The lone Valley Oak at the top of a ridge on Road F, the "Phainopepla Tree", greets the sunlight finally topping the clouds along the horizon. Even though this oak and its mistletoe have been long dead, this is still a favorite haunt of many types of birds -- both for its prominence as a lookout post commanding a broad view, and for the insects that burrow beneath the decaying bark. Road F, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. 10/26/2021, 7:44 am.