Little Uvas Creek OSP 10 November 2014 |
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| Once slated for development, now protected for public use. |
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| Dilapidated shack and adjacent wood pile has become a man-made wildlife habitat. |
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| An entire ecosystem develops when trash, trail-cleared debris is left in place. |
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| This trash heap is several feet deep, a virtual labyrinth of tunnels and passageways. |
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| Scampering among the debris, a Merriam's Chipmunk. |
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| Merriam's Chipmunks were once common in Santa Clara Valley but extensive farming, urban sprawl, and habitat loss drastically reduced their numbers. |
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| Atop its look-out, this chipmunk repeatedly chirped its warning call alerting other wildlife to my presence. |
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| Nearby, an old cabin chimney is all that remains. |
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| A large poison oak bush attracts a variety of birds who come to eat its seed pods. |
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| One of several gold-crowned sparrows who've come to feed. |
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| The seeds from poison oak berries pass harmlessly through birds. |
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| Bird droppings spread poison oak seeds throughout the area. |
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| Soon not a berry will remain. |
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| A clear division between serpentine grassland and chaparral habitat. |
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| What at first seems impenetrable is actually an
entire network of animal trails beneath the chaparral canopy. |
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| A dense stand of our native gray pine and toyon. |
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| Toyon berries provide food for local wildlife. Birds particularly gather to feed on the berries. |
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| Like the old woodpile next to the cabin, this decaying gray pine also provides habitat for wildlife. |
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| Seeds from gray pine feed squirrels, mice and birds. |
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| Chaparral gives way to a large outcrop of serpentine. |
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| Dudleya is often found growing in thin, nutrient-poor serpentine soil. |
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| What appears to be a patch of "scorched earth" is actually exposed serpentine. |
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| Come spring, this serpentine outcrop will host several endemic wildflowers. |
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| Stock ponds are created by ranchers to provide water for cattle. |
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| Stock ponds also create habitat for wildlife, including threatened species like western pond turtles. |
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| Coots are commonly found in stock ponds. |
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| They use their strong beak to forage for food underwater as well as along the shoreline. |
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| A thick stand of tule reeds line the shore, habitat for numerous wildlife species. |
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| A series of four stock ponds cascade into a nearby canyon. |
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| Another pond is also edged with tule reeds. Grassland has now given way to chaparral and mixed oak woodland. |
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| Mature willow, gray pine, oaks line the shore. |
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| Last and smallest of the stock ponds is set like as bright jewel in its surroundings. |
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| Thick stands of tule reeds crowd sections of its shore. |
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| For more information about this preserve, visit Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority website. |
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