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| Black Oystercatcher, Heron's Head Park |
It was so cold as I rolled down the hill from home this morning that I almost turned around to get warmer clothing. Or maybe even just stay home. My speed on the descent is generally 20-30 mph, making the wind chill on a 52-degree morning about 44 degrees. "But it's so sunny out," went my thoughts. "It'll be warmer when I start pedaling at the bottom of the hill."
But I never did get truly warm because even out at Heron's Head and India Basin, the sun would become obscured by clouds as strong winds blew over the water. It was a relief when I ducked behind a big bush and out of the wind at Heron's Head to watch American avocets feeding along the shoreline.
The tide was heading out to a noon low of 0.0 feet while I was there, bringing to the mudflats several willets, whimbrels, black-necked stilts, greater yellowlegs, a spotted sandpiper and a black-bellied plover, and even a pair of black oystercatchers in addition to the avocets.
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| Willet in the Shallows |
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Black-bellied Plover |
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| Black-necked Stilt & Black-bellied Plover |
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| Black-necked Stilt |
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| There was a pair of mockingbirds trading songs over at India Basin Shoreline Park. We used to have these guys in our neighborhood, but somewhere along the line they disappeared. |
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| Here's the lone spotted sandpiper, with a black-necked stilt for size-comparison. |
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| Three Gentlemen on the Mudflat |
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| Greater Yellowlegs on the Move |
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| Whimbrel Snags a Clam |
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| Reflecting Whimbrel |
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| American Avocets |
Brief video of avocets and black-bellied plover in motion.
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| Such Festive Beaks & Eyes |
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| A pair of American avocets feeding in Lash Lighter Basin adjacent to Heron's Head Park. |
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| California Poppies at Heron's Head |
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| I started to ride past the goats thinking I'd pass them up, but then I smelled them and had to pull over to check them out at close range. Something about hitting two senses -- sight and scent -- must have made the difference to draw me in. |
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| Goat Yard |
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| From Heron's Head I rode along the coast to the Fort Mason Community Garden where I spotted this swallowtail fluttering in the breeze. When I saw it again a little later it landed on this plant, and I realized it was an anise swallowtail. |
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Anise Swallowtail Depositing Egg on Anise Plant
(I was able to find a single yellow egg on the plant, but it was far too tiny to photograph with the FZ80D.) |
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| Not a great shot, but I liked all the colors. |
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| Bumblebee on California Lilac |
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| The eagle wakes up a bit when a raven calls close by. |
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| The eagle stretches a bit... |
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| ...then gets up to feed the chicks. Note the hole started in the third egg. |
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| Feeding fish to the chicks. (The camera operator zooms in when something is happening with the chicks.) |
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| I missed it when the second eagle came in, so I don't know if this was a changing of the guard. |
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| The farther eagle takes off a second later. |
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| Settling In |
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