October 21, 2021

North side - 10/08/2021 and 10/19/21

Friday 10/08 9:07 -10:35 am: no newts.
Other roadkills: Jerusalem cricket.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 3 trucks, 29 cars, 9 bikes, 6 pedestrians, and 15 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (2 cars at the far lot). It was quiet.
A link to all my observations of the day -
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-10-08&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any
Since it was gall week, I spent some time looking for galls, documenting 30 species by the road - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=37.21653253186834&nelng=-121.72129535138178&on=2021-10-08&place_id=any&project_id=gall-week-2021-9e58d299-60ec-4b10-af61-11ec0ab46974&swlat=37.14130816502103&swlng=-122.21546554028559&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Tuesday 10/19 9:07 -10:35 am: no newts.
Weather - cold. We got a little bit of rain Sunday evening in San Jose, and I thought maybe a few newts will be out. Didn't see any.
Other roadkills: Jerusalem cricket.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 6 trucks, 21 cars, 2 bikes, 16 pedestrians, and 25 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (1 car at the far lot).
On my way back I noticed a large trash bag on the side of the road, on the downhill slope. It had a large, dead wild boar in it. I reported it to Cal Tip. Not sure what happened there.
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=37.21653253186834&nelng=-121.72129535138178&on=2021-10-19&place_id=any&subview=map&swlat=37.14130816502103&swlng=-122.21546554028559&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on October 21, 2021 01:26 AM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

October 2, 2021

North side - 10/01/21

Friday 9:25 -11:17 am: no newts.
Weather - hot. Air quality was great.
Other roadkills: a wasp.
I heared a few chipmunks again, couldn't see any. I saw a large grey squirrel up on a tree.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 12 trucks, 20 cars, 1 motorcycle, 1 bike, 2 pedestrians, and 23 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (2 cars at the far lot). It was very quiet again.
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=37.209423250298265&nelng=-121.85052938824701&on=2021-10-01&place_id=any&subview=map&swlat=37.171816888558496&swlng=-122.09085531598139&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on October 2, 2021 04:59 AM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

September 17, 2021

North side - 09/16/21

Thursday 9:20 -11:13 am: no newts.
Weather - cold, for a change. Air quality is also good.
Other roadkills: a small spider wasp.
I didn't hear or see any chipmunks this time. Maybe it was too cold. I spent some time looking for oak galls on scrub oaks, and found some interesting ones. Also, when I got back to the parking lot I heard two crows making a lot of noise. They were chasing a golden eagle, that then landed on a tall eucalyptus on the hill in front of me. A few minutes later it took off, and the crows followed.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 7 trucks, 28 cars, 4 bikes, 17 pedestrians, and 19 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (1 car at the far lot). It was very quiet again, a few trucks, cars, etc.
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-09-16&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on September 17, 2021 05:23 AM by merav merav | 3 comments | Leave a comment

September 9, 2021

North side - 09/08/21

Wednesday 9:00 -11:12 am: no newts.
Weather - hot. Air quality wasn't great, even though the numbers on purple air looked good. I skipped my survey last week due to the bad air quality.
Other roadkills: a little piece of lizard - an alligator lizard?
I kept hearing chipmunks calling from everywhere, but I was only able to see one of them.

Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 6 trucks, 17 cars, 9 bikes, 8 pedestrians, and 12 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (2 cars at the far lot). It was very quiet, very few trucks, cars, etc. I saw someone opening the gate to the boat club on my way back. There were very few fishermen and hikers - one car per trailhead (in addition to a few on the first lot).
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-09-08&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on September 9, 2021 05:08 AM by merav merav | 2 comments | Leave a comment

August 27, 2021

North side - 08/26/21

Thursday 9:45 -11:30 am: one newt?
Weather - warm,
Other roadkills: a caterpillar and a dying moth. And a newt - very dry, by the shoulder. Is it a fresh roadkill, or did it die a few months ago? I think we'd need to check photos from the area and compare it to this one.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 10 truck, 20 cars, 6 bikes, 12 pedestrians, and 19 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (6 cars at the far lot - a new record! maybe we need another parking lot across the street after all? there were only 27 free spots left).
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=37.23642646243241&nelng=-121.69548148928267&on=2021-08-26&place_id=any&swlat=37.16122192025383&swlng=-122.18536014376265&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on August 27, 2021 05:15 AM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

North side - 08/19/21

Thursday 1:00 -2:30 pm: no newts.
Weather - warm!
Other roadkills: a moth and a dead bird. The bird was covered with yellow jackets, which got a bit upset when I took one too many photos.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 1 truck, 16 cars, 12 bikes, 1 pedestrians, and 7 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (0 cars at the far lot).
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-08-19&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on August 27, 2021 04:54 AM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

August 11, 2021

North side - 08/11/21

Wednesday 9:30-11:25 am: no newts.
Weather - warm.
Other roadkills: none. maybe because it was so quiet - not too many cars. I met a bike rider who told me he just saw a little fox crossing the road. A minute later I looked into the vegetation where the biker was, and saw a gray fox. I took some photos, and he ran into the bushes. Then a second individual, possibly smaller, arrived, and I was able to photograph it as well. Later I also saw a fence lizard crossing the road. I've added them all to the new project - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/still-alive-crossing-alma-bridge-rd.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 16 trucks, 22 cars, 8 bikes, 10 pedestrians, and 25 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (0 cars at the far lot).
A link to all my observations of the day - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-08-11&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on August 11, 2021 10:53 PM by merav merav | 2 comments | Leave a comment

August 4, 2021

North side - 08/03/21

Tuesday 8:45-10:25 am: no newts.
Weather - perfect (low seventies).
Other roadkills: a few wasps, another fence lizard.
I saw a doe crossing the road, and then a fawn near limekiln, and a brush rabbit after the boat club.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 3 trucks, 34 cars, 10 bikes, 9 pedestrians, and 20 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (2 cars at the far lot).

A link to all my observations of the day -
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=37.237279165733675&nelng=-121.6919300502168&on=2021-08-03&place_id=any&subview=map&swlat=37.16207547349263&swlng=-122.17258190568555&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on August 4, 2021 04:50 PM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

August 1, 2021

North side - 07/29/21

Thursday 9:20-11:10 am: no newts.
Weather - hot.
Other roadkills: a few wasps, Jerusalem cricket, fence lizard. I saw a young Steller's Jay on a wire, next to a California Scrub-Jay, and a flicker just took off from that area when I got there. Maybe they had an important meeting.
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 4 trucks, 76 cars, 14 bikes, 11 pedestrians, and 22 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (2 cars at the far lot). There were no cars parked by limekiln, a few cars by the boat club. A large group of kids getting ready for camp at the first parking lot.
So apparently the gravel road I saw last week wasn't work in progress, it was the new road. This week it was already painted. Not sure why, but they repaved the entire north section (possibly more), including all parts that were repaved in the fall. This road is different - it feels like loose gravel, there is no top layer of tar. I wonder why they did that, and I hope that people won't like it and chose not to drive there...

In a way it feels safer - now that it's painted, even though they paved a wider road, they left wider shoulders, leaving us some space to walk. Thanks County Roads for thinking about us :)
A link to all my observations of the day -
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-07-29&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on August 1, 2021 03:36 PM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment

July 21, 2021

North side - 07/21/21

Wednesday 10:00-11:30 am: no newts.
Weather - nice, a bit hot.
Other roadkills: none (the entire road is covered with gravel).
Coverage: from the parking lot to the second stop sign.
Traffic: 9 trucks, 94 cars, 1 motorcycle, 10 bikes, 21 pedestrians, and 20 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots (no cars at the far lot).
County Roads is still repaving the road. The entire north section was under construction, with tar covered with gravel along the entire 2-mile section of the road. Some of it was already like that last week, and long sections were already repaved on the 2020 fall, not sure why they are repaving it again. It seemed that the road being repaved is wider than before, with even narrower shoulders than before. It felt very unsafe (even more than usual) walking on the road in the blind curves. I didn't see the actual construction site.
A link to all my observations of the day -
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?on=2021-07-21&place_id=any&user_id=merav&verifiable=any

Posted on July 21, 2021 08:46 PM by merav merav | 0 comments | Leave a comment