Loma Alta (“tall hill”) is one of the higher points in Marin, a peer of Mount Burdell at a bit under 1600’. This hill gives its name to a county open space preserve on its southern slopes, which descend to Sir Francis Drake in Fairfax. The peak itself, however, lies to the north of the official preserve boundaries, as does the 2.5 mile Loma Alta Fire Road which travels northward from the preserve on an easement over private land to Lucas Valley Road. And for us north Marin naturalists, this northern section of fire road is often what is really conjured up by the words “Loma Alta”: a hotspot for late spring serpentine wildflowers and dry, rocky grasslands ideal for a number of birds that are uncommon in much of the county, such as lazuli buntings, horned larks, meadowlarks, and grasshopper sparrows. The views aren’t too bad either!
And from this northern trailhead, starting at the Lucas Valley Big Rock and therefore continuously walkable from Big Rock Ridge on our southern border, this destination qualifies as “close enough” for a Nature in Novato profile.At the start of a spring visit, you might see cliff or violet-green swallows, black phoebes, or western bluebirds perched along the fenceline, the local red-tailed hawk perched upon the Big Rock, or a raven loudly flapping his way down the valley in the stiller morning air. If you make it out there before spring has totally elapsed, you will be treated to an impressive show of flowers along the trail, with bold patches of buttercups, lupine and false lupine, baby blue eyes, woodland stars and false baby stars, poppies and checkerblooms, and stunning red colombines. The unique selection of flowers here remains impressive into May, when most other local areas are well past their flowering peak.
A main target: buntings
After perhaps half a mile or so, you may hear another song, not too distant from the trail, belonging to one of our more colorful summer birds, the lazuli bunting. While they are also present on Mount Burdell, this area of Loma Alta is perhaps the prime bunting habitat in the county. Still, they are not a particularly numerous bird; you can reliably expect to see a few if you visit this spot in May or June, but only a few will be reliably within view of the trail, so some careful seeking may still be needed. Buntings often sing from fairly prominent perches, so make sure to scan nearby trees for these blue, white, and red singers.
Further Up: Larks and Not-Quite-Larks
Although you may have seen a few of this area’s specialty birds already by this point, larks and aspiring pseudo-larks become more abundant as you continue upward and leave most of the trees behind. Pseudo-larks? The most obvious is the western meadowlark, a plump member of the blackbird family that is brilliant yellow in front and a camouflaging brown on the back. Loma Alta is one of the best places to hear their beautiful spring song as they perch on fence posts, utility poles, and rock outcroppings. The second not-a-real-lark is the lark sparrow, probably our most handsome sparrow, with an intricate pattern of multi-colored face stripes. Look for this bird right along the dusty, rocky fire road anywhere from the trailhead to the summit.
And then we have our one true lark, the horned lark, the least common of these three birds in Marin and the one with the strongest preference for the higher grassland areas beyond the bunting trees, though they will sometimes descend lower. Once you make it to their preferred habitat, horned larks have a convenient habit from the observer’s standpoint: they prefer feeding on the dusty exposed trail rather than in among the grasses, making them easier to see and approach. Just remember to keep checking the trail ahead of you so that you notice them before you barge them off the road.
Another specialty bird in this area is the grasshopper sparrow, whose convenient observability is about the opposite of the horned lark. They are more often heard than seen (with careful listening, you can pick up their “song” of two quick clicks and then a high-pitched, insect-like buzz), since they have little inclination to leave the ground where they remain largely invisible beneath the grasses. They aren’t particularly striking visually, a general brownish with subtle yellow face marks. You may have better viewing results with Savannah sparrows, much streakier affairs (grasshoppers have unstreaked breasts) who also have yellow spots in front of their eyes. These sparrows, the horned larks, and the not-real-larks are best seen on the approach to and descent from the high point’s distant views. Travel a bit beyond for a little more of the same – or reverse course at the summit, leaving time to revisit the bunting trees and lower flower patches before returning to the rock.
Practical Details
Getting There: The Loma Alta Fire Road is accessed 5.5 miles west of 101 on Lucas Valley Rd. Go south for Loma Alta; north for Big Rock Ridge. There is a large pull-off for parking on the south side across from the Big Rock.
Getting Around: The main fire road, as described here, is a simple out-and-back journey with no choices and intersections to speak of. For a map of adjoining trails, see the official preserve page from Marin County Parks or come into Wild Birds Unlimited to get a copy of the indispensable Pease Press map of Northeast Marin County trails.
Birds: See recent and past sightings on Loma Alta’s eBird Hotspot profile.
Rules & Access: Loma Alta is a Marin County Open Space Preserve and so is open to free public access 24 hours a day, but lacks amenities like restrooms or tables. Note that most of the main fire road described here passes through private land; stay on the signed fire road in these areas.
Header photo: Loma Alta by Noondueler on SummitPost.
Thanks again for an excellent article, Jack! I’ve got this locale on my walking calendar for 5/17 & this info will come in very handy.