Today I was able to get out for some Naturing in South San Jose. It’s the second to last time I’ll be in the area I grew up before I leave my parents’ house for good. It’s an understatement how emotional it’s been going through this process and how utterly bizarre it’ll be not to have their home to go to.

All I had time for was the Santa Teresa Mine Loop. And I only have time for highlights, but I must say that Santa Teresa County Park is absolutely worth visiting! Even the dang drive to where my AllTrails route started was CHOCK-FULL of wildlife. Raptors soaring over the still-lush hillsides. More California Ground Squirrels than you can shake a fist at. Kingbirds of some kind zooming along the fences. I could’ve been as happy as a clam just to have gone Naturing on the road leading to the parking lot!

And I’m so serious about that Ground Squirrel claim. If anyone has yet to see one and wants to, they should easily not fail here. Not kidding. Whatsoever.

As for wildflowers, it was heartbreaking to see so many already wilted in the season, like tons and TONS of California Poppies. And Ithuriel’s Spear. And Blue Dicks. So many of them looked like they’d been through an apocalyptic event. And when the wildflowers have their lives cut so drastically short, what does that mean for not only those wildflowers next year but also for all the pollinators that visit them?

Got to watch a White-tailed Kite hunting/hovering. Huntvering? Love when I get to do that.

THE highlight of the day was JACKRABBITS. First catching sight of THREE Black-tailed Jackrabbits high up and far away from me on the hillside. They were SO FAR, but it was SO FUN to see them. And watch them interact with each other. And likely wonder what I was doing staring at them!

Spotted a Turkey Vulture seated so nobly (is that a word?) on top of a rock and grooming itself. Such a treat to see them not just overhead for a change.

And then I turned a corner and spotted ANOTHER Jackrabbit. Sitting in the open, grooming. And seemingly not minding me watching it intently and taking loads of photos. At one point, a bird nearby (can’t remember which) made a call sound, and it stood upright and was VERY ALERT. Hoping the bird wasn’t warning about me, but I quickly and quietly moved on in case I was disturbing it at all.

After walking a bit away and stopping to get horrible photos of an Oak Titmouse, I turned around and saw YET ANOTHER Jackrabbit on the trail. Was it the same one?? It kept an eye on me, so I soon continued on my way. But that’s EASILY the most Jackrabbits I’ve ever seen in a day!

Aside from seeing an American Kestrel and Anna’s Hummingbird on the way back, the Pueblo Trail was entirely uneventful. Had it not been on the cool side and recently rained on, I wonder if a good number of Butterflies would’ve been out and about right around there…

A good number of intact Blue Dicks lined a bit of my final stretch back to the starting point. But what was super exciting was needing to cross over a stream of sorts crossing over the trail. Where there were literally HUNDREDS of tadpoles, that I think were Pacific Chorus Frogs? So many sizes!

All in all, I’m so glad to have finally visited this place that’s been on my list ever since I started looking into the parks near where I grew up. Didn’t get to the trails on my list there, but this year might not be the one to try them all. I have a feeling the wildflower season will be a sadly short one this year due to the March heat waves. But I’m hoping to fit in a bit more Naturing as things wrap up with my parents’ house… And honestly, I was so grateful to be outside today. Each and every time is a gift.