I chose this location based on 2 factors: I wanted to explore the San Pablo Bay region, and I wanted to see some snakes - the iNat observations search indicated that at least a few snakes had been seen in and around the Bel Marin Keys / Loma Verde Preserve area, so off I went. Bel Marin Keys turned out to be more of a vacation housing spot (at least in the area I was able to access), but Loma Verde was welcoming and sparsely populated at 6am.
The morning ended snakeless, but overall it was a lovely ridge walk with woodlands on one side and views of the bay on the other.
This was my second BioBlitz and my first visit to a California land trust, so I came to the event quite excited to meet some new folks and see some interesting things. The event drew quite a large crowd, most of whom had a personal connection to the land, and many MALT volunteers who brought an in-depth knowledge of the species we'd be encountering.
We divided into 5 groups - I joined the rock trail group after hearing that there'd been recent burrowing owl sightings in the area. Although no burrowing owls revealed themselves on this particular trip, Michelle Cooper led the group and gave us all an enlightening and thorough tour of the plants we encountered along the way. Tour highlights included some bright lupines, an array of grasses and thistles, and delicate spreads of lichens. Personal highlights included long interactions with two lizards, and my first documented wolf spider encounter!
