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Look inside for the latest Regional in Nature Activity Guide! Photo: Jerry
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Fire Area Recovery Caretakers of Nature Search for Spring Blooms New Del Valle Visitor Center Baits, Lures, and Rigs Plus many more fun activities for kids and families!
New General Manager Appointed at Park District By Ned MacKay
After a nationwide recruiting effort, East Bay Regional Park District’s Board of Directors has selected East Bay native Sabrina Landreth to be the new general manager of the two-county public agency.
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It’s the time of year when we can begin to appreciate the abundance of wildflowers in our open spaces. Here above is a photo taken by Stephen Joseph at Skunk Hollow on Mt. Diablo in 2018. Stephen Joseph has been photographing Mt. Diablo for decades, and one can see his photos at his Alamo Gallery. Please visit www.stephenjoseph.gallery/alamogallery for a real treat, and to see when the gallery is open for a visit. It is located at 100 Summit Ranch Rd. at the Summit Ranch Equine Center.
The Voice of the Chaparral - The Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) By James M. Hale
The Wrentit (Chaemea fasciata) is one of those species of birds that is more likely to be identified by its voice, rather than its appearance, due to its secretive nature. The rapidly descending staccato song and call of the Wrentit has been likened to the sound of a ping-pong ball falling on a table. The Wrentit is a small, plump bird, with a uniform dull olive, brown, or grayish coloration. Coastal Wrentits are darker reddish-brown with pinker bellies. They are paler with more gray in the interior parts of their range. Its distinctive long tail is often held high, hence the reference to wrens. The long tail and short wings are adaptations to navigating through, and living in the tangled mesh of branches in the chaparral and coastal scrub communities. The short, needle-like bill is characteristic of an insectivorous diet. The iris is pale.
The Wrentit was first described by naturalist and collector William Gambel in 1845. The systematics of the Wrentit has been debated for as long as it has been known by science. Presently it is considered to be the only member of its family, the Chamaeidae, by some. It has been variously placed with the long-tailed tits (Aegithalidae, the true tits and chickadees (Paridae), the “Old World Warblers” (Sylviidae), or with the “Old World Babblers” (Timallidae). The American Ornithologists’ Union places the wrentit in the latter, based on DNA hybridization studies. This would make the Wrentit the only New World member of the Family. Their closest relatives are in Africa, Spain, India, and China. The systematics debate continues today.
The Wrentit is a nonmigratory, year round resident of a narrow strip of coastal habitat along the western coast of North America. They rarely travel more than 1,300 feet from their place of birth. They may
This Month’s Special Section:
be found from Oregon south through California, to northern Baja California. The Wrentit prefers chaparral, coastal
Home and Garden Pages 6-7
See WRENTIT page 5