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| Warbler-by-the-Sea |
At first glance I thought the bird was too small to be the yellow-rumped warbler I've often seen hunting flies behind the Cliff House. Thinking it might be a species I've never seen before, I ducked out of sight and quickly wrangled the camera out of my bike bag, then stuffed the lens cap and my eyeglasses in my pants pocket before gingerly poking my head back over the cliff. Of course the bird was gone by then -- but not for long.
It wasn't a new species after all, but it was still good to see that this bird -- presumably the same individual I've seen several times since first sighting it in late October -- was still hawking for insects behind the Cliff House. It was probably too cold for the usual sea-cliff flies that hang out around there (none landed on my exposed legs or neck as they usually do), but the salty warbler busily darted out and returned to various perches in search of whatever might be available.
Two pairs of surf scoters were still working the tumultuous waters near Sutro Rock, casually ducking beneath huge breakers in the nick of time. A few more cormorants and pelicans were occupying Seal Rocks, perhaps marking a shift from the recent low point of bird life out there.
There was a bit of an offshore wind to go with a nice swell this morning, so I checked out the surfers for a bit before heading home through an usual amount of air pollution that was disconcertingly visible even up close. It was probably one of those days where they warn old farts like me to stay inside.
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| Ice Plant Warbler |
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| I usually see the warbler on the bare branches of one of two main bushes. |
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| Of course it's much easier to spot on a branch than on gray sandstone. |
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| Surf Scoters Paddling Out of the Impact Zone |
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| Rooster Tails and Hollow Waves |
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| Dual Duel Off Noriega Street |
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| There was not one, but two, foil surfers out there today. |
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| Bad Air Day |
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| UPDATE (12/8/24): Yikes! |
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