Just off the coast of southern California lies a series of 8 small islands, five of which form the Channel Islands National Park. Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the northern volcanic chain, a partially submerged tail-like extension of the Santa Monica Mountains. For our afternoon excursion, we selected the long hike up to a scenic viewpoint near Prisoners Harbor. Although the giant coreopsis was in a dormant, moribund state, we were greeted by the vibrant cobalt blue-colored Island Scrub Jay, while a Santa Cruz Island fox bid us adieu. Both species are only found on Santa Cruz Island.

The Santa Cruz Island subspecies of Channel Islands Fox

View from Del Norte Trail

The National Geographic Venture in Prisoners Harbor with Santa Barbara in distance.

Wild buckwheat

Santa Cruz Island Excursions

We walked past the National Park sign, and onto some buildings that contained restrooms. I was disappointed to discover that the only National Park Service Passport Cancellation Stamp station on the island was located miles away near the Scorpion Anchorage. 

Scrub Jays and Vegetation

Santa Cruz Scrub Jay

As we set out along the dusty Navy Road, we had high hopes of viewing the Santa Cruz Island Fox, another subspecies that only lives on Santa Cruz Island. While we saw plenty of deposits containing berries and possibly deer mouse fur along the sides of the road, the elusive fox was not to be seen.

Island Oak

Instead, we saw native vegetation such as the Santa Cruz Island Oak with hanging beards of Spanish moss, and berry laden Toyan bushes. The Chumash dry these berries and then grind them up to make pancakes. 

Toyan bush

I asked about the Giant Coreopsis and our naturalist pointed out some dead-appearing leafless grey silhouettes, some bearing dried blooms. At this time of year, the coreopsis is still in a dormant stage, awaiting the winter rains. 

Dormant Giant Coreopsis

The air was fragrant with the scent of anise, one of the non-native plants that flourished on the hillsides. Indeed, it seemed these taller and denser stalks were choking out the much more widely scattered coreopsis that I remembered as forming fields of yellow and green (See photo from 1982 here). 

Fragrant, but invasive anise

As the trail wound up, we came across numerous beautiful views of the bay and the Santa Barbara coast in the distance. 

Navy Road

The Del Norte Trail

After a bit of climbing, we turned left onto the Del Norte Trail, a narrow path lined by grass that took on rainbow hues against the green trees and blue bay beyond.

Rippling rainbow-hued grasses and bay on Del Norte Trail

After we reached a viewpoint with a picnic table, part of the group started back and part of the group kept going as the path led more steeply downhill. Vegetation also encroached the trail more closely in this less traveled section and I wished I had not zipped off the legs of my hiking pants. 

Narrowing downhill track on Del Norte Trail

I decided to turn back with another couple to wait at the picnic table and enjoy the view out to the mainland, while my husband continued onwards down the hill.  They reached a lovely gully leading to the sea lined by tiny yellow blooms before turning around.

The late afternoon sun reflected off the undulating hills beyond as they returned to the viewpoint, while ravens called and something potentially the size of a small fox or large rodent scampered through the bushes near the picnic table. 

Undulating sunlit hills beyond the Del Norte Trail

There were more flowers out than I would have expected for November, even in California. We saw lots of small white blooms across the ground.

In shady bends of the trail, there were waving fronds of yellow soft-leaved paintbrushes.

Soft-leaved paintbrushes

We spotted another Island Scrub Jay, perched up high on bush lupines.  I lingered to photograph the rich purple blooms against a backdrop of silvery-green leaves and to chat with our naturalist Chelsea.

The Santa Cruz Island Fox

Then she got a message on her walkie talkie that our lead hikers had spotted an Island Fox!

The two of us hurried along and were rewarded with a nice view of a little fox sitting under arching shrub branches. Of course, like our kids, the fox has its eyes shut in most of the telephoto pictures taken by my husband.

The fox cooperated by sitting there lazily watching us with its ears in a very relaxed position for at least 4-5 minutes judging by the time stamps on the photos, before running off beyond the eucalyptus trees in the landing picnic area.

What a delight! The Channel Island foxes represent yet another example of the lasting impact made by Rachel Carson when she alerted the nation to the hazards of DTT. It turns out that the loss of the bald eagle, which is endemic to these islands and pescatarian, allowed the larger carnivorous golden eagle to move in.

And the golden eagles delighted in their ability to carry off full grown Channel Island foxes. Like the Galapagos, each island has its own subspecies of fox. Descended from the grey fox, these foxes have evolved to a smaller size due to limited resouces. And the Santa Cruz Island fox is the smallest of them.

The Channel Island foxes were nearly extinct at the beginning of this millenium. But due to efforts enabled by the Endangered Species Act, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, they have recovered and are now considered as "near threatened". Their recovery was facilitated by relocation of golden eagles to the mainland (Utah according to the naturalist), elimination of feral pigs, and restoration of bald eagle numbers after DTT was banned.  

Dinner

Again, we enjoyed a cocktail hour with a featured mixed drink and nonalcoholic beverage, a meat, cheese and fruit platter, and grilled vegetables. Waiters brought trays of this tasty quinoa-black bean ball with a zesty sauce. 

And we enjoyed dinner with another set of red and white wines, including a salad, braised short rib or roasted halibut over truffle whipped potatoes and roasted asparagus. 

For dessert, a caramelized apple tart tatin a la mode, which we enjoyed with an extra side of chocolate ice cream.

After dinner, we learned about other conservation efforts on Anacapa Island. How do you trap and remove invasive rats without harming the population  of an endemic type of deer mouse that is only seen on Anacapa Island? The solution was to trap the deer mice and house them in a special building near the lighthouse, releasing them only after the rats had been eliminated.