01.19.12
From the issue Flocking Good Time
Birds the Hayward
Here's a big statistic: 80 to 90 percent of the Bay Area's wetlands have been destroyed over the past few centuries as a result of development. Good thing there are places like the East Bay's Hayward Regional Shoreline. It's the site of pioneering and ongoing efforts to restore local wetlands. Get up close to their efforts on a 3-mile (round-trip) hike starting from the West Winton Avenue Park entrance. Venture south into the expansive saltwater tidal wetlands. Skirting the perimeter of the Cogswell Marsh—restored in 1980—the raised gravel paths and wooden bridges are ideal vantages for surveying this marshy labyrinth. Time your visit several hours prior to peak low tide, and you're in for a shorebird hoedown: During high tide, water fills the channels, but as the tide rolls out, it's game on! Hordes of shorebirds like sandpipers, willets, and godwits crowd the mud flats, pecking at tasty crustaceans and worms burrowed in the sandy Bay bottom. Remember, stay on the sidelines during this feeding frenzy, or you'll definitely ruffle some feathers.
To reach the West Winton Avenue Park entrance, take the I-880 to the Winton Ave. exit (exit 28). Head west on W. Winton Ave. until it dead ends at the trailhead parking lot. From the traihead, turn left, skirting behind the area marked "landfill" on the trail map. With the marsh in view, the trail veers right, crossing a bridge and then forking at the start of the marsh loop. Follow the loop clockwise (you'll walk north along the shoreline) and retrace your steps back to the parking lot. To extend the hike, complete the first half of the loop and then follow the trail that continues south along the shoreline. This trail section extends 1.15 miles to the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center passing two other marsh areas (Hayward Marsh and H.A.R.D. Marsh). No dogs allowed in this section of the park.
To reach the West Winton Avenue Park entrance, take the I-880 to the Winton Ave. exit (exit 28). Head west on W. Winton Ave. until it dead ends at the trailhead parking lot. From the traihead, turn left, skirting behind the area marked "landfill" on the trail map. With the marsh in view, the trail veers right, crossing a bridge and then forking at the start of the marsh loop. Follow the loop clockwise (you'll walk north along the shoreline) and retrace your steps back to the parking lot. To extend the hike, complete the first half of the loop and then follow the trail that continues south along the shoreline. This trail section extends 1.15 miles to the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center passing two other marsh areas (Hayward Marsh and H.A.R.D. Marsh). No dogs allowed in this section of the park.
