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| High Tide on Coyote Creek |
I probably wouldn't have stopped on my way to Mt. Tam yesterday if I hadn't spotted the American Avocets foraging along the shore of Richardson Bay near Coyote Creek. The Black-Necked Stilts are still around, but seeing avocets in this area was a new sighting for me. They were unafraid of my presence and fed just a few feet away, scything their bills back and forth but not snagging anything I could see. Well-camouflaged Willets foraged for critters in the saltgrass, moving about on foot while whistling Wigeons nibbled on plants from the water.
The holiday auto traffic was fairly heavy on Panoramic Highway, but I had decided not to wait to go up today because of the forecast of heavy winds. Yesterday was a gorgeous day for a bike ride. On reaching Mt. Tam my odometer showed I was about 50 miles away from reaching 10,000 miles. Next month I'll have had the ebike four years. Estimates for battery life are all over the place, but mine still seem to be fine.
On the hike up to the cams I spotted the biggest jackrabbit I've ever seen. It was a sprightly hare despite its size and galloped off in the direction of my cams, then finally zoomed up the hill and out of sight after allowing me a quick photo.
When I reached the cams I was excited to find a crime scene -- Band-Tailed Pigeon feathers in a pile -- next to the little creek. The cameras appear to have caught an attack from maybe a Cooper's Hawk, but it happened too fast, and the image is too weak, to be sure. The other interesting capture was an animal I can't identify. If we had Pikas, I might have guessed that's what it was. If you have any ideas, drop me an email (jwallphoto at either gmail or yahoo).
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| American Avocets & Black-Necked Stilt |
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| American Avocets on Richardson Bay |
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| Feeding Avocet Showing Curved Beak |
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| Willet in the Pickleweed and Saltgrass |
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| Male Wigeons on Coyote Creek |
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| Jumbo Jackrabbit |
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| Crime Scene |
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| Band-Tailed Pigeons Drinking from Creek @ 8:11:07 a.m. |
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| Fleeing Pigeons & Crime Scene @ 8:11:45 a..m. |
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100% View of Blue-Circled Bird
(Is it a raptor or just another pigeon?) |
Another Angle: The Attack Happens Fast
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| Homage to a Bandie |
Unknown Creature Zooms Up the Creek
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| 100% View of Unknown Creature |
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| Panoramic Highway, Feb. 20, 2023 |
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| Panoramic Highway, Feb. 20, 2012 |
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| High Tide Along the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway |
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