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| Interference Patterns, Ocean Beach |
I went looking for another couple of birds that had been reported on recently, the first of which was a Swinhoe's white-eye on Waller Street in the Haight. The reporter said he heard a strange bird while biking to work and stopped to investigate. Apparently these unusual and photogenic birds have been expanding their range beyond Southern California (where they may have been introduced through the pet trade, like red-masked parakeets). Anyway, between the garbage truck groaning a block away and the stream of automobile traffic, I wasn't able to hear any birds.
I figured the second bird would be a cinch to find, but I struck out again. A green heron has been reported at Golden Gate Park's Lily Pond a couple of times. The reports were spaced out by more than a week, so I figured the heron might be a resident. But if it was in residence today, I couldn't find it. I was a little surprised to see a lone female hooded merganser in the pond with the mallards (and a teeny patch of lilies).
The bird life visible from the Cliff House had picked up a little today. I could hear black oystercatchers chattering out at Seal Rocks. And besides the half-dozen or so surf scoters in the surf zone, I saw a fairly large raft of them floating out by the northernmost Seal Rock. The first willets I've seen at the beach in a while were feeding within view of the Cliff House. While watching the birds I also enjoyed watching the the waves washing up the sand, their rippling interference patterns shattering winter's mid-day sunlight and creating intricate and mesmerizing, glistening textures.
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| I was surprised to see Townsend's warblers, as well as orange-crowned warblers, since I haven't seen any in quite a while. I saw this one on 8th Ave. between Lawton & Moraga, which Google Maps identifies as still being Golden Gate Heights, but there are local plaques calling it Windsor Terrace. Ooh, fancypants. |
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| Fancypants Orange-crowned Warbler, Windsor Terrace |
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| Sir Townsend's Warbler, Windsor Terrace |
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| "Oh, it has a white eye," I thought. "Maybe it's the Swinhoe's white-eye." Nope. Orange-crowned warbler (in alder) at the Lily Pond. |
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| Convergence: X Marks the Spot |
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| Textured Beach With Standing Waves |
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| Willets Hunting Mole Crabs |
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| Fisherman Casting A Line |
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| Pair of Willets with Shadows & Reflections |
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| The three willets were in flight almost immediately after I pressed the shutter release. A nearby flock of gulls that spooked into flight must have frightened them. Whatever spooked them remained a mystery. Maybe gulls just enjoy taking flight together from time to time to stretch their wings. |
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| Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron in Redwood, South Lake |
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