September 8, 2012 - Buzzards Roost

It was a beautiful morning and as the crew showed up we decided to work on the Pine Mt. Tail, which ends at a great view looking towards RDO called Buzzard's Roost.

A plan that worked for the East Ridge brushing last year was to hike to the top and work the way down.  So we headed off to the view.  On the way Tom and Janette were constantly have deja vu flash backs partly, ok mostly, because I was saying we weren't on this trail for years.  We made it to the top around 11:30 and we did get our views.

View to the ocean in the RDO direction.

View toward Boulder Creek (photo by Tom)

We took in the view and stayed out the sun in the shadows of the out cropping.

Lunch at the rocky switch back (no poison oak)

After some time at the top we head down and I realized that the trail was in very good shape and realized that the crew that was out in May did make it to the top and had brushed the trail (so they weren't going crazy: at least I think).  So I finally got my lazy day with a great hike in the park.

On the way down we took the fire road to check it out but also for a different way back.  Near the bottom we came upon a large snag that appeared to be an old Fir.  We saw a Woodpecker fly from it and assumed it was an Acorn since you could see the holes they use to stuff their acorns.  In this area we also found a mixed flock of Townsend Warblers, Chickadees, Pacific Wren, and Hutton Vireoes.  Great way to end the day.

Although it was an easier than normal day we did put in 7 hours for a total of 42 hours for the day.  We are a little behind last years record volunteer hours by about 40 but it is still possible to break last years record with 3 more trail days left.  I would like to thank Gene, Tom, Norm. Janette, and new member Kathy for giving their time for nature.

See you on the trails.

Jeff

Bird Count 

2 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

1 Red-tailed Hawk (Western) (Buteo jamaicensis calurus)

3 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

1 Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

1 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

1 Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni)

8 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

1 Common Raven (Corvus corax)

6 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

1 Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

5 Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

3 Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

2 Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)

3 Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi)

6 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus])

 

August 11, 2012 - Lagomarsino Open Space Reserve

BBVTC friend, Linda of Sempervirens Fund, needed some help preparing old growth groves in the Lagomarsino Open Space Reserve area in San Mateo County off of Summit road.  We met at our regular 9am time but at Alice's Restaurant at the junctions of Hwy 84 and 35 (Summit Rd. or Skyline depending where you are).  There was a good turn out with 14 crew members and Ranger Loro.

 From Alice's we head north about 5 miles and turned left onto Swett Rd.  Then another 5 miles to the parking area on Native Sons Rd.  We hiked a short distance to the groves and it was already warm with the temperature at 88F as we arrived. 

These were very large trees but still not as big as the Mother and Father of the Forest in Big Basin.  There were also a few very large Douglas Fir.

Tom looking over the map of the groves with Linda

 The crew in front of a very large stump.

 One of the old growth redwoods with a smaller one with unusual flat top branching.

 One of the larger trees had a large Dusky-footed Woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes) nest inside.

It took a little bush whacking to get our bearing with the map but once we did it was fairly easy to locate the individual trees.

 It was one hot day getting up to 98F but luckily we were in the shade most of the time.  On the way out Linda shared some grapes, which were very sweet.

 And another treat was watermelon back at the cars.  We put in 98 hours on one of the hottest days of the year and I would like to thank Gene for giving me water since I ran out of my 2 quarts about 2 hours before we finished.  I would like to thank Ranger Loro, Linda, Mike, Gene, Dale S., Dale P., Herman, Tom, Janie, Bill, Fran, Peter, Michelle,and Francis.  Hope to see you next month.

See you on the trails.

Jeff

Bird Count

4 Band-tailed Pigeons

1 Raven

4 Chestnut-backed Chickadees

1 Brown Creeper

1 Hutton Vireo

2 Pygmy Nuthatch

1 Stellar's Jay 

1 Acorn Woodpecker

July 14, 2012 - Berry Creek Falls

The day started out foggy but turned into a blue sky day and very pleasant.  We were going to work on the trails around HQ but Janie mentioned the falls and off we went to the 3 falls that run along Berry Creek Falls trail. 

To get there we drove out Gazos Creek road and it would turned out we cleared more things off the roads than the trails.  This was on Gazos and it took all of 2 minutes to clear.

 

After years of watching the property with the caboose we met the man who owns the property and he has started an new project.  I don't know if I would want to be in this tree house during a winter storm.

We parked at the Sunset campground and headed down the falls starting on the Berry Creek Falls Trail.  There was more water flowing than I would have expected since BB only got 34" of rain this year.  Golden was first and then Silver,

 Along the way we took our time or at least I did to take numerous photos. 

White-veined Wintergreen (Pyrola picta)

Berry Creek Falls

We had lunch at Berry Creek Falls deck and then headed along STS towards Timm's Creek Trail.  There was some light brushing with most being along the upper send of Sunset Trail.

 I came across this very large fallen tree and I had to count the rings: 250 years old.

 I was carrying the crosscut saw all day and near the end of the hike we were able to use it.

The loop was about 4.5 miles but it took all day to do it.  We worked from 9 to 6 for 81 hours and I think we all had a great day.  I would like to thank Tom, Dale P., Jennie, Loren, Bill, Janie, Fran, and Gene.

See you on the trails.

Jeff

Bird Count:

2 Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
1 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
7 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
4 Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
4 Common Raven (Corvus corax)
17 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
6 Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
7 Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)
1 Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata)
5 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
2 Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
1 Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

June 8, 2012 - East Ridge and Beyond

It was a very nice morning and 7 crew members started out with 2 others being behind their time and they never caught up to us.  We decided to clean up after last months work on the East Ridge Trail.  The first tree to finish up looked a little strange in that the saw dust looked a little large for a hand saw and this would be confirmed a little farther down the trail.  We stopped by a grove and noticed that a Tan Oak was obstructing the dedication sign.

It didn't take long to clean up the area and we were off.  This section of the park was very birdy with the Hermit Thrushes and Pacific Wrens singing their heart out.

Farther down the trail we came across an area we left a 20" oak across the trail.  This and all the other clean up work was done and with a chain saw.  So much for the Marbled Murlets.

We came across a small patch of Wintergreen along the trail.  Along with other great sights of a charred grove and an old cut Redwood mostly likely cut after the 1900 San Fran earthquake.

Along Shadowbrook we came across this monster blockage that took about 2 minutes to clear.

We head toward the Redwood loop to take care of a Tan Oak that was partially on the trail and then headed back where we found another Tan Oak on the STS/Hihn Hammond Connector trail.

I was carrying the crosscut saw all day and we finally were able to use it.  Three cuts, 2 with the crosscut, and the trail was cleared.  The larger section was moved behind the old Redwood (see below) by pivoting it while balancing on the Redwood.  Monkeys use tools and there was much rejoicing and chest bounding.

I would like to thank Dale S., Micheal, Norm, Dale P., Gene, and Mike with a tip of the hat to Fran and Francis for showing up although not being able to connect the the rest of the crew.  We put in 63 hours but it was a great day for a walk in the woods since must of our work was taken care of over the last month.

Mother of the Forest on the Redwood Loop.

See you on the trail.

Jeff

Birds of the Day

1 Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna

10 Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus

3 Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

    Nest hole in a dead fir next to the Redwood Loop and Hwy 236

2 Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

9 Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis

    One fledgling calling peep

1 Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus

8 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri

2 Common Raven Corvus corax

8 Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens

2 Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea

8 Brown Creeper Certhia americana

9 Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus

1 Wrentit Chamaea fasciata

10 Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

1 American Robin Turdus migratorius

7 Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla

2 Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus

5 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group]

1 Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus

1 Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus

May 13, 2012 - Dool & East Ridge

There were 11 crew members this month and with these numbers we were able to split up.  Dale P. took one crew and they went up the trail from headquarters to Sequoia Group Camp and did not find the reported tree down on the trail.  They then went across Opal creek near the amphitheater to Skyline to the Sea Trail.  They followed that to Dool Trail and did some brushing along the way and went up Dool to Middleridge and did a little brushing along the way. 

They came back down Dool to Creeping Forest Trail and followed it back to Skyline to the Sea back to Headquarters.  There was not much to do on these trails.  There was one tree across Creeping Forest less than a quarter of a mile up from Skyline to the Sea.  It was only about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and was laying on the ground and was easy to step over.  They did not take the hand saw on this portion of our expedition so we could not take it out.

I took the other crew on what I thought would be a lazy walk through the park.  There were two areas that was worked on over the last few months so it was time to take care of them.  One area was on East Ridge on the other side of Hwy 236 and the other was the 115 foot section along Blooms Creek.

I had a bright idea to take East Ridge from the bridge on the road leading to Hihn Hammond road.  It was long when we found the first of what would turn out to be 8 areas with trees from 1/2" to 24".  Plus we only had hand saws.  The first area was an oak, which was covering about 30-40 feet of the trail.

 

 The next section was a tree that fell all over the trail.

 

 Bill did a great job tackling it in quick time and it could be hear "He's so strong.  He's our hero" :-)

The next one blocked the trail completely and it was so dense that you couldn't see through the mess.

 We could see through the mess at lunch time

 and at the end of the day you could at least walk over the trees.  This will be for next month.

 I would like to thanks Dale P., Bill, Janie, Tom, Herman, Gene, Janette, Francis, Peter, and Michelle.  We put in 7 hours for a total 77 volunteer hours.  Hope to see you next month.

See you on the trails

Jeff and Dale P.

Bird Count

1 Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnoma)
3 Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
1 Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
1 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
5 Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis)
1 Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
2 Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
1 Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
5 Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)
1 American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
4 Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
1 Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)
1 Hermit Warbler Setophaga occidentalis)
1 Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
3 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group])
2 Black-headed Grosbeak )Pheucticus melanocephalus)

April 14, 2012 - 2 Crews, 2 Big Trees

Another day in the park brought out Dale S., Bill, Janie, Gene, Fran, Norm, Peter, and me.  We split up into 2 crews to take care of large blockages on the STS trail.

The first crew of Janie, Bill, Norm, and Dale^2 headed back to Skyline to the Sea and the remaining 4 ft redwood tree on the STS trail near the Sunset Connector Trail. They took the large Stihl saw and the basic hand tools.  They started off with cool overcast skies…

 Norm was determined and not ready to give up to the saw

 OK, he’s tired.

 Now it’s the saws turn

 oops saw stuck, Mr. Stickum trying to un-stickum.  So it was time for a short walk to the tool bin and another saw.

 As the gap got larger

 everything else did too.

 Victory was finally achieved.

and we finished in beautiful sunshine.

The second crew went out to take care of a 3ft Fir down on the STS trail between HQ and Middle Ridge fire road.

This was actually 2 trees this one, a fir, that blocked two ends of the trail.

This was the second , which was the root ball and a 3 foot fir on the trail.

The first fir was under tension along the entire length.  It took a few cuts to open the one end and it ended with help from a few hiking volunteers to roll the section off the trail.

The other end required taking the tension off the trunk by taking sections out using the Pulaski.

 The Fir was over 200 years years old and it didn't go down without a fight.

We bent the hoe end of the tool

 We finally opened up the end next to the root ball but ran out of time and energy to take on the second tree.  We routed the trail around the root ball by putting in a few steps.


We put in 64 hours and was able to open one section and made the other safer for the park visitors.  Thanks to Dale for the crew #1 report and well as the photos.


See you on the trails


Jeff


Birding update:

1 Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

1 Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata

4 Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus

2 Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus

1 Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

2 Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

1 Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni

1 Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri

1 Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea

2 American Robin Turdus migratorius

3 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group]