Natural History Wanderings

Drove out to Pt. Reyes today planning to do a hike, but the strong winds including white caps on Tomales Bay were discouraging.  Decided to wander around  by car instead and see what there was to find.  On the way to Pt. Reyes there were White Pelicans and Great Egrets at Nicasio Reservoir.  At Point Reyes it was surprising to see how few people there were in some areas.   There was no one else at the South Beach parking lot at noon. Pretty amazing for a Saturday. There are still some very yellow patches of California Poppy along the road. One of the most scenic areas was the North Beach Dunes. Native plants in bloom included Coast Buckwheat, Dune Gum Plant, Seaside Daisy and Yarrow.  Colorful and scenic but unfortunate are the masses of  Ice Plant.  You can see it in sharp contrast to the native Bunch Grasses in areas.  Flying, perching or walking around were Turkey Vultures, Red Tail Hawks, Northern Harriers, Great Egrets, California Quail and Gulls (don’t ask me which ones).

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