Willow Grove: Home to Song and Water Birds

California blackberry and willow stands on the Batteries to Bluffs Trail.

One aspect of serpentinite rocks is an abundance of seeps and springs formed where groundwater moves along fracture surfaces and escapes to the surface. This groundwater is often very alkaline and can be home to plant species specifically adapted to those conditions, like Franciscan thistle. The willows seen here grow naturally in wet areas and are indicative of water near the ground surface, in this case coming from serpentine seeps.

This willow grove provides exceptional habitat for songbirds. Keep your eyes peeled for warblers and sparrows. You may also hear the chittering and whistling dive-bombing of an Anna's hummingbird. Hawks and ravens are common sights overhead taking advantage of the updrafts over the bluffs, and looking out to sea you may spot cormorants, brown pelicans and surf scoters.