Redwood Shores - Radio/Canvasback/Shearwater - Oct. 8, '09

Walking Distance: 2.21 miles
Walking Time: 50 minutes (4:38 - 5:28 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Shore Dogs Park, Redwood Shores, CA

On today's walk, I repeated and walked some extra ground, just to walk on a few bits of trails I might have missed before. I parked at Shore Dogs Park, and admired the birds across the street in the lagoon, and then walked down Radio Road, until I reached the intersection with Redwood Shores. At this point I walked down the public path to the public parking lot off Canvasback Way. I turned left onto Canvasback Way, left on Shearwater, and left on Redwood Shores Parkway, then back to my car at Shore Dogs Park -- where I'd spotted about 90+% of the birds listed below.

Wildlife Sightings: 20 sea gulls; 20 ducks; 2 white pelicans and 1 brown one (flying overhead); 10 unidentified brown shorebirds + 8 with very long bills; 8 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 cormorant perched on tower; 15 black-necked stilts; 15 American Avocets; 2 Canada geese crossing the street (one limping). I had only an (expired) disposable camera with me this evening; so I doubt I'll have any pictures worth posting.

Redwood Shores - Marine Pkwy - Oct. 7, 2009

Walking Distance: 5.78 miles
Walking Time: 1 hour, 15 min. (4:10 - 6:25 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Parking lot, near intersection of Island Drive & Bridge Parkway (within sight of Oracle buildings)

Today I made three loops in one long walk. First, I walked along the Belmont slough toward the Bay, intending to walk back toward Canvasback Way where I'd finished previously. However, I ended up inadvertently hiking further out into the Bay along the gray dotted line area. This dirt trail eventually curved back around and brought me near where I'd finished a few days ago. I retraced my steps along this trail, and emerged near Salt Court onto Marine Parkway, which turned into Shearwater Parkway, and walked back along Shearwater, past Canvasback Way, as far as Mindanao Drive. I then walked back again to the car, along a different trail along Belmont slough during part of the final stretch. Yes, you're right, this is confusing.

Wildlife Sightings: 5 snowy egrets, 5 great egrets; 44 black-necked stilts; 29 little brown jobs (LBJs); 13 cormorants; 22 ducks; 1 snake (gopher or sharp tailed?) ~13" long; ~42 killdeer; ~ 5 sandpipers; 3 UFO brown shorebirds; 24 crows; 2 rabbits

Redwood Shores - Canvasback Wy. - Oct. 6, 2009

Walking Distance: 1.53 miles (3,140 steps)
Walking Time: 1 hour (3:08 - 4:08 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Parking off Canvasback Way, Redwood Shores, CA

Gradually making my way around Redwood Shores, today I picked up where I had left off a few days ago, at an elevated observation platform with benches and a view of the San Mateo bridge.

I retired my $7.00 flip flop sandals I'd been wearing since mid-May. The little multi-colored beads on top of one of them started to come loose. I upgraded to a pair of $18 Teva flip flops at the San Carlos REI outdoor store, and bought a new shirt. Walking is a wonderfully inexpensive sport. These shoe and shirt upgrades I made today are comfortable, but optional.

I spotted both a kingfisher (bird) and also a sea lion or seal (too far away to check out ear shape). That was fun. Unfortunately, the still image of a mysterious smallish, brownish head sticking out of the water wasn't that impressive, and didn't capture the sounds of it breathing/snuffling. I did capture an egret on the roof of a house, a bee enjoying a bright pink flower, a few flowers with no bee (because it had already flown away), that kind of thing.

Wildlife Sightings: 3 crows; 5 little brown jobs (LBJs); 1 great egret and 4 snowy egrets; 10 American avocets; approximately 80 unidentified brown shore birds (flying too far away to see); 1 sea lion or seal; 1 brown pelican and 1 tern (both diving from the sky for a fish dinner); 2 hummingbirds; 1 skipper butterfly; 1 kingfisher (bird); 1 small gray grasshopper.

Redwood Shores - Shore Dogs Park onward - Oct. 1, '09

Walking Distance(s): 2.63 miles total
1.) .8 mile
2.) 1.83 miles
Walking Time(s):
1.) 20 min. (5:46 - 6:06 p.m.)
2.) 44 min. (6:11 - 6:55 p.m.)
Start & End Point(s):
1.) Shore Dogs Park
2.) Public parking lot at other end of Radio Road

On the first leg of tonight's walk, I ambled from Shore Dogs Park, alongside the Wastewater Treatment Plant, to the end of the trail (red line on map) to gate with closed sign. Salt marsh mice and clapper rail birds are trying to make a recovery here on the other side of the fence. The pre-sunset light and view of ducks and other birds on the large pond nearby was great. However, along with some less wonderful smells, I was engulfed in a cloud of small gnats that were flying at ankle-to-eyeball level; and I had to walk around what looked like a lost carpet on the trail. There also seemed to be a brown haze/cloud hovering over part of the Bay, perhaps due to a fire somewhere. Each walk is full of new discoveries.

For the second leg of tonight's walk, I drove down to the other end of Radio Road, and parked in a public parking lot, and followed the trail (red line) closest to the Bay to the second public viewing platform (nearest to the intersection of Canvasback Way and Seabrook Court). From this raised observation area, I could see the San Mateo bridge, and the San Francisco skyline is growing closer each time I get a view of it. It was getting dark, but I was treated to a big moon starting to take shape, and a semi-silhouette view of a great blue heron on top of a chimney, on my way back to my car. Sadly, my camera was sitting at home. I'd left my house in a hurry, hoping to beat rush hour traffic on Highway 101 and to squeeze this walk in.

Combined Wildlife Sightings:
43 ducks; 14 little brown jobs (LBJs); 7 sea gulls; 2 American avocets; 15 black-necked stilts; 1 great egrets and 4 snowy egrets; 2 great blue herons; 4 brownish shorebirds (whimbrels or willets); an uncountable number of gnats; 1 unidentifiable blur in the bushes.

Redwood Shores - to Shore Dogs Park - Sept. 30, '09

Walking Distance: 1.96 miles
Walking Time: 52 minutes of walking + 17 min. break at dog park (2:40 - 3:49 p.m.)
Start & End Point: Visitor Parking, end of Dockside Circle

We (two women and a dog) had sunny, beautiful weather for a walk today along Steinberger Slough to Shore Dogs Park on Radio Road. As before, there were a lot of birds out in the slough that I couldn't identify or count because they were too far away.

Wildlife Sightings: 1 grasshopper; 4 dragonflies; 2 great blue herons; 1 great egret and 2 snowy egrets; 20 ducks; 5 sea gulls; 1 cormorant; and 1 crow.