Archive for March, 2010

More Signs of Spring!

March 24th, 2010

The latest from the National Park Service:

The truest sign of spring at Bear Valley is the return of the gopher eating Great Blue Heron wandering the fields behind the visitor center!

Wildflowers are here: fields of deep purple blue iris at Chimney Rock and the Estero Trail; yellow bush lupine beginning at the Lighthouse and Chimney rock. Poppies at Abbotts Lagoon; the spell of warm weather kickstarted the bloom this past week.  A favorite flowering shrub along the Estero Trail and Levee Road – Twinberry – right now it has two/twin tubular scarlet flowers tipped with lemon yellow that will become two dark berries with scarlet fringes.

At last, regular whale sightings from the Headlands; 5-6 per hour over the weekend before high winds returned on Monday.  They appear to be the second ‘pulse’ of travelers, adults and juveniles without calves;  the third pulse of mothers and calves have not been seen yet.

Northern elephant seals continue to withdraw as males heads and juveniles head north, the females are mostly gone south.

The Smell of Spring: Wildflowers, Deer, Whales?

March 10th, 2010

Here’s the latest happenings inside the Park:

Where are the Whales? Speculation continues that whales stayed feeding longer in the Arctic seas and delayed the annual migration south – delaying the return north. Sightings at the lighthouse continue to be sparse; high spring winds also contribute to limited opportunities to view whales.

Wildflowers blooming, plenty of fragrant creamy yellow wallflowers along the Lighthouse; daffodils at the old Glen Ranch/Hostel area. Brilliant Douglas iris are appearing in patches along Sir Francis Drake Highway. Other signs of spring, male deer sprouting velvet covered antlers.

Mark your calendars, on Thursday, March 11 at noon – park intern from the Republic of Soviet Georgia sister park Kolkheti National Park will present a show on this beautiful sea coast area. Free and open to the public.

Lovely new watercolors of park landscapes by Ayris Hatton are on display at the Bear Valley Visitor center through March and April.

Photo courtesy of Jun Belen