El Polin Spring

 

Red-breasted Nuthatch, El Polin Spring

An article in SFGate claimed this morning that a bunch of elegant terns had arrived at Crissy Marsh. I'd seen birding reports of the terns being there some weeks ago, but I haven't seen the birds on any of my recent visits. I don't really trust SFGate, but I figured I'd go down there anyway since it was a beautiful day to be out and about. 

Sure enough, there wasn't a single tern anywhere to be seen. Even the lone long-billed curlew who's been at Crissy Marsh for weeks was gone. 

Like I said, though, it was a beautiful day to be out on the bike, so I pedaled over to nearby El Polin Spring. A birder there told me a scarlet tanager had been reported, but we didn't see it. Maybe it was scared off by the red-shouldered hawk that was trolling the area for a while. The hawk flew right over my head three times. The third time I even saw it coming as it hopped from branch to branch in the understory before spotting me and flying away. 

West Coast Lady

Lesser Goldfinch

Western Tanager

Western Warbling Vireo

Lazuli Bunting

Pygmy Nuthatch Drinking Water

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Western Tanager Drinking Water

Western Flycatcher

From El Polin Spring I worked my way through the Presidio, dropped by Baker Beach and Lobos Creek, then past Land's End and the Legion of Honor Museum, and finally crossed the Richmond District to North Lake in Golden Gate Park.

Northern Yellow Warbler, North Lake

The raccoon was by itself, casually sloshing through the duckweed-covered shallows and groping for goodies along the lake's edge.

Wilson's Warbler

Northern Yellow Warbler

Hutton's Vireo

White-crowned Sparrow

I took a couple of phone snaps at El Polin Spring, the first to identify the "weed" I'd recently photographed as a hummingbird was feeding on its nectar. Turns out it's a native plant called Tall Annual Willowherb.

And this freaky stuff coating some poison oak leaves is from a gall mite called Aculops rhois.

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