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| Ring-necked Duck at the Lily Pond |
As the early morning rain let up I was able to begin my walk at close to the usual time, but I hadn't gone very far when the rain decided it wasn't ready to let up after all. My camera was in a water-resistant knapsack, and I was wearing a hooded rain jacket, so I didn't think too much of the light drizzle until my pants started getting noticeably damp.
I briefly took refuge beneath a thick honeysuckle arbor inside the Garden for the Environment, then continued on my way, only to have the drizzle intensify into a light rain that convinced me to take shelter again, this time for quite a bit longer.
Eventually I continued up over Parnassus Heights into Cole Valley and the Haight, where the light drizzle finally dissipated. Among the street people in the Haight, there was a guy sitting in the open and wrapped with a wet blanket, a few folks curled up beneath a tarp, some others looking damp in a doorway, and an older couple who seemed happy and comfortable in the dry entryway of Ben & Jerry's.
A patch of blue opened up by the time I crossed Stanyan Street to enter the park, marking the end of the day's rain, at least up until 3 p.m. Meanwhile a quick check of the bald eagles nesting in Big Bear shows continued cold and windy conditions for those beautiful birds.
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| Busy Branch, Garden for the Environment |
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| Apple Blossoms, Garden for the Environment |
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| The Boss of Sharon Meadow |
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| I already photographed these not too long ago, but I couldn't resist hitting them again while they're juiced up with all the recent rains. |
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| Oak Woodlands, Golden Gate Park |
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| Interesting mushrooms with very long stipes, growing in sandy soil beneath some of the oaks. |
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| Off the Beaten Path |
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| Oaks in a Miner's Lettuce Meadow |
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| Northern Flicker & Lichen Tassles |
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| At Eye Level With A California Towhee |
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| This red-tailed hawk sailed over the Oak Woodlands and landed gracefully in a treetop on the edge of the Fuchsia Dell. |
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| Banded Red-tail in the Redwood |
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| The hawk wasn't looking for prey, but a beak-full of nesting material. |
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| The Steller's jays were energized and vocalized by the red-tail's appearance. |
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| A couple of flickers unaccountably allowed me to photograph them at fairly close range. |
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| I'd seen them fly to the woodland's edge, so I ambled over there to wait and see if they'd come back out. They obliged quite soon. |
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"Did you see that red-tail?"
"Aw, he wasn't so tough."
"Yeah, that's what you say now that he's gone."
"Wait a minute, where did we stash those acorns?"
"Hey, Stinky, that dog over there is giving you the evil eye."
"Dude, I'm outta here." |
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| Clivia Blooming in a Field of Green |
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| Unfurling Cycad Fronds |
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| Calla Lilies & Cycads |
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| Mr. Green was in his usual spot this morning. I watched him for quite a while, and he stalked a little bit but never struck at any prey. I might have waited more patiently, but I'd been out for close to three hours by then and was ready to get home and eat some lunch. |
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| This double-crested cormorant had been hunting underwater right next to the green heron without the heron so much as twitching a muscle in response. I was surprised when the cormorant hopped up on this discarded traffic cone to dry off a little. |
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| Love that eye color. |
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| The male ring-necked duck was close by the female, mostly snoozing next to the same small patch of lily pads. |
A Steller's jay sounding off, a northern flicker foraging, and a green heron stalking in the Lily Pond.
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