Making the Rounds

 

Young Raccoon, North Lake

When I saw the mama raccoon come out of the bushes just as I rolled across Chain of Lakes Drive into the entrance at North Lake, I swung off my bike, pushed down the kickstand, and dug my camera out of the trunk bag. I'd been hoping to see a coyote today, but raccoons would do, and the cute-factor with junior tagging along was a bonus.

It also took my mind off the hazard of crossing Chain of Lakes Drive, where it's hard to see if the coast is clear, especially while trying to avoid ruts in the trail as you go around the closed gate.

This crossing has become more hazardous with increased traffic since the Upper Great Highway closed to cars. There isn't great visibility at the intersection (red circle) when you're coming down the hill, and I'd like to see signage and a crosswalk put in there.

In early October I wondered if this baby raccoon had been hit by a car while trying to cross at the same place.

The raccoons today emerged from dense cover ... to do what, I wondered. Were they going to cross Chain of Lakes Drive? Were they just making their way around the lake?

Ah yes, of course. Just making the rounds.

Unfortunately for the raccoons, the spilled garbage appeared to have been picked over already, and they didn't find anything to eat.

Instead of continuing around the lake, the raccoons headed back the way they came.

Back into the dense undergrowth, with junior in the lead.

Yes, I am still following you. (Note its backlit toenails.)

The raccoons were both unperturbed by me, and did not approach me to beg, which hopefully means they are still used to people, but are no longer as dependent on direct hand-outs (which used to be very common at North Lake).

Getting into the Thicket of Things

Since I had my camera out already, I decided to snap a photo of the night herons. I only saw two, and the adult was sleeping, so I photographed junior who was awake and preening.

And jaw-stretching.

I'd been wondering if or when I might see the seasonal Say's phoebe at the Balboa Natural Area this year, and today I finally did. I'd have missed it if I hadn't stopped to check up on one of the red-tailed hawks who hangs out in the area.

At one point the phoebe regurgitated this shriveled up insect (looks like a half-digested grasshopper), but held it in its beak. I couldn't tell if it eventually dropped it or swallowed it back down.

This resident red-tail was not the banded brother. I'd only been watching it for a few seconds when it swooped down, seemingly to pounce on something on the other side of a small dune, but swooped back up again and landed on a new light pole. Shortly afterward, the Say's phoebe darted out from behind that dune and flew like a shot toward the ocean, then out around the Cliff House. I wondered if the red-tail had spooked it into leaving the area.

A bunch of pelicans were frolicking close to shore, which is unusual. Of course, they all flew away shortly after I started to record them. I knew I couldn't have been the cause of their leaving, though. I was too far away. But I soon saw who did chase them off. Yep, the usual suspects.

The rock on the right doesn't always have so much bird activity. Farther out, some of the birds seemed to enjoy soaring in the wind more than hanging out on the rocks.

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Hudsonian Whimbrel

 

Whimbrel Catches a Fish, Heron's Head Park

After a week of being cold on my walks, cold on the bike rides, and cold at the San Francisco Botanical Garden's Lightscape show, I hesitated to go out for a ride this morning and subject myself to still more cold. So I hemmed and hawed, spent a lot of time online, and eventually the morning was almost over. 

It still wasn't exactly warm when I left, but at least it was a beautiful sunny day, and the birdwatching at Heron's Head was pretty good. I rode back along the coast past the new Standard Deviant location at Pier 70, past Crane Cove Park, then the ballpark, the Embarcadero (where I posed with Corpus), and Fisherman's Wharf, to Fort Mason, where the highlight was seeing a scrub jay who'd caught a mouse.

Goats Who Stare At Men

Head-butting Goats

The whimbrel spent some time trying to corral the fish in its hiding place beneath a rock on the water's edge. The fish had no backdoor escape hatch and was finally caught.

The whimbrel was in no great hurry to swallow the fish, but it eventually got little minnow lined up properly in its bill, tilted its head back, and swallowed it whole.

A snowy egret nearby seemed to watch the proceedings with interest.

The whimbrel soon wandered too close for the egret's comfort, and with a flutter and a squawk, the egret pounced.

The whimbrel just wanted to pass by peacefully, but the egret kept a territorial eye out to make sure the whimbrel kept moving along.

Greater Yellowlegs

I'd forgotten that Heron's Head can be an excellent place to view black oystercatchers at close range.

Black Toenails

Black Oystercatcher

The egret paid no heed to the oystercatcher as it passed by.

There were a couple of female buffleheads diving in a lagoon area.

A few black-bellied plovers were also working the mudflats.

I have yet to see a male black-bellied plover in breeding plumage.

A young black-necked stilt was pestering the adults a little bit, and at one point there was much loud chattering among the spread-out flock that sounded like scolding, and they all flew wildly about before landing again to resume feeding.

Black-necked Stilt Between Heron's Head and India Basin

Lone Least Sandpiper
(not to be confused with the diplomatic Lend-Lease Sandpiper)

When the stilts had their fracas, this bird took off for the other side of the canal to find a little peace.

Yes, it was another Hudsonian Whimbrel.

Flock of Least Sandpipers

The great blue heron just stood around looking regal.

A small flotilla of double-crested cormorants plied the lagoon for quite a while. This one broke off from the group to do some preening.

In the Fort Mason Community Garden, this golden-crowned sparrow was making a little divot in the earth to lay in and get warm, apparently after a recent bath.

I read an email report of some interesting birds in the garden near the bird bath, but I didn't recall having ever seen a bird bath there.

As I poked around the garden I soon stumbled onto the bath, which was just a small bowl with kind of gross water it. The Townsend's warbler only got this far before he chickened out and flew away.

I'd been observing a few scrub jays flying from tree to tree when this one showed up on the ground nearby. I couldn't make out what he had in his beak until I zoomed in with my camera lens. Because I once saw a scrub jay snag a garter snake in the San Francisco Botanical Garden of all places (where I've never seen a snake before or since), I wasn't too surprised to see the mouse. It flew the little rodent into a nearby tree and returned a little later with a nut in its beak, back to looking like a typical scrub jay.

The bird bath was rather fetid with algae, but this darling starling came down for a drink anyway. I'd have cleaned the bath if I'd had the means.

I was surprised to see a pair of red-breasted mergansers in Crissy Lagoon.

Preparing to Dive

When it caught a fish, it kept it just underwater in its beak, then quickly flipped it down the hatch.

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White-throated Sparrow

 

White-throated Sparrow, Golden Gate Park

This morning was even colder than yesterday, if you can believe it. That wind! 

I don't love the cold, but I do kind of like it. It keeps you on your toes. I got so engrossed in trying to photograph some birds, including a white-throated sparrow, near the Horseshoe Courts, I mistakenly forgot how cold it was. When I eventually left the birds to resume my walk, I felt so chilled that I almost broke into a jog to warm up.

A northern flicker had drawn me into the birdy world, where among the many white-crowned, golden-crowned, and song sparrows I also spotted a brown creeper, a Bewick's wren, and the first white-throated sparrow I've been able to photograph in years. Because it was the only one of its kind, it took me a second to realize it was something different. Such a beautiful little bird. I never did a good look at the flickers....

Brown Creeper Working an Oak Tree

As it ascended the trunk, the creeper briefly had a hint of fall color in the background.

Bewick's Wren

The white-throated sparrow did its own thing for a while, foraging by itself.

But he eventually joined all the other sparrows kicking and pecking among the leafy detritus below the oaks.

New Nasturtium Leaves

The bison were all on their feet when I passed by today.

It was very birdy down by the Cliff House and far out to sea. 

A couple of black oystercatchers caught my attention with their usual whistling calls, and I got a lucky shot of this one coming in for a landing on the big rock in front of Sutro Baths. Farther north, in the shipping lane, I saw a few whale spouts.

Although the wind was stronger today, it was a little more offshore than yesterday and improved the surfing conditions.

A couple of guys, including this high-flyer, were ripping at Kelly's Cove. 

Riding past South Lake I heard the high trilling of cedar waxwings. I stopped and scanned the area and soon spotted them going in and out of this large bush with red berries. The first bird to come out in the open, though, was this golden-crowned sparrow.

Pluckin' Berries

Assuming these are Cotoneaster berries, I can't help wondering why some of the park's many such bushes get hordes of cedar waxwings while others seem to be ignored.

Waxie's Choice

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