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The weather was great, the hiking was great, the company was wonderful, but the lack of significant winter rain kept many of the flowers from blooming. Many annuals, such as lupines, Miner’s Lettuce, Golden Yarrow, Chinese Houses, Purple Owl’s Clover, Caterpillar Phacelia and Fiesta Flower, usually seen, did not sprout. Even the bird species sighted was below average.

Our first birds were a large flock of 19 American Crows poking around in the Paramount Ranch grassy field, up to something devious, no doubt. After a flock of 7 Nanday Parakeets (aka Black-hooded) flew noisily by, a warbler sang from near

Acorn Woodpecker trio (C. Almdale 4/12/14)

the footbridge into the movie set; this turned out to be a male Yellow Warbler, replete with red breast streaks. The movie ranch, set among large live oaks, held theusual Acorn Woodpeckers, House Finches, and Lesser Goldfinches, plus a noisy but hard-to-find Downy Woodpecker. Out in the field, ground squirrels and rabbits went about their snuffling business.

The path up to Mulholland Dr. passes through a small wooded area where shade-loving plants find a home. Wild Cucumber, Lace Pod, Golden Current, Wild Radish and that weird, unidentifiable Onion can be found here.

The mystery onion (A. Albaisa 4/12/14)

On the Reagan Ranch section we generally find orioles, Cassin’s & Western Flycatchers, Black-headed Grosbeak, towhees, sparrows, finches and warblers. Hawks, ravens and crows pass by overhead. Ash-throated Flycatchers sing everywhere. The expected First American and extraterrestrial artifacts were all in their usual places.

Gumplant (C. Almdale 4/12/14)

We saw a few groups of hikers along the way, most sporting pairs of aluminum walking poles. We slowly made our way up past the Reagan Ranch buildings and down the Yearling Trail leading to Crags Drive, the main trail through Malibu Creek State Park. Lots of flowers and birds along this section. Crags Dr. was packed with hoards of hikers and families, most of them heading for the M.A.S.H. film site. Several large groups of students were diligently taking notes on clipboards. Bike riders wove through the crowds: parents had to frequently admonish their children to not ride so close to the walkers. We always find Dudleaya and blooming Yucca along this section of trail.

Common Fiddleneck (C. Almdale 4/12/14)

Century Lake had a nice mixed flock of swallows and swifts catching insects over the dam at the head of the gorge; Violet-green Swallows snagged drinks from the lake surface; one got more of a bath than a sip.

It’s nearly noon by the time we get to Malibu Creek: it’s getting hot, we’re tired, and although we’re more-or-less dead-heading for the parking lot where we left two cars for the shuttle back to Paramount Ranch, we stop to check for Chia on the last hillside before we reach Las Virgenes Creek. It’s taken us about 4 hours for this 4 ½ mile hike, so you can see that we not exactly burning up the trail! There is always much to see, smell, hear and discuss.

Burnt log (C. Almdale 4/12/14)

If you check out the map link, our trail route runs generally SE from Paramount Ranch.
Links to previous trips:  April 2013,  April 2012, April 2011, April 2010,  March 2009

As always, the hike was led by Peggy Burhenn, Calif. State Parks docent specializing in native plants and wildflowers. I’ve also been advised – rather insistently – to mention that there are actually “several” small up and down slopes along the route.

The lists below give a six-year comparison of what we’ve seen on this hike. There are significant differences from year-to-year, both in what we find and what is in bloom.   [Chuck Almdale]

H= Heard