Jewel Lake, Tilden Park
Jewel Lake is a natural lake in the Tilden Nature Area just north of Tilden Regional Park (or just “Tilden”) in the East Bay part of the San Francisco Bay Area. The day we visited, Jewel Lake seemed like a cool oasis, after a a warm hike to the summit (1211 feet) of Wildcat Peak. A trail map is here.
(A page with downloadable East Bay Regional Park District park (all of them!) brochures, park/trail maps and campground maps in Adobe PDF format is here! Enjoy!)
As I took the photo above, I noticed “something” on the shoreline to the left. We walked along the trail to the right and looked back to see a Great Blue Heron. The wily bird moved into the shadows and made itself “small” every time that hikers walked along the nearby path. I took several photos before the hikers behind the Heron got too close for comfort, and the great bird swooped across the surface of the lake to find cover at the southern end.
Jewel Lake seems like the kind of place that a photographer or nature lover could sit for hours and quietly observe the wildlife all around. Hopefully, I will be able to return someday and do just that.
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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