Life on the Watershed: When Birds of Different Feather Flock Together--Look for Winter Activity along the Ridge Trail

February is still a good time to catch winter’s unique activity in the woods, where a single quiet tree can suddenly become a hub of fluttering, chirping commotion. 

This  is the season when songbirds of various sizes and colors band together in flight and feeding. They'll descend in mass on one or a couple of trees to feast on insects from leaves or the bark.  Each species has its own way of foraging (depending on bill size, shape, and other features), so that many of them are after different specific foods and coexist with less competition.

And there’s strength in the numbers, since flocking in a large group makes it harder for hawks and other predators to target a specific bird.  

Good places to catch a winter feeding frenzy are stands of our native coastal live oaks, especially in the mornings.

You can get well into the Peninsula Watershed woodlands by signing up for one of our Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail hikes. There’s something scheduled for almost every weekend through March and into April. Events range from easy 5-mile round trips to brisker hikes across the 13-mile length of the trail.  For more information, and to reserve your space on line, please visit sfwater.org/ridgetrail.    

The 36-square-mile Peninsula Watershed has been protected since the late 1800s to safeguard the

quality of our local drinking water resources. A key side-effect is that the place remains an oasis of historic native habitats that support a diversity of plant and animal life, including 165 bird species, 50 different mammals, and 30 reptile or amphibian species. The SFPUC continually works to enhance the indigenous wetlands, grasslands, forests and other ecosystems by removing the non-native trees, shrubs and weeds that spring up, and replacing them with seeds or saplings from the original species.  

Crystal Springs 10-Year Challenge

Many a brave person is participating in the #10yearchallenge these days. Posting a photo from 10 years ago and a current one side by side on your favorite social media platform.

We at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission are not shy about how much we’ve changed in 10 years, and thought we’d join in on the fun with Lower Crystal Springs Dam and Reservoir.

May 2008

This photo was taken in 2008 and shows Lower Crystal Springs Dam on the left, Skyline Bridge on top, and Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir and the watershed in the distance.

January 2019 (Ok, technically a little over 10 years)

What a difference a decade makes! Taken in January 2019, this photo shows Lower Crystal Springs Dam and the new parapet wall constructed to allow for safer release of high flows over the Dam. The upgrades are clearly visible in the lighter concrete color. Also clearly visible is the recently-opened new Skyline Bridge.  

What is conspicuously absent? The power poles. The upgraded power lines were placed underneath the new bridge.

Otherwise, the environs around Crystal Springs Reservoir are not showing their age at all.

We are firm believers that some views get better with age….

Have a great weekend everyone!

Photo Friday from the Crystal Springs Reservoir

We were thrilled to join the San Mateo Department of Public Works and San Mateo County Parks to open Skyline Bridge over Lower Crystal Springs Dam last Friday, January 11th. The new bridge, and the pedestrian lane on top of it, connect to a new trail section south of the dam.  

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting the region's newest bridge and trail section, you're in luck. We happened to take a bunch of photos of the bridge and the stunning Peninsula Watershed around it.

Happy Photo Friday and have a great weekend!

The new Skyline Bridge, atop Lower Crystal Springs Dam, has a separate trail for pedestrians.

View of the protected pedestrian lane on the bridge, Lower Crystal Springs Dam beneath it, and Crystal Springs Reservoir.

The new southern section of trail is now open to the public where it connects to Skyline Bridge.

Crystal Springs Dam Bridge Opens January 11

The County of San Mateo is inviting pedestrians and bicyclists  to experience the new Crystal Springs Dam Bridge on Friday, January 11 at 2 p.m. They will have a unique view of the bridge and connecting trails before the road opens to vehicle traffic at approximately 4 p.m. that day.  Scheduled speakers include Senator Jerry Hill and San Mateo County Supervisor Carole Groom.

The bridge opening also provides access to a new segment of the Crystal Springs Trail that is just under one mile long and offers additional views of the Peninsula Watershed. The trail ends just north of Highway 92 and Skyline Boulevard.

A shuttle service will be available to transport event attendees to the bridge from the Youth Services Center at 222 Paul Scannell Drive in San Mateo beginning at 1 p.m.  No on-site parking will be available at the bridge itself. Bicyclists are welcome ride to the site or use the shuttle service which can accommodate bikes.

Winter Watch on the Ridge Trail

Winter conditions have spurred a new schedule of activities along the Peninsula Watershed's Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail. We've lined up a diversity of hikes and bike rides throughout January, February and beyond. 

If you go--

The time is right for checking out one of our most striking evergreens (the venerable Douglas fir known as “old Doug”). Also  look for red-tailed hawks (mostly juveniles on the hunt at this time of year). And watch for newts. After months of seclusion in their leafy, dry-weather shelters, the newts might be seen now, inching their way along or across the trail to enjoy the more palatable winter wetness. 

Events range from easy 4- or 5-mile round-trip strolls to all-day excursions across the entire 13-mile route. All of them are led by one or more of our knowledgeable volunteer trail leaders, and space is limited to 20 at most.

For more specifics, and to reserve a spot, please visit sfwater.org/ridgetrail.

Happy Holidays from the SFPUC

We hope you are having a restful and joyful holiday season!

It doesn't snow very often on the Peninsula. A photographer named George Fanning found himself in a winter wonderland on the Peninsula Watershed on January 30, 1922.

Here a couple of his photos to enhance the holiday mood.

San Andreas Reservoir

View from Pilarcitos Dam, looking downstream toward the keepers cottage.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Holiday Season!

Bring on the Rain--Completed Watershed Erosion Control Project Will Safeguard Pipeline AND Native Plant Life

Crews have finished a key project to control heavy volumes of eroding soil and rock that threatened to damage a major drinking water pipeline along the Crystal Springs Reservoir shoreline below parts of the Sawyer Camp Trail. 

The specially fabricated "holey concrete" blocks, installed by hand into the hill, will allow returning young native plants to sprout through and around the newly stabilized slope.