A Winter Walk at Cosumnes River Preserve

Last week, I wrote about a few of my favorite local places to get outdoors and take a walk in the remaining bits of wild (well, semi-wild) grassland and wetland of California's Great Central Valley.  This week, I had a chance to visit another beautifully preserved piece of our valley at Cosumnes River Preserve, just off I-5 west of Galt.  Access the informative trail map and nature guide here.  

The Preserve consists of over 50,000 acres of diverse habitat, much of which has largely disappeared from the Central Valley.  The seven Partners that own the land are The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Sacramento County Regional Parks, Department of Water Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and the California State Lands Commission.

Together, they
"seek to protect and enhance the habitat within the Cosumnes River Preserve project area, including riparian forest, wetland, vernal pool grassland, oak woodland, riverine, marsh, and farm habitat, in order to preserve biodiversity and benefit declining, threatened, and endangered species of wildlife and plants."


From the parking lot near the visitor center, visitors can stroll along the 1-mile paved Lost Slough Wetlands Walk, as well as follow a wooden boardwalk extending a quarter of a mile out into the reeds and wetland.  This is an ideal spot to watch myriad waterfowl, from ducks and geese to cranes and shorebirds.  Keep an eye out overhead for Bald Eagles (I saw two!)


Also from the visitor center, one can catch the beginning of the 3+ mile River Walk Trail, a series of interconnected loops that lead visitors through marshes and riparian habitat, out to a beautiful valley oak savannah.


The slough, pictured below, might not look like much, but it is teeming with life.  Young salmon hatch and grow in these quiet waters before heading out to sea.  River otters frolic and hunt in these waters, while herons stalk in the reeds and red shouldered hawks nest in trees above.


A small but feisty denizen of the riparian woodlands, the humble House Wren, paused to watch as we walked by.  In addition to House Wrens, Bewick's Wrens can be found in the tangled underbrush, while Marsh Wrens chatter excitedly from the tules.


Forests of cottonwood, willows, ash and valley oak, all flood-resistant trees, grow along the river trail.  We are still a little too early for the greens of spring, but I find a somber beauty in the muted tones of winter.


Along the trail, Spotted Towhees can be seen scratching in the duff of the forest floor in search of insects and other food items.  California Towhees are also present, staying low in the undergrowth, while Dark-eyed Juncos and Golden-crowned Sparrows stay together in flocks, pecking at seeds on the ground beside the path.


Demure Fox Sparrows, pictured below, hop quietly about in the tangled branches of wild blackberry, poison oak and willow, taking care to keep out of sight.  Though they may appear to be just another "little brown job," I think Fox Sparrows, with their spotted chests and large dark eyes, are one of our most beautiful sparrows.


Evidence of otter activity can be seen along the river walk in the forms of slides (muddy chutes made by otters as they cross the trail from the slough on one side to adjacent wetland on the other) and tracks.  If you're lucky, you might even glimpse a few otters frolicking in the slough or river!


On the east side of the railroad tracks (which the trail passes under), an oak savannah opens up.  Here, birds of prey, such as red-tailed hawks and white-tailed kites, rule the skies.  Keep your eyes open for smaller birds associated with the oaks as well, like the oak titmouse and white-breasted nuthatch.


Mule deer can be seen on the oak savannah, as well as in adjacent riparian forests.  Their tracks were abundant in the soft mud of the trail!


Thanks to the wonderfully heavy rainfall the valley has been receiving lately, large portions of the river walk trail are under water this winter.  Complete inundation of this area by winter floodwaters is a normal and healthy part of the seasonal cycle of riparian forests, and will not hurt these trees at all.  In fact, wood ducks favor habitats such as this, and we heard and glimpsed several flocks of these beautiful but often secretive birds through the trees.


After a few shallow water crossings, we came at last to the end of the trail.  Floodwaters cut our walk a little short, but it is nice to see the forests and floodplains functioning as they should, soaking up excess water like a huge environmental sponge.


If you get the chance, pay a visit to the Cosumnes River Preserve this winter or spring.  Enjoy the beauty of the diverse habitats that the preserve Partners have worked hard to save and restore.

Comments

  1. The Field of GoldFebruary 19, 2019 at 11:09 PM

    Good to see some wet in your valley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Siera NystromFebruary 20, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      We've been having a very wet winter and a heavy snow pack. It's looking like a great spring for wildflowers!

      Delete

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