Elegant Terns

 

Elegant Tern, Ocean Beach

It took awhile to decide not to bring my camera on the bike ride today. It was just a bit too wet, which meant I was going to wear my bird-frightening, bright green rainproof bike jacket. But of course I wished I had the camera when I saw my first-of-season Marbled Godwits down by Sutro Baths, and then again when I saw the Elegant Terns south of there, in front of the Beach Chalet.

Realistically, though, I'm not sure I'd want to leave my bike and panniers unattended on the Ocean Beach Esplanade, where I fear it could disappear into someone's van or the nearby homeless encampment. Instead I rode home and drove back in the car.

I heard the terns before I saw them, which makes me wonder if they are recent arrivals at the beach. I bike past that area a few times a week and haven't heard any terns until today. 

I had walked to the beach earlier in the morning and saw a group of maybe a dozen pelicans fishing in the shorebreak south of Ortega Street. They waited on the beach and waded in, or flew a short distance, to make a quick spear into the water. Maybe the pelicans and terns are finding good numbers of fish lately.

The terns on the beach were mostly relaxing and preening. Every now and then a few would return from hunting trips to the south to join the crowd. In the background, the Cliff House looms in its torpid state of decay, surrounded by ugly fencing and showing no sign of renovations being done.

Note the tiny tern feet.

There were numerous pelicans out this morning. Seal Rocks also had a lot more birdlife than I've seen in a good while.

Graffiti on the breakwater added color to the background.

Sometimes a clueless off-leash dog-walker shows up and scares all the birds into flight. I was actually grateful to be able to get some photos of them taking off.

The whole mass of terns and gulls lifted off for the one dog, then circled overhead until the coast was clear.

One of the terns took a little bathroom break while it was up there.

Heermann's Gulls

Gulls & Graffiti

A couple of wise old Western Gulls didn't bother to rise up.

Heermann's Gull

Birds of a feather flocked together, but did not mix.

As this raging gull was reminding the terns.

This tern seemed to be playing a joke on the gull by flying away with a stick that the gull evidently wanted for itself.

Elegant Hair-do

Brown Pelican Trio

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Locals & Visitors

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Immature Male), Golden Gate Park

I wonder if all the rough weather east of the Rockies has made a few birds change course and come to California. Whatever the reason they're here, I hope they find everything they need to continue their journey. 

Birds that are way out of their usual range are called vagrants, as opposed to migrants who are passing through in their normal course. Here's a couple of longer explanations of why vagrant birds get lost (also, a Google search of "how do vagrant birds end up in California" produces a succinct set of bullet points).

This is a medley of birds I was able to photograph yesterday after the great blue heron flew away.

The Downy Woodpecker was going to town inside a small hole.

Note the tiny wood chips flying out.

It finally managed to pull out a few small grubs.

Handsome Fellow

Some Pygmy Nuthatches were in the trees nearby.

And farther west, into the Rhododendron Dell, I was able to observe a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches.

A Wilson's Warbler made a quick pass through the cycads north of the Lily Pond.

I figured this bird was some kind of sparrow, but I wasn't familiar with it. Apparently it's a Chipping Sparrow.

The chipping sparrow and this female Lazuli Bunting were feeding in a mixed flock of sparrows and juncos (which are also technically sparrows).

I thought this guy might be another ovenbird, but it's a local Song Sparrow gleening insects in the Chilean rhubarb.

I don't know if this junior Rose-breasted Grosbeak was nervous around me, but I didn't see it actually eat any of the cotoneaster berries.

After awhile it flew east and out of sight.

Prince of the Sprinkler, a Western Wood Pewee

The wood pewee is a flycatcher, and it was busily snapping after insects that I never got a look at. Meanwhile, a nearby Western Flycatcher snagged a honeybee. In the original image you can see a droplet of something (poison?) on the tip of the bee's stinger.

I don't think it stung the flycatcher, but the bird dropped the bee and didn't go after it again.

I wouldn't have posted this shot of the Anna's Hummingbird except that it's nectaring on some bear's breeches, one of the first horticultural flowers whose name I learned when I moved to California back in the '80s.

A couple of frisky Townsend's Warblers were chasing around the Dell but stopped just long enough for me to snap a couple of frames.

I fired off many frames trying to get good shots of the Brown Creepers, some of which were sweetly calling to each other.

I just love the feathered cape on these guys.

American Robin on the attack.

The worm tried to hold tough, but the robin didn't give up.

And it eventually won its prize.

Nearby, other robins opted for cotoneaster berries.

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