Coyote Hills Regional Park
This park is located along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, northwest of Fremont and just north of the Dumbarton Bridge.
Opens at 8am every day. The entrance fee is $5. For more details click here.
This park is never crowded so it’s ideal for a quiet walk on a sunny morning. From the top of Red Hill there are extensive views of the bay and the Santa Cruz mountains to the west and inland towards the Diablo range to the east.
Within the park there are several bicycle trails and these can be extended to the north on the Alameda Creek Trail and into Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge to the south.
On Sunday though, as time was short, we walked the two mile loop along the Muskrat and
Chochenyo trails. The first part is along a boardwalk a few feet above the marsh. The tide was out and the dried mud look baked and cracked. At first we saw few birds. Maybe it was just too hot. Walking round a bend though we encountered a family of Canada Geese; mum, dad and three well grown chicks.
At first, the adults put on a brave show of protecting their flock but, as we walked slowly towards them, they flew off leaving their chicks to fend for themselves. Although we stayed perfectly still, the three juveniles attempted to follow their parents. Two made it, but the third was just not able to get off the ground. He ran past us with wings flapping wildly and eventually joined the rest of his family along the path.
[Click the image for a larger version]
Halfway round the trail we came across a fenced area. Behind is an Ohlone Shellmound. It would have been interesting to see it but restoration work is being carried out at the moment and then it will only be possible to view it by special arrangement.
Three quarters of the way round Tom spotted, through head high reeds, a group white pelicans. Brown pelicans are common along the coast but white pelicans are seen rarely. While Tom sorted out a lens I crept through the undergrowth to take a photo. It was only afterwards that Tom pointed out the poison oak. Fortunately I had not brushed against it.
The last part of the trail was along the road back to the car park. Somebody we passed said there was a deer at the side of the road but it was long gone by the time we reached the spot.
Next time we will bring our bikes and allow ourselves more time to explore some other trails.
August 01 2007 07:48 pm | Special Places
