Coyote Hills Regional Park

Happy New Year! The Trails Challenge T-Shirts are here, as well as guidebooks and calendars. Stop by on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 2pm to pick yours up! (While supplies last) The park has been experiencing unprecedented numbers of visitors, so we must close when the park reaches capacity. We are able to reopen usually within an hour of closure to ensure there are enough places to park. Thank you for your patience! See you in the park!

Have you ever seen Fernando, the Chilean Flamingo in the salt ponds by the bay? It’s been seen over the past decade not only at Coyote Hills, but also along the east bay shoreline in Eden Landing, the Hayward Shoreline and nearby Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge. Many have speculated that it may have escaped a local zoo, but neither the Oakland nor San Francisco Zoo have any flamingos missing from their collections. It is most likely an escapee from a private collection since it isn’t banded, indicating it wouldn’t have made its way accidentally from Chile, nearly 6,000 miles away. Wherever its origin, please enjoy watching him from afar so he can continue to live his life out here in the San Francisco Bay happily. Photo courtesy of Jon Morishita

Our wonderful friend and photographer, Jerry Ting, recently put up a post on how hot the birding has been at Coyote Hills. Just a reminder: with the uptick in crowds enjoying our parks, be mindful of other users such as bikers, dogwalkers and multi-generational families using the trails, too. Wear a mask and try to stay 6 feet apart. Happy holidays!

wear a mask and hit that whoa

Watch Naturalist Francis help feed and take care of our reptile menagerie at the visitor center.

Parks Are Essential: The Park District reminds visitors that spending time in nature is important for mental and physical health and wellbeing. During the stay-...at-home order going into Sunday Dec. 6, keep yourselves and our staff safe when visiting Regional Parks and trails: wear masks when within six feet of others and recreate responsibly. Keep parks safe for everyone by following all COVID-19 safety requirements. #ParksAreEssential #LoveYourParksSixFeetApart #KeepParksSafe #RockingTheMaskEBRPD See more

Join our friends at the San Francisco Bay Trail for the first of a series of talks called SF Bay Trail Confidential. This program will highlight the trail in and around Coyote Hills and the Hayward Shoreline.

HALLOWEEN STORIES & TRADITIONS: Spend a SPOOKtacular afternoon with pirate Captain Dino (a.k.a. Naturalist Dino) and his buccaneer friends as we travel the high seas to seek out stories and traditions of Halloween around the world. Access the Coyote Hills Regional Park Facebook link https://www/facebook.com/coyotehillspark to join us on a voyage of adventure and fun on October 31, 2020 at 1:30 pm.

Join Naturalist Dino from the Nectar Garden on this exploration on what plants attract monarch butterflies to your own garden. Showy and Tropical Milkweed are non-native and has the potential to harm resident and migratory monarchs through a parasitic disease called OE. Learn about the native species of milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis or Narrow-leaf Milkweed, which will ensure their best chance for survival on their long migration each year.

Join us for this virtual public dedication of Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline in Oakland this Wednesday at 10:30am.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Join Naturalist Dino, from Coyote Hills Regional Park, as we "Talk Story" about the amazing feathers of birds. We'll explore the anatomy of a feather, the various feathers found on our winged friends and the functions of feathers.

In this article from KQED, Naturalist Francis Mendoza mentions the pickleweed at nearby Hayward Shoreline, which turns bright red in the fall and winter. You can also see pickleweed here at Coyote Hills, despite being a freshwater marsh. Prior to the Alameda County Water District converting it from tidal to freshwater, the marsh contained brackish water, a mixture of fresh and salt water. There are still "swaths of pickleweed that turn red, rivaling eastern forests in its changing foliage," says Francis, which still thrive in the salty, akaline soils. https://www.kqed.org//where-to-see-fall-foliage-in-the-bay

Naturalist Virginia Delgado-Martinez from Black Diamond Mines in Antioch shares her bat monitoring program from the perspective of an Afro-Latinx naturalist on this final day of #HispanicHeritageMonth.

As Hispanic Heritage month comes to an end (September 15 - October 15), watch Naturalists James and Claudia (aka Mimi el Bat Raya) talk about Bat Rays in Spanish at Crown Beach in Alameda.

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day! Today, and every day, we celebrate the contributions, culture and ceremony that indigenous peoples have given us on turtle island since time immemorial. We acknowledge that we are on the unceded land of the Chochenyo and Ramaytush Ohlone, Bay Miwok and Delta Yokut people who have taken care of, offered songs, prayer and medicine to, and now are healing the land from centuries of colonization, degradation and injustices levied against their ancestors and descendants, who are still here today, and still thriving. https://youtu.be/5JYZu9oCVjw

Since flies have been in the news lately, here’s Mobile Education Naturalist Constance’s take on the order Diptera, with a hip hop beat to boot.

Today would have been our 27th Annual Gathering of Ohlone Peoples, but because of the county and state mandates against gathering in big groups, we are not holding it this year. We would like to honor the elders of the community by keeping them safe and healthy at home. Here is a video of the Ohlone Youth Summit, put together by the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe the past two years here at Coyote Hills. We hope you are doing well despite the difficult circumstances, and that you and your families are safe and healthy. https://youtu.be/zuG9QxzhcAE

Join Naturalist Dino from Coyote Hills Regional Park as we explore the oaks and acorns of the Bay Area. In this presentation, we will learn about the uses of acorn as a food source for indigenous peoples and the wildlife.

Join our naturalists as they feed Tokka, our Red-Eared Slider, and we'll read a story about how turtles breathe through their butt.

Red Flag Warning in effect 9:00 p.m. Saturday to 9:00 p.m. Monday due to high temps, low humidity, and potentially gusty winds. Some parks may close if conditions warrant. TIPS TO BE FIRE SAFE IN PARKS: -Please do not smoke in the regional parks. This prohibition includes vaping. -Be aware of Red Flag Warning, fire danger levels, and fire safety rules. Abide by all posted or announced fire safety rules. -If you see a fire while in a park, call 911 immediately. Report the fire...’s location, size and direction of burn if possible, then leave immediately for your safety. -Practice situational awareness. Be alert for any potential fire hazards and report them by calling 510-881-1833. -During any emergency, park visitors must cooperate with all instructions from firefighters, police, and park rangers. See more