Cherry Plum Blossoms

 

Townsend's Warbler, SF Botanical Garden

I struck out on finding an unusual migrant that was reported yesterday in the Botanical Garden, but the bird activity around the pond in Children's Garden was a nice consolation on a beautiful Saturday morning.

I started looking for the migrant (a summer tanager) where all the commotion was coming from, hoping it would enjoy hanging out with all the robins feasting on berries. If it was still in the area, I didn't see it (nor did anyone else I spoke with). 

I was surprised to find a great blue heron hunting in the little pond. It can't be an easy spot to fly into and out of with those big wings. I didn't see it make a strike, but it rested unperturbed by the few human passers-by.

Steller's Jay in the Willows

The Allen's hummingbird was being chased by a larger Anna's hummer when I first saw it. Once it alighted on this branch, though, it seemed to be in an acceptable location since I didn't see it get chased off from here.

Such a beautiful bird in such a tiny package.

A female Anna's hummingbird dropped by to collect cattail fluff for her nest.

I didn't think to watch where she went once she'd gathered enough of the seedhead fluff to fly it back to the nest.

There were many yellow-rumped warblers around, as usual.

I don't have my glasses on when I'm shooting, so I sometimes raise my camera just to see what a bird is. A couple of times I thought I was finding a pine siskin, only to realize it was another yellow-rumper.

But at one point, a pine siskin did come close enough for a shot.

Several birds, mostly robins, were bathing in the pond, but this Townie must also have jumped in, as he spent quite a while preening afterward in a thicket of branches.

Preening Townie No. 2 of 4

Preening Townie No. 3 of 4

Preening Townie No. 4 of 4

A local song sparrow ate whole cherry plum blossoms...

...while an Anna's hummingbird just sipped the nectar.

The Townsend's warblers were also apparently feeding on the nectar.

A northern flicker's calls were going unanswered from deep in a thicket of willows and other plants.

* * *

Kelp Crabs

 

Tidepool Still Life

I hadn't been to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in the month of January since 2011, so I thought I'd check it out. Much of the reef at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve was actually closed, as it always seems to be when I've visited the last couple of years. They close it for the harbor seals, and keep it closed even when there are no seals present. Just south of there, Moss Beach Cove is the next best thing, and that's where I ended up.

The very first tidepools I encountered were full of kelp crabs, maybe half a dozen in a couple of small pools. I must have been their first visitor because they'd been calmly going about their business until they saw me. Then it was scuttle this way and scuttle that way, trying to wedge themselves under rocks too small for the job. By the time I left a couple hours later, after finding much beauty but little of critterly interest farther out on the reef, the crabs had evidently found some worthy hideaways.

Sea Glass & Limpet Shell

Kelp Crab in a Pool with Coralline Algae

I wish I'd been sneakier because it looked like a couple of the crabs had been munching on seaweed just before they spotted me and scuttled for cover.

This old shellback has some coralline algae growing on its distinctive carapace.

A couple of the crabs only had one large pincer arm. I wondered if they lost the other one in battle with other crabs, or in some other way.

I was interested in this golden-colored turban snail because it was actually occupied by the mollusk rather than a hermit crab.

I didn't realize it was a snail until I picked it up, and then I watched it for a minute after I put it down. This is the snail coming out of its hideout, grasping the rock with its gastro-foot, then pulling itself upright again.

All the kelp crabs were about as close to shore as they could get without climbing up out of the water. Farther out, I didn't see a single one.

I saw a couple of these tiny pink shells, but this one was occupied by a hermit crab rather than a snail.

Limpet in Colorful Surroundings

This purple shore crab had moxy.

Although it did finally retreat from the top of its rock. I was surprised the great blue heron, or a gull, or even a black turnstone, hadn't made a meal out of it.

I can never resist photographing sea anemone tentacles.

My second small abalone shell of the day.

A mossy chiton, bedded down for the duration.

This looked mighty suspicious, and when I gently tried to pick up the little whelk or dogwinkle or whatever it is, my suspicion was confirmed. It had probably drilled a hole in that little limpet in order to devour it.

Hermit Tracks

Gastro Tracks

A Ridiculously Green Anemone

I envied my sister for being at Hanauma Bay today, but Moss Beach Cove was pretty nice too, even without a snorkel.

* * *

Cedar Waxwings

 

Cedar Waxwing Eating Cotoneaster Berries Near Spreckels Lake

I haven't seen any cedar waxwings since mid-December and was wondering when they'd come back around. Today I heard a flock of them trilling as I was biking toward the beach on JFK Drive. They took a surprisingly long time to return after initially being frightened off when I foolishly let my kickstand loudly clack into place when I stopped. Later, I'd sit and wait for some pygmy nuthatches to return to a rain puddle near the Bison Paddock, only to finally give up and settle for bathing sparrows.

This was the semi-foggy view out our back window this morning, with eucalyptus trees and Twin Peaks.

Some of the plum trees around town are just getting started while others are already fully in bloom.

They were still wet from yesterday's light rain.

White Ramping Fumitory

I was walking up the sidewalk in Forest Hill and noticed a strong floral scent, which I first thought had been a plume of perfume left by a woman who'd just gotten into her car across the street. (I often smell soap plumes that have wafted off hikers on Mt. Tam's Cataract Trail and wonder if they take a second shower when they get back home.) Anyway, I soon noticed the lemon flowers and turned around to walk back and see if the plume was still there. It was, and the sweet smell was definitely due to the lemon blossoms.

Cedar Waxwing

For some reason, the search feature on the blog doesn't pick up all the instances of any given phrase. Searching for "cedar waxwing" failed to turn up my post from December 11, 2025. It'd be a more helpful feature if you could actually rely on it. By the way, my individual blog posts tend to get between 25-75 views, but the blog as a whole gets a few hundred views per day. They must be coming in via search (and then they go away forever).

Bathing Sparrows

RBS was still at its favorite tree at South Lake today, creating ever more sapsucker holes. The bird had been pecking around the back of the tree until another bird flew into the higher branches and emitted a really interesting, buzzing call that I'm not sure I've ever heard before. I was trying to visually locate the bird in the dense foliage when all of a sudden a red-shouldered hawk loudly swooped onto the scene just behind the sapsucker tree, and a second red-shouldered hawk that had been perched just out of sight behind the tree flew up to meet it, both of them screeching and squawking, before flying east over the lake together. The "interesting call" had obviously been a warning to other birds.

I was lucky enough to get another shot of a common yellowthroat at Middle Lake today. I've been going back to the "birdy area" where I recently saw the Allen's hummingbird, but it hasn't been birdy there since, and the hummer hasn't stuck around either. The yellowthroat was moving through brush on the opposite end of the lake.

* * *