Return of the Whimbrels

 

Whimbrel Tussle

Not the greatest pix, but I couldn't resist posting shots of a flock of whimbrels that was feeding and tussling on the beach near Sutro Baths late yesterday morning. 

I only recently started including the Cliff House on my daily bike ride, and when I started I figured there would be very little change from day to day. So far I've been pleasantly surprised by nuances in pelican numbers, sun vs. fog, surfable waves or just choppy surf, the coming and going of surf fishermen (both on the beach and in boats close to shore), sea stars invading the mussel beds on Seal Rocks, and now the return of the whimbrels.

In other local news, Heckle and Jeckle (as I call them) weren't resting on the Murphy Windmill as they often do (either singly or together), nor were they sitting together in a tree. This time they were resting like a pair of chimney gargoyles on the Millwright Cottage next to the windmill. They both appeared to be quite damp and were busy preening their feathers. Their tail feathers are finally turning red.

Farther east on MLK Drive I was sorry to see that the wasp nest had been obliterated, and not by an accidental sprinkler incident, but by the intentional use of pesticides (prallethrin and deltamethrin, according to a sign at the kill site). I'd looked forward to monitoring the nest over its natural lifetime.

One Whimbrel
(Note all the peck marks in the sand where the flock had been probing for mole crabs.)

Two Whimbrels

Many Whimbrels

The cormorants don't usually pass by the Cliff House this close to shore.

Likewise for the black oystercatchers. It was interesting to see so much energetic bird activity on such a foggy and chilly summer day.

Heckle and Jeckle on the Millwright Cottage

Heckle

Jeckle

Wasp Nest Remainders
(A few scraps of the papery outer nest also littered the ground, but nowhere near enough to account for the whole thing.)

For what it's worth, I was able to watch the wasps from directly beneath the nest several times without stirring them to anger. I'm sorry to see that the park chose to eradicate these keen killers of aphids and other garden pests.

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Big Sur

 

Big Sur Sunset

I spent the day in Big Sur from sunrise to sunset, reacquainting myself with this majestic stretch of coast. Even though you still can't drive all the way through due to ongoing major road repairs, you can still get far enough to enjoy some of California's beautiful, rugged coast -- and without the kind of dense fog we're socked in with farther north.

The road ends just south of McWay Falls and Esalen. I was disappointed that I couldn't get a look at any of the construction progress from where the closure blocks the route. One of the nice things about the closure is that traffic was much lighter than usual. I didn't really start seeing many other vehicles on the road until around 10:30 in the morning.

Even though it was a photo trip, I was unable to photograph one of the highlights of the day, which was seeing two different California condors. Both flew out of sight before I could find a place to pull off the road and get my camera out. 

I had a possible condor sighting while I was just hanging out at a small overlook where I was scanning the kelp beds for resting sea otters. I was excited when I thought I saw an otter surrounded by kelp, only to notice on closer examination that there was a vulture feeding on it! The carcass was more like the size of a harbor seal, and I was impressed that the vulture must have nailed the landing (assuming vultures can't land on water). Unfortunately, even with 10X binoculars I couldn't be sure the condor wasn't actually a turkey vulture.

Red Ice Plant and Setting Moon

It was built in the same style as the more well-known Bixby Creek Bridge, but this is actually the Granite Canyon Bridge.

Toothy Sea Rocks

I liked the color and texture of the coastal plants on this stretch of the road.

This is someone's private little cove (the house is outside the right side of the frame). Although there are several public parks in Big Sur (all of which charge an entry fee), some of the most inviting spots on the coast are on private property.

The rising sun was just cresting the mountains to the east in this shot of the Bixby Creek Bridge. Only one other person showed up while I was there, and he just took a quick phone snap and asked if I knew how far down the road closure was (I did, because I'd marked it on my map before going). Later on in the day, this same small pull-out was jammed with cars.

This is another view from farther south that also includes the Bixby Bridge. That layer of foggy haze never did completely burn off.

Coastal view with a yellow patch of lizard tail flowers.

I liked that the sun was shining on just that one sea stack.

The Historic Point Sur Naval Facility (with just the top of the light showing on the far right side of the frame).

Big Sur River

This was one of my favorite overlooks because I had it all to myself. I would return later to look for condors and enjoy the wildlife (quite a few sea lions, a lone harbor seal, a great blue heron, and the afore-mentioned vulture) down below. The only wildlife I didn't enjoy was a colony of tiny fire ants that I didn't notice until one of my toes felt like it was burning. I was wearing flip-flops and thought at first that I was getting sunburnt. Then I spotted the ant hill....

Coast Highway in Big Sur

Classic Big Sur Landscape

Small Falls with Five-Finger Ferns, Partington Creek

Coastal Color

The road winds just behind this crowd of redwoods rising from Partington Cove.

Sunny View up Partington Creek Canyon

If you look closely, you can make out the shape of a lone sea lion barking from its rocky perch.

A Gaggle of Sea Lions

That little spot of brightness on the kelp is a great blue heron.

I was a little surprised as I watched a lot of gulls fly right past the carcass that the vulture was feeding on -- until I realized they could get more bite-sized treats flung about by a couple of sea lions taking apart their prey (short video clip below).

Fully flowering Yucca whipplei on a steep hillside.

Big Sur Hangout

I'd thought all the barking was coming from the sea lions resting on the rock in the photo above until I finally noticed these nicely camouflaged guys on the beach.

So many cars were heading south toward the road closure as the sun was going down that I took pleasure in this unexpected opportunity to photograph McWay Falls. I figured the main viewing area would be packed with photographers.

Big Sur Ridges, Late in the Day

I ended up being pleasantly surprised to pull out at the classic McWay Falls viewpoint and have it all to myself. As a crazed photographer, I'd assumed everyone would want to be here. Nope!

I wasn't sure where I wanted to be for sunset (I believe it's the wrong time of year to try for the arch at Pfeiffer Beach), but I lucked into a pretty good pull-out. The main viewing area was angled south toward the rugged ridges, but the "unofficial" viewing area made for a great sunset spot. Soon after I set up my tripod and 300mm lens I found myself with lots of company, including a group that launched a drone.

The atmospheric hue deepened as the sun approached the sea.

Last Light in Big Sur

Sea Lions and Gulls

* * *

Middle Lake

Newly Opened Middle Lake, Golden Gate Park

The Parks Department did a great job of fixing up Middle Lake over the last couple of years, and they have finally removed the fencing and opened it up to the public. It was fun to walk around the lake and remember how it used to be. I kind of enjoyed the unkempt wildness of it in the old days (including a mess of feral cats that hid in the bushes), but now it looks more like the city actually gives a damn about it. 

Flowing Creek at Middle Lake

It looks like they even put some native plants along the creek, which drains from the fly-fishing pools above.

It'll be interesting to see how the plantings fill in. 

First Impressions

The brown pelicans have disappeared again, leaving the rocks to the cormorants. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier, Iwagi Island, is coming out of the fog and heading for the sun in Stockton, where it's about 30 degrees warmer.

* * *

Nature Walk

 

Fire-Colored Sunflower, Strybing Arboretum Children's Garden

The plan was to take a walk down the hill through the neighborhood, then into Golden Gate Park where I'd walk an arc through Strybing Arboretum and up to Blue Heron Lake, then circle back up 9th Avenue. I brought the FZ80 along but wasn't sure I'd even take it out of my knapsack. 

Well, I never made it to Blue Heron Lake. The camera did come out, and it stayed out, as many subjects caught my interest. However, I might still have made it to the lake if I hadn't spotted the California red-legged frogs and the Pacific wren. After spending time with those two I was getting a mite peckish and decided to head home for lunch.

One of the things I love about San Francisco is that any walk can be a nature walk. I often won't choose to photograph the things I notice, but my eyes and ears (and sometimes my nose) are always attuned to my surroundings, and being a lover of underdogs makes me appreciate city nature all the more.

Red Admiral butterfly trying desperately to eke out some warmth from a fog-shrouded sun on a wood-chip path.

I believe this Chickadee is eating sap.

Scolding Hummers

There were many more water lilies blooming today than there were on my last visit.

Lots of honeybees were out collecting pollen and nectar.

I'm still waiting to capture a monarch butterfly (or caterpillar) on the narrowleaf milkweed plants in the California Garden.

The California buckeye's flowers are just about done on this tree, but some of the others around the park are still going strong.

Coming in for a landing....

Honeybee and Aloe Flowers

The California Pipevine plant in my yard came from the Strybing Arboretum nursery, and right now it's full of flowers. So it was flowers that I was looking for within the small remnant of pipevine that didn't get torn out during construction of the new nursery buildings...

...but instead of finding flowers, I spotted a few pipevine swallowtail caterpillars munching away on the pipevine's leaves. This caterpillar appears to have been preyed upon, or otherwise become injured or maybe just developed poorly. That also looks like some other kind of insect egg next to it on the leaf.

Sorrel, ginger, and bleeding heart in the redwood grove.

I think this sub-adult red-shouldered hawk was squawking so much because it was hungry and expecting a parent to swing by with a nice mouse for lunch.

There were several sunflowers with spectacular coloration in the Children's Garden...

...as well as the more traditional yellow (which the honeybee seemed to prefer).

The Children's Garden has really come along. It used to look semi-abandoned, or very little-used, but now it's full of plants and fun paths through it all. And not only that...

...but there are California red-legged frogs in the pond now. The pond used to be choked with water weeds to the point where you could hardly see the surface of the water.

After noticing that I could now see into the pond, I soon spotted a tadpole swimming around, and then I started looking for adults.

It didn't take long to find some.

This might be a juvenile Pacific wren (as opposed to an adult), as it appears to be a little incomplete, especially in the tail-feather department. It didn't have any trouble singing or flying, though.

Chilean Rhubarb Leaf

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