We’ve been really lucky with 

Rabbit (J. Waterman 4/6/13)

the weather for this hike; I can’t recall it ever being less than great. Twenty-two of us roamed around the Paramount movie ranch for about 20 minutes, during which time much of the morning fog burned off.  Plenty of birds were singing and rabbits hopping; especially notable were White-breasted Nuthatches, House Finches, Western Bluebirds, Acorn Woodpeckers, House Wrens and a flock of five Nanday (aka Black-hooded) Parakeets.  We shed a few garments back at the cars, then set off towards the Reagan Ranch portion of Malibu Creek State Park, which lies kitty-corner across Mulholland & Cornell Rds. from Paramount Ranch.

Ash-throated Flycatcher (J. Waterman 4/6/13)

Many of the flowers were not yet or just barely in bloom – probably the result of a dry winter with only 6.4” of rain since Oct 1^st, 54% of normal.  So the Lupine were barely in bloom, but the Buckwheat, Dudleaya, Horehound, Milkweed, Soap Plant, White and Black Sages, Golden Current, Penstemon, Milk Thistle, and Wooly  Blue Curls – all of which we saw – were not in bloom.

On the other hand, the Ceanothus, Elderberry, Bedstraw, Fiddleneck, and many others were beautiful. As usual, it was hard to make progress hiking with so much to look at. The total plant list was 66 species (see below).

Pacific Slope Flycatcher (J. Waterman 4/6/13)

Our bird trip list came up to a respectable 59 species, of which only five species – California Quail, Bewick’s Wren, Wrentit, Phainopepla and Black-headed Grosbeak were heard and not seen. As in prior years, every tree seemed to hold a singing House Wren. House Finches were abundant, particularly around the Reagan Ranch buildings.  We rediscovered for the umpteenth time that when you hear an unfamiliar bird song in the Santa Monica Mountains, it’ll be either an Oak Titmouse or a Bewick’s Wren; the former’s song is rich in tone while the latter’s song is usually a bit more buzzy.

Cooper’s Hawk (J. Waterman 4/6/13)

We spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk soaring over the Reagan Ranch meadow, just before we got to the top of Cage Creek Trail. Or I should say, some of us did. I called out the bird, and some others said, “No, it’s a Cooper’s Hawk!”  It turned out that the possible was the actual – we had both.  It gave us a good opportunity to compare the tail shapes and head postures – the best field marks when flying – of these two similar species.

By noontime we found ourselves by Malibu Creek, the day had warmed, the birds weren’t so vocal anymore, and large crowds of humans now abounded.  Our last trip flower is usually Chia, which we find only on a roadside hill near the Malibu Creek parking lot – but there were so few this year that we had a hard time finding them, and some missed them altogether.

Hooded Oriole female (J. Waterman 4/6/13)

We couldn’t get all 22 people into the two shuttle cars we’d left, so we had to make two trips to get everyone back to Paramount, where most of us had lunch at the picnic tables under the large “ghost gum” eucalypts, while a sizable wedding party gathered under the large oak in the western town, drinking wine and getting dusty.

As always, the hike was led by Peggy Burhenn, Calif. State Parks docent specializing in native plants and wildflowers.  We went back toour original one-way-with-car-shuttle route, as last year’s hike back up Cage Creek Trail nearly did many of us in.  I’ve also been advised to mention that there are actually “several” small up and down slopes.

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

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