The Swallows of--no, not of San Juan Capistrano--of Walnut Creek

As I pulled into Trader Joe's on South California Boulevard mid-day Saturday, I thought I might be walking into a scene of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. The air space directly above the parking lot was filled with the flapping wings of possibly 100 or more birds. And after I parked and started to walk toward the store, I caught what looked like bird after bird perched on a north-facing ledge beneath the store's roof.

An older man had a camera trained up the side of the wall. He was taking photos of what might be something of a miracle in Walnut Creek. Forget the miracle of the Mission at San Juan Capistrano to the south--which has seen a diminishing of the flocks that nest there around St. Joseph's Day in March, according to an article in San Juan Capistrano Patch.

Apparently, Trader Joe's in Walnut Creek is where the swallows want to be.

(Hmm, then again the appearance of this huge flock of birds might be some sign that

the world was indeed going to end this weekend, as an Oakland-based minister publicly proclaimed--with media people like me being silly and giving him his 15 Minutes.)

Anyway,, I approached the north wall of Trader Joe's, the ledge containing the birds, and the man taking their photos.

And, I quickly saw that the birds were not perching there. From one end to the other, that ledge had become the home to at least 50 mud nests. The birds were setting up a place to lay eggs and nurture some chicks. Some bird couples were still in the process of building their nests.

The man taking photos turned out to be, in his own way, like the Bird Lady in The Birds. If you've never seen this movie, she's the older woman in the tweed suit who is the big bird expert. She suddenly appears in the Bodega Bay restaurant, telling Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor that their fears about the birds of this coastal town suddenly acting wacky, banding together and turning on humankind, have no scientific basis. Her defense of the birds comes before the birds attack the school house and blow up the gas station.

As I approached the Bird Man, I heard the Trader Joe's swallows give off a lovely and non-threatening chorus of "'cheep cheep"--not like the caw-caw-caw and screech of The Birds gangs of gulls and crows. The Bird Man informed me that they were swallows.

The Bird Man--no, not like the Alcatraz Bird Man--sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He lives in Walnut Creek and is friendly with the folks at East Bay Nature, the shop in the San Miguel Center on Newell Avenue that specializes in everything for feeding birds.

Anyway, he gave me his non-Rapture, non-Hitchcock-thriller explanation for the swallows deciding that Trader Joe's was the place for their flock to build their nests.

Trader Joe's and its parking lot is next door to Las Trampas Creek. The swallows need the mud from the creek bed to build their nests, he explained. The creek also has its habitat for insects, which the birds feed on.

So, with the Bird Man, I stood there in rapture, watching this amazing miracle of nature. The birds fluttered back and forth between the creek, diving down to bite up mud in their beaks and bringing it back to add to their honeycombed-shaped nests at the top of the wall.

We'll have to see what happens--whether the world will end, or these birds will suddenly start swooping down and pecking at shoppers' scalps.

Of course, Trader Joe's management could get fed up with the white drips of bird poop that you could see starting to stream down their wall.

Barring some health issue with the flock's presence on the wall of this grocery store, I just hope the birds get to stay, create their little families, as well as something beautiful for us all to stop and see.

Walnut Creek mobility gripe no. 4: Where the bike lane ends on California Boulevard

A reader alerted me to both this possible “gap” in thinking on Walnut Creek’s proposed Bicycle Plan, as well as a challenging gap for bicyclists trying to travel up and down California Boulevard between the BART station and Newell Avenue.

The bike lane along California Boulevard ends at Mt. Diablo Boulevard. If the bicyclist is determined to push to Newell Avenue on south to the end of California Boulevard, well good luck to the bicyclist. He or she has to compete with motorists for space, especially in those two blocks between Olympic Boulevard and Newell Avenue.

As I’ve said before, I don’t ride a bike, but I’ve been a motorist coming upon someone on a bike trying to squeeze into the right-hand lanes of traffic going in both directions on California Boulevard between Olympic and Newell.

Basically, there is no room for both a car and a bike in those right-hand lanes. Of course, I’ve been the motorist, annoyed that I have to slow way down and essentially follow behind the bicyclist. And I’ve been stuck in a slow-moving column of cars, stuck behind a much slower moving bicyclist.

It happens fairly frequently. It makes sense that, if you’re a bicyclist trying to get from one end of town to another, that you’d use the full length of California Boulevard. I’ve seen kids on bikes trying to get to and from school on California Boulevard, and what looks like adults on bikes trying to get to and from work.

According to the draft Bicycle Plan, which the city council has begun discussing, creating a “Class III” bike route in both directions from Olympic Boulevard to Newell Avenue is a high priority. A Class III bike route can basically be any city street, and doesn’t require a special bike lane. It is “usually established on low-volume local neighborhood streets,” which we know California Boulevard, leading to Plaza Escuela, Trader Joe’s, and Kaiser medical center, is not. It is recommended that Class III bike routes that serve as routes to school, for younger bicyclists, have “wider outside lane widths (fourteen to sixteen feet)."

With the current state of sidewalks and retail space on California Boulevard, between Oympic and Newell, I'm not sure how they would squeeze in any extra space in the right lanes for bicyclists.

As I wrote earlier, the city has begun discussing ways to make Walnut Creek more bike-friendly. The city has to work on this effort. It is mandated to do so by the General Plan 2025 and if it wants to become eligible to receive special state funds. Unfortunately, the draft Bicycle Plan says that many roads are not currently bicycle friendly (could we be talking this stretch of California Boulevard?), and connections to downtown, transit, and work centers are not clearly established.

Downed electric lines cut power throughout Walnut Creek

High winds knocked down live power lines in several locations in Walnut Creek, closing roads, and darkening homes, traffic lights, and businesses, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

As of about 2:20 p.m., PG&E was reporting about 540 customers without power in eastern Walnut Creek, due to a downed along Homestead Drive and Marshall Drive. PG&E says that power outage began around 11:30 a.m.

Shortly before, I had been out and about and saw two downed wires along Newell Avenue. One was between the gas stations at South California Boulevard, and the other was located on a residential portion of Newell near Olympic Boulevard. Power was out at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (Yes, I was trying to do some grocery shopping) and at scattered intersections.

A man was doing pro bono traffic control at the intersection of Newell Avenue and Magnolia Way. He had jumped out of SUV and was warning Newell Avenue through traffic from going through. A half hour earlier, he had been passing along that stretch, when he saw behind the power line snap, and "lots of white smoke." Residents along Newell reported that their power was out.

Power for customers in eastern Walnut Creek is expected to be restored by 6 or 6:30 p.m.

One less empty storefront: Pet Food Express to move into the former Elephant Phamarcy site

The San Leandro-based pet food and supply retailer, Pet Food Express, is set to open its newest store in Walnut Creek, in the space right next door to Trader Joe's--that was recently occupied by the late Elephant Pharmacy.

Pet Food Express will also be opening about a block from another pet food and supply retailer, PETCO.

Pet Food Express already has its sign affixed to the building it shares with Trader Joe's, and to the sign posted at the corner of Newell Avenue of South California Boulevard. A digital countdown clock in Pet Food Express' new window says this Walnut Creek store is due to open in 24 days, which Soccer Son and I estimate to be Tuesday, November 17.

The company likes to promote its local Bay Area roots. ... And the fact that its 34 stores offer the largest selection of holistic and hypoallergenic pet foods in the United States. The chain also boasts of other features, described on its website as "cool" or community oriented: an interest in helping local pet rescue organizations, offering low prices that beat the competition, and, hmm, self-service dog washes. (Hey, what about cat washes? Meeee-ooowww!)

As for the competition with PETCO ... Me-ow! Pet supply chain store cat fight brewing!

We pick up our kitty cat's food at PETCO for the time being. But, hey, if that brand is available next door to Trader Joe's--where I regular stock up on basic food items--meats, breads, dairy, baking goods, chocolate!!!, and Two Buck Chuck Cabernet--well, I might be frequenting Pet Food Express more often.