 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk, Golden Gate Park |
When I passed by North Lake yesterday I couldn't find a single black-crowned night heron (ditto for South Lake) or any other heron-like birds, but today I saw two night herons, two great egrets, and two great blue herons, plus a young red-tailed hawk perched on a nearly vertical tree branch.
The female hooded merganser at South Lake was all alone yesterday, with the male no longer present, and I didn't see her at all today. The two pied-billed grebes were still there, diving and occasionally chattering to each other. Yellow-rumped warblers are still active over the lake, zipping out from their perches to snag insects. Out at Seal Rocks, the once-plentiful cormorants and pelicans have been gone for weeks, although I did see two cormorants standing on the oceanside edge of Sutro Baths today, presumably drying out after bathing in the fresh water there.
 |
| Resting Bison |
 |
| Bison Profile |
 |
| Signs of Approaching Spring |
 |
| I wasn't sure if it was cherry or plum, but Plantnet solved my problem, indicating it's probably a cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera).... |
 |
| This looked like a species of Ceanothus, but I don't recall seeing one with such tiny leaves. Plantnet came up with Santa Barbara ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus). |
 |
| No real sign of approaching spring at Mallard Lake, although a few green leaves had sprouted on the black oak at Elk Glen Lake. |
 |
| I'd detoured from my usual route to check out the bird action around Mallard Lake, but the place was overrun by tiny human beings climbing on rocks, exploring, and engaging in other enthusiastic play. This red-shouldered hawk flew over my head and landed in a nearby tree as I crossed MLK Jr. Drive near 25th Ave. |
 |
| This is the red-shouldered hawk from the top of the post, and from the previous frame. It hopped from the tree branch to this perch before flying away to look for mousier pastures. |
 |
| This young red-tailed hawk stood on its somewhat strange perch at North Lake for quite a while. I had my camera ready for it to take flight, but the hawk eventually exited away from me instead of toward me. |
 |
| Reflective Great Egret at North Lake |
 |
| Resting Great Egret |
 |
| Resting Great Blue Heron |
 |
| Two Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks Along the Great Highway |
 |
| I think this one is Marlon Bando. |
* * *
