Kimber Red-Shouldered Hawks Breed Again, Unaware of New Destructive Plans

In February of this year I had written about a pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks that were breeding on the Kimber Park property with this Valentine’s Day post.

They had established themselves on the eastern half of the property, with their nest located in one of  the nearby redwood trees. They constantly hunted for prey on the Kimber Park Open Space – one of the pair is shown here after just pouncing on a hapless rodent at the base of the hunting tree they preferred on this land.

Red-Shouldered Hawk on Prey at Kimber Park Open Space

They had been observed copulating in the trees on the property, which would normally lead in short order to eggs being laid and young being raised.

Sadly, their courtship was cut short by ill-timed landscaping on the property.

Below you can see one of the hawks defending their tree by standing its ground and not flying off, faced first with landscapers and then with the destruction of its hunting tree.

The bravery and dedication of the raptor was a bit humbling.

Red-Shouldered Hawk Stands Ground Near Nest

Landscapers complete the destruction of the hawk’s hunting tree.

Was this destruction purposeful? I was quite upset that it took place shortly after that St. Valentine’s Day post. Had I put them in danger by writing about them? To top things off, I clearly saw the property owner drive by in her black Mercedes coupe while the landscapers were destroying the tree.

Here’s Sheena:

There is no disputing that they were fully aware of the destruction taking place at their bidding. Once again. Here’s what they did to the wildflower meadow.

I am left hoping that the owners are just clueless rather than thinking all this destruction was intentional. Heavy, sad sigh.

Hello, do not do such large-scale habitat destruction during the wildlife breeding season.

When contacted the local game warden was extremely interested but was busy with a more urgent matter. By the time he was free the damage had already been done.

Over the next few days it was clear that the hawks were greatly disturbed. One left, with the other now having moved westward, to the center portion of the property. I was very bummed and felt culpable. Did the publicity lead to the destruction?

The Red-Shouldered Hawk is known to be very resilient and adaptable. Indeed, in spite of pressure from the bigger nearby Red-Tailed Hawks and the radical habitat destruction, they re-established themselves on their breeding site.

Red-Shouldered Hawks Reunite on the Kimber Park Open Space.

They moved their nest slightly, into one of the nearby Eucalyptus trees. The site was  above a public space frequented by the locals as they enjoyed the urban forest during their walks and meanderings. However, it was so well hidden and the hawks so secretive that I think I was the only one that knew its location.

In short order a young fledgling was being raised. Here is a picture of the youngster.

Artie the Red-Shouldered Hawk, as a youngster!

So cool! I named him Artie, in honor of Art Kimber.

It was my privilege to watch Artie mature and successfully leave the nest. After fledging, Artie also hunted on the Kimber Park Open Space and grew into a beautiful young adult.

Through an amazing coincidence, Artie was also shown on the local TV station.

On the day that the Fremont City Council adopted the Protect Fremont Open Space Initiative, Christina was interviewed at the Kimber Park Open Space urban forest. At the very end of the broadcast they showed Artie, calling from one of the Kimber pines. Here’s my copy of the broadcast (sorry about the poor audio). Artie shows up around 2:00 in the video.

Beautiful, boisterous, noisy and standing his ground. Just like his Mom and Dad.

Now, through a sad turn of events, the turmoil surrounding this land continues. The owners have submitted new plans, calling for a 40,000 plus square foot mini strip mall, directly on the site of the Redwood forest!

While this in itself may not be that surprising, given the history of the owners and their actions, what is surprising is the actions of the Fremont Planning Department. Now under new management, they are supporting the owner’s plans. They have, in fact, quietly reworked the definition of Private Open Space. and have proposed to the Planning Commission the rezoning of our Open Space into a separate Planned District.

Yes, that’s right, the behemoth development, including lodging, a day spa, business center and huge, 100-seat restaurant would be zoned as “General Open Space” if the Planning Department has its way. I don’t suppose that anyone would be surprised to learn that this is absolutely forbidden in the Grant Deed and Purchase Agreement signed by Shapell Homes.

Take a look at this before and after view of the impact to the land. BTW, it is drawn to scale.

Proposed Massive Mall Would Rival Redwoods Towering over Kimber Park

The camera lens belies the size of the mall building. By looking at the many tennis courts, walkways, swimming pool, etc., all of which would be replaced with the multi-story structure, you can get an idea of its scale. The commercial center would tower over the neighborhood and compete in height with the 60-year old Redwoods. This is what the “new” Fremont Planning Department calls open space. Shocking.

They say the plans are great, even though they would put this ginormous multi-businessed minimall into a quiet neighborhood. There is no question that it’s construction would destroy many of the old Redwoods on the property, along with the character of the neighborhood. It would also cut right through the forest canopy on the south side of the property. The figure below shows where the entrance would go. Yet, the developer has stated that all trees will be saved. Apparently they will float over the asphalt. How wide would this entrance be to permit fire trucks to safely enter? I see no way that those Redwoods survive.

Proposed Entrance to Mall Cuts Directly Through Forest Canopy

The fiasco continues. The developer’s materials show that the new plans are over 100 parking spaces short of what is needed, even after they destroy the existing beautiful interior lawn and convert it to a parking lot.The figure shown below includes my estimate at what else would need to be destroyed to fit in all of the needed parking spaces (planned parking in red, guesstimated additional space shown in green).

Proposed Kimber Park Strip Mall Plans Exposed

The figure also points out other misrepresentations. It is as if no opportunity to take from the community and disfigure and destroy it was not taken. A mislocated and unwanted aquatics center replaces more tennis courts. The garden (shown in blue), although described by the developer as a community garden, would be used to grow veggies for the restaurant. Gosh, I sure hope we don’t have any trouble keeping the turkeys and deer out of the restaurant’s garden on the private open space. I suppose that the owner’s solution will be to impose a parcel tax on the neighborhood, should we fall behind.

As crazy and insane as these plans seem, it is all true. We are faced with a newly and uniquely kleptocratic Planning Department. One so uncaring, arrogant and bold that they are openly trying to undo the effect of the Protect Fremont Open Space Initiative. It is so very sad to see Fremont become the poster child of all that is wrong in local governance. Apparently a very small group of city bureaucrats believe that they need to generate business for themselves and simultaneously show up the entirety of the citizens of Fremont and the City Council. I am so happy that my taxes are paying for their salaries and pensions (not).

If you can, please attend the October 25th Fremont Planning Department special continuation meeting, at 7pm at the City Council Chambers, Building A, 3300 Capitol Ave, Fremont and help us stand up against these abuses.

The Planning Commission will vote on the latest plans. We need to show the continued resolve and unity of the Save Kimber Park movement.

Ultimately the City Council will have their say, but we cannot let up. While I was gathering signatures for the Initiative, on Earth Day no less, a young Asian father signed our petition. He told me that he had just told his two young boys that the beautiful Fremont hills are not scarred with development because of the continued hard work of dedicated Fremont residents. He was doing his part and educating his kids about what is needed to keep Fremont beautiful, with open hills and urban forests. I would not be surprised to see him at tonight’s meeting. I hope you can make it as well.

Kimber White-Tailed Kites Breed Again

William and Kate, the beautiful pair of White-Tailed Kites, have once again successfully raised a brood of kites at Kimber Park!

A trio of young were hatched and raised this spring at the Mission Hills Tennis Club. This is the second nest of young kites raised here within about six months. William and Kate previously raised two young in mid-2011 on the Mission Hills Tennis Club property, with their nest in a Monterey Pine that loomed over the clubhouse parking lot. The young successfully fledged last Fall.

In order to give the raptors the best chance of raising their young without incident I chose not to publicize this year’s nesting until now. Raptors are notorious for abandoning nests when disturbed, so I waited until the young had fledged and left to find their own territory before writing this post.

William and Kate returned to Kimber Park in early March, 2012. The first photo was from late in the day on March 5th of this year, as one of the adults takes flight from its perch in the Redwoods on the Mission Hills Tennis Club property, near the entrance.

White-Tailed Kite at Kimber Park

Nest construction began right away, in a pine tree not far from the tree they nested in in 2011. Here’s a twig being brought over to the nest a few days after the first picture was taken.

White-Tailed Kite Building Nest

The adults were very vigilant and aware as they prepared to raise their young. Here one gives an interested observer a careful once-over.

White-Tailed Kite Warily Eyes Observer

The translucence of their backlit feathers give them an angelic glow as they gracefully soar. It does not accurately portray their demeanor, however. They are quite fierce when challenged. Last year one of the adults aggressively dove at and drove away a Golden Eagle, which was soaring over the nearby Fremont foothills just to the east of Kimber Park! Impressive behavior for a bird roughly the size of a large crow.

Although located in a suburban setting, their nest was well hidden. Here is one of the adults sitting on the nest in early May, 2012.

By the end of May three young were in the nest.

Three White-Tailed Kite Fledglings

While shown sitting peacefully here, they were very noisy and demanding. Even though the nest was nearly un-viewable from the ground, they were so loud that many members of the neighborhood took notice.

Whenever a parent showed up with food, which seemed to consist entirely of small rodents, all heck broke loose on the nest! The incoming parent was immediately surrounded by all three young whenever they returned with food.

Here a parent has just landed with food. At this point the babies are maturing at a tremendous rate.

White-Tailed Kite Feeding Young

The 60-year old Redwood forest at Kimber Park is prime breeding ground for many local birds. This year a pair of American Crows was nesting very near the White-Tailed Kites. The crows, previously discussed here, had been aggressively defending their turf. One kite fledgling made one of its first flights directly over the breeding crow pair, which caused quite a ruckus. One of the crows attacked the juvenile. As shown below, the crow made it difficult for the young kite to defend itself, but the kite was up for the task.

White-Tailed Kite Fledgling Defends Itself Against Attacking Crow

By early June the young were flying in and out of the nest. They have the typical rusty breast color of immature young. The parents now fed the young without landing, as they encouraged the juveniles to hone their flying and hunting skills by making them grab their food from the extended talons of the parents. An amazing sight to see in the early morning skies above Kimber Park!

Young White-Tailed Kite Flies Over Kimber Park

The young stayed in the Mission Hills Tennis Club Redwoods all through June and early July. They had become quieter and more secretive, but their occasional harpy-like shrieks would reveal their presence. Here is a late morning view of one of the juveniles flying among the Redwoods over the Mission Hills tennis courts in July, 2012.

Juvenile White-Tailed Kite Flies Over Mission Hills Tennis Courts

All three of the fledglings grew into beautiful young White-Tailed Kites. Here is one of the last views of them in the Mission Hills Tennis Club Redwoods, perched calmly together just after July Fourth, 2012. This tree is very near that shown at the top of this post. Over these months the young stayed on the western half of the tennis club.

The Three White-Tailed Kites Raised at Kimber Park in the Spring of 2012

Shortly afterwards William and Kate were seen flying with the young to the hills to the east, which is the most likely hunting ground for the kites.I have been missing them, but it is nevertheless  fun and exciting to see and share the diversity and concentration of wildlife that call the Mission Hills Tennis Club and surrounding Open Space home.

This is just one example of the wildlife that lives here. This amazing wildlife hotspot demands continued preservation. I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand the many example of different animals on the site over the first half of 2012 and hope to reveal more facets of this hidden gem in Fremont. Bewick’s Wrens, Nuttal’s Woodpeckers, Western Bluebirds, Wild Turkeys, and Bullock’s Orioles are just some of those observed breeding or raising young on the Mission Hills Tennis Club property this Spring. Hopefully life will permit further posts on these and others, including several raptors.

Thanks to all of Fremont for helping us get over 9,000 valid voter signatures on the Protect Fremont Open Space initiative. An immense task for a grassroots organization to take on, given the constraints of severely limited time and financing. We were successful because of the overwhelming desire of Fremont’s residents to protect our open space. Initiative signers literally sought us out, brought over friends and family, and would line up to sign on to help protect Fremont’s open space. Their purposeful participation was often quite humbling.

If you can, please attend the July 17th Fremont City Council meeting, at 7pm at the City Council Chambers, Building A, 3300 Capitol Ave, Fremont.

The City Council will have the opportunity to directly adopt the Protect Fremont Open Space Initiative and avoid having to explain why the citizens of Fremont felt compelled to change the laws under their stewardship. A large turnout will help underline the strength, determination and enthusiasm of the Save Kimber Park movement.

This will not only save the city money, it will also give those proactive City Council members an opportunity to show genuine leadership on behalf of the voters of Fremont and a leg up in the upcoming elections. The people of Fremont overwhelmingly supported this Initiative and now look to see their City Council support them in their efforts to better Fremont.

When a Spectacular Wildflower Meadow is a Problem

This past winter Northern California received significantly less than normal rainfall. In spite of this and perhaps due to some unusually late rains, the local wildflowers were doing well. In Kimber Park the neighborhood Open Space wildflowers were unusually fantastic this year.

Here’s a video of the meadow, taken on April 16th, 2012:

The meadow was teeming with wildlife, as the deer, birds, squirrels, raptors, butterflies and local bees enjoyed the buffet placed before them.

Take a look:

Kimber Park morning sunrise.

Spring 2012 Wildflowers on the Kimber Park Open Space

Another view of the Kimber Park wildflowers

Here’s a neighborhood mule deer enjoying a juicy snack:

Kimber Park mule deer enjoys juicy wildflowers

Some local insects nourishing themselves:

An early season Monarch Butterfly enjoys breakfast in the Kimber Park wildflower meadow.

A Kimber Park honeybee gathers nectar and pollen from the wildflowers.

As mentioned in a previous post, the wildflowers met with an untimely and unwanted demise.

Why would they be destroyed when in their full springtime glory? People in the neighborhood and from other areas in Fremont were walking nearby, having come to see the local flora and fauna in their springtime splendor. The flowers presented no fire hazard, and would have remained green for months. They were in their natural role, providing a food source for the local wildlife and reseeding the area for next year’s display.

One strong possibility is that the natural beauty provided a dissonance with the current owner’s publicly stated intentions:  they want to build houses on the open space in the middle of this Planned Community. The property has no development rights and is the site of a 60-year old Redwood forest. This beautiful meadow certainly seems to lend credence to the use that Shapell Homes deeded to the property during the original development (see this post for more info) – this land must be left natural.

That problem was solved by cutting the meadow to the ground. Here is the sad view left for the neighborhood, where wildflowers were just flourishing:

This looks more like a place for houses, now that the wildflowers are being taken out.

The Kimber Park Open Space, shown with the wildflowers in the foreground razed. The remaining wildflowers were cut shortly afterwards.

It is also possible that the owners are just not competent enough to know that the flowers should not be cut down after until after they have finished blooming and died back. It’s possible that not everyone likes flowers (OK, I’ve actually never met anyone who admitted to this, but they must be out there somewhere. There are, after all, more than 6.8 billion of us on the planet).

In either case I feel bad for the landscape workers, put in an impossible position. Something tells me that they might have a clue here and on their own would have handled the situation appropriately. But that’s just my opinion.

But a recent turn of events left me wondering if someone is getting the message after all. I took these pictures of California Poppies on a different part of the property. Other blooming poppies elsewhere on the property were already cut to the ground. It looked like these guys would go next, as the landscapers made their way across the acreage.

California Poppies growing on the Kimber Park Open Space for the first time in recent years.

The local native bees seem to really enjoy them.

A native bee gathers pollen from a California Poppy at Kimber Park.

For the time being, this patch of poppies was not cut to the ground when the surrounding weeds were. Here they are, left standing after all.

A few poppies still survive.

Is the word getting out to the owners that the residents of Fremont are being informed about what is going on here?

Hundreds of volunteers are spread out across the city, working diligently to make their fellow Fremont residents aware of the lengths being taken to try to force dense residential housing on the mitigating open space of a wonderful Planned Community in Fremont. In these tough times, it is heartwarming to see cynicism and skepticism about local governance erased and replaced with resolve, determination and joy, as thousands of Fremont voters participate in the democratic process and help get the Protect Fremont Open Space Petition on the ballot.

Are the Mission Hills Tennis Club owners even aware of the untenable position they are making for themselves in Fremont?

Do you agree, disagree or have other thoughts to add? If so, please add your comments.

As always, opinions presented here are those of the author.