also many tadpoles in the water hole.

As we were leaving, finally managed to see two golden eagles flying in the distance (the goal of our trip), a little E of Flag Hill. On the hike back down the E face of the hill (we went off trail) there was Western blue-eyed-grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), and saw one mule’s ears plant (Wyethia sp.) before we once again found Shady Glen Trail.

Vertebrate List for Entire Group
Canada Goose (3)
Cooper’s Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
Red-shouldered Hawk (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (1, flying)
Peregrine/Prairie Falcon
Turkey Vulture (9)
Golden Eagle (2)
Wild Turkey (13)
Mourning Dove (2)
Anna’s Hummingbird (heard)
Allen’s Hummingbird
White-throated Swift
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (1)
Northern Flicker (heard)
Acorn Woodpecker (4)
Downy Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Black Phoebe (heard)
Hutton’s Vireo (heard)
Warbling Vireo (heard)
Yellow-billed Magpie (2)
American Crow
Western Scrub Jay (3)
Steller’s Jay (heard)
Violet-green Swallow
Oak Titmouse
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Rock Wren (1)
Western Bluebird (2)
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing (~35)
European Starling (~5)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler (heard)
Spotted Towhee
CA Towhee
Lark Sparrow (2)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (3)
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Western Meadowlark (heard)
Brewer’s Blackbird
Bullock’s Oriole (1)
Lesser Goldfinch (2)
Bushtit
Scapanus latimanus (sign)
Otospermophilus beecheyi (4)
Sciurus niger
Thomomys bottae (sign)
Lynx rufus (print)
Taricha torosa
Batrachoseps attenuatus (4)
Pseudachris regilla (1)
Bufo boreas (1)
Sceloporus occidentalis (1)
Plestiodon skiltonianus (1)
Hypsiglena ochrorhynca (1)
Thamnophis sirtalis (1)
Thamnophis atratus (1)
Pituophis catenifer (1)