Field Bison

 

Bison Hosting Brown-headed Cowbird, Golden Gate Park

With so many critters having babies, I wondered about the bison. I don't think I've ever seen bison calves out there, but apparently the park's bison do procreate. Five calves were introduced to the paddock in March 2020 for the park's sesquicentennial (150-year) celebration (and, as it happened, just in time for the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic).

I stopped by the paddock today to check up on the nesting tree swallows. It appears there are hatchlings now, but they are still too small to be poking their heads out for feeding, so the adults fly into the nest box with whatever bugs they've caught.

Bison Meadow

Traffic Jam

A tree swallow exits like a torpedo through the nest hole.

It was a beautiful, fog-free day for bug-hunting.

These might be the last two great blue heron nestlings at the lake, although I couldn't tell if there were more on the other side of the island (in front of the boat house). There was definitely one empty nest nearby, and the nest east of Strawberry Hill has been empty since Friday.

The baby eagle called Sunny has fledged, leaving her sister Gizmo behind. The adult here had brought a fish back to the nest, mostly for Gizmo.

Shortly after finishing off the fish, Gizmo stretched her wings in the wind and hopped a few times -- almost ready to commit. Her sister Sunny was in a nearby tree of her own.

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