Blue Oak Reserve, California

*Welcome sign at the gate of* *Blue Oak Nature Reserve. Image by Tripadvisor*

Welcome to Blue Oak Nature Reserve

Blue Oak Reserve, over 3000 acres of beautiful partly wooded wilderness, sprawls across vast pockets of break-taking landscape decorated by canyons, trees, and grassland. There are a lot of open fields with forests dotting specific points. Oak trees are in abundance, and so are other native species. I like the healthy green bush that occurs at random points. I saw the evergreen California poppies and the majestic California milkweed, the haven of the migratory Monarch butterflies. Now, parts of the grassland appear to be former grazing fields. I noticed green patterns patched across the fields—some light and others dark green. On returning to the reserve, I saw cattle near the second gate.

We had to drive slowly and carefully through the cattle gathering. It was funny how they stood, some on their bellies, and stared in wonder at the newcomers, chewing their cud and minding their business. I learned that the cattle belonged to a neighboring ranch. Further down the road and close to the campus, quails have their nesting grounds on the road leading out of the reserve. When a vehicle approaches the roadside, the birds commune on the road and then scatter in different directions, running as fast as their little legs can. I always liked to see them run around; however, I feel concerned for their safety. The black and blue feathers remind me of school children’s uniforms, and the way quails poke their heads while running is even funnier. What delightful birds! After the quail crossing is the campus where the barn, resident managers’ houses, tool shed, and cabins are located. The barn is where all the offices are located, and there’s a shed for all kinds of tools. There are several cabins spread across the campus. The cabins vary from basic to fully self-contained units.

New Neighbors and Critter Nursery

One thing that fascinates me is the variety of rodents that live here. I thought I could make friends with the tiny rabbits living in the bush surrounding my cabin; however, they wouldn’t wait before bolting off each time I stopped to say hi or take a pic. They are nothing like the outgoing squirrels, which come close to investigating me. There is a naughty ground squirrel that likes tanning on the hot concrete pavement outside the barn. It has a way of stretching its body on the ground with its hindquarters relaxing on the floor. My fondest memories with squirrels were in Berkeley, but one time, it was heartbreaking as I saw the squirrel I touched run up the tree, hold its tail, and clean its body. It’s delightful to see all these critters move about minding their business. In fact, imagine this, the front of my cabin looks like a critter nursery with parents and kids going about chewing up the grass and digging up the whole land. They did a good job with the digging, for there are mounds of earth, here and there, across the fields and if you are not careful you can trip on them. Also, there are rabbit holes everywhere and they play and run around campus all day.

It is peaceful here, safe from the momentary unnatural sound of passing aircraft above. Anyway, the noise from aircraft doesn’t distract the playful rabbits, squirrels, mice, and other critters. They have become accustomed to it. I marveled particularly at the long-eared hare. This is my first time seeing these species. I remember the folktale of the overconfident hare and the cunny tortoise and how the tortoise beat it at a race. I saw turtles at Turtle Pond. I was lucky to see them, for they were timid. We had to park some feet away from the pond to see them. If the turtles hear noises, they crawl into the pond to hide. Around the pond is a school of dragonflies, different species, small and significant, hovering for space and domination. I can write a bunch about them, but that will be in another blog post in the form of poetry.

I saw pictures of mountain lions, bobcats, eagles, rattlesnakes, and more in the Reserve directory. Indeed, these animals and birds live on the reserve. I see deer all the time. There are many species of reptiles, birds, and wildlife here. I have encountered the resident bobcat. There are coyotes on the other side of the ranch. I saw one at the foot of a tree today and heard the heart-chilling yelping of a pack of coyotes sometime at 3.55 AM early yesterday. Some grasses are thorny and embedded in my clothes, socks, and shoes. To navigate this terrain, you need special boots.

Lake and Mountain Adventure

The first time I came to the reserve, I went to see the lake. After a hill climb from my cabin, I found the lake in the valley on the other side of the hill. Bullfrogs, the top predator in the lake, eats anything that can fit in its mouth. Newts and salamanders are also available here. When I moved to a tent, I found a shy desert lizard that lived close by. Researchers come to work here, and there’s a pond crew studying the amphibians that live here. The mountains rise and fall like a supernatural painting across the bluish horizon. Sometimes, some sky is dark reddish; I think the clouds are blushing over the pretty mountains. The ghostly ephemeral clouds float, not minding anything—incessant, talkative birds and insect noises. I have taken images of the moon, and they are always spectacular. I wonder if the images we capture on camera can exactly equate to the memories of being in a place and seeing things for ourselves.

Something Lurking in the Woods

One morning, on my first few days at the reserve, I tried to walk up the hill, to cross to the other side, through the yellowish-brown bush to the lake. I saw a tawny coat stealthily move in the scrub just in front. I don’t know; it could be a deer, bobcat, or mountain lion. I had to turn back. I wasn’t scared, but I don’t like surprises either. Whatever it was heading down the trail, I was going. I wouldn’t want to come face-to-face with a fawn suddenly. I know that it stresses them as much as it stresses me. I returned to my cabin. The same morning, the dew was descending, which seemed like mini rainfall. It gave the atmosphere some cool air. It was unusual, but it made the day beautiful. The air is dry. On a mountain, you are closer to the elements, cold or heat. In the summer, it gets hot during the day. It gets chilly at night.