It’s just a 5 to 10 minute walk from my house down to the Bear Creek Greenway. I kind of consider the stretch from Suncrest north which loops around behind the rest area then reconnects to parallel the freeway my personal walking path. I have put in a lot of miles there in all seasons, worn out a few pairs of walking shoes, learned my local birds, and taken countless photographs.
Yesterday I decided to take the walk again and assess the damage. It wasn’t until I got back home that I decided to do a before and after comparison. Some of the before pictures were taken during my Lensbaby project so they may appear out of focus but were intentionally that way for artistic purposes.
So first up, as I turned off Suncrest onto the Greenway I would see some old barns with a patchwork of rusty tin roofing. The barns did not survive. If you look closely you can see the white plastic bucket hanging on a fencepost in both photos. In fairness, the blackberries in the before picture had already been removed before the Almeda fire struck. Along this stretch of the path I often saw Tree Swallows, Black Phoebes, and Acorn Woodpeckers who stored their acorns in one of the poles seen in the before picture. The pole burned but is still standing. I don’t know if they can eat roasted acorns. I did spot one woodpecker shopping for a new home in the remains of the poplar stand that lines this pasture on the Suncrest side.
Next up is my favorite oak tree. I have photographed it many times from near and far. I have also had the property owners come after me a couple of times only to decide I was probably harmless. Sadly, their home was lost in the fire. I hope the tree survives, it doesn’t look too badly damaged
After crossing the bridge over the irrigation canal I would enter a densely vegetated stretch lined with blackberry bushes. Here I most often saw spotted towhees and the odd Robin.
At the end of the forested stretch is a broad meadow. Here I often saw lesser goldfinches and there was one tree where in spring there would always be a hummingbird surveying the area. Acorn Woodpeckers also frequented this stretch and once in awhile a Scrub Jay made an appearance.
At then end of the meadow is mile marker 14 and here I entered another stretch of forest where I often saw more Spotted Towhees, Robins, and Scrub Jays. Once in a great while a bevy of California Quail would skitter out of the undergrowth. These next photos show the trees at the edge of the forest where there was also a large expanse of blackberries. Hawks could often be seen resting in the tall trees. And it was just between the blackberries and the trees that I always found the best California poppies to photograph.
Sometimes I turned around at milepost 14 and sometimes I went on to the freeway. On the way back there was one place where you could just get a glimpse down the creek through the underbrush. Here if I was very lucky, I might spot a Great Blue Heron or a Belted Kingfisher.
I suspect come spring that this area will be alive with new life. It will never be quite the same but I hope I will again be able to count up to 20 species of birds on my morning walks.