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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Cold Winds

 

Snowy Egret, South Lake

The hazy morning fog and wind have made for chilly walks the last couple of days, and I wouldn't be surprised if the wind chill on my bike rides has been around 40-45 degrees. Had it been warmer, I'd have stuck around Elk Glen Lake a while longer to try to photograph a common yellowthroat that came out to forage for insects. I had to quit to continue walking so I could get warmed up again.

I thought I had a nice shot of it here, only to see that the focus point landed on the cattails just behind the bird....

The focus was better on this one, but the bird was farther away and facing away from the camera. Better luck next time.

Several yellow-rumped warblers were also foraging in the cattails.

There's lots of green in the Bison Paddock, and the animals looked cozy and contented as they snoozed in the sun.

This group of female hooded mergansers was on a mission, swiftly paddling across South Lake and making intermittent dives for prey. There were a couple of males around as well.

The snowy egret flew low over the surface of the lake and surprised me by landing on a partly submerged branch that I hadn't noticed. The water level was maybe six inches lower than usual.

The belted kingfisher was hunting from her island perch again when I passed by.

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Glass Beach Tidepools

 

Clown Nudibranch (Triopha catalinae)

The nudibranch was upside-down, clowning around, when I first spotted it. The poor thing was probably trying to keep its gills wet in an extremely shallow pool of water. I diverted more water to its pool, but it was still in a sandy food desert, so I picked it up in a mussel shell and moved it to a more diverse tidepool to wait out the very low tide of minus 1.7 feet at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg.

The tidepools at Glass Beach were impressive at such a low tide, and I wished I'd dressed appropriately for exploring them in more detail. As it was, I had to keep my shoes and pants dry which limited how far out I was willing to go. We stayed until the sun set and the full moon rose, a dramatic closing to an excellent afternoon.

This guy (possibly a white-spotted rose anemone, Urticina lofotensis) was snuggled in a deep recess of a huge rock, preventing me from getting any other visual angle on it.

A very well-camouflaged mossy chiton (Mopalia muscosa), slightly curled up among pebbles, sand, and tiny bits of sea glass.

This purple shore crab (Hemigrapsus nudus) was also very well-camouflaged.

This tiny six-rayed sea star (Leptasterias sp.) was showing off its even tinier tube feet.

The clown nudibranch in its new pool.

This encrusting red sponge was a little one, but there were larger encrustations farther out.

All the sea stars I saw looked to be in pretty good shape, showing no sign of wasting disease.

Mussels and gooseneck barnacles share the bed.

This ochre sea star seemed to have lost some of its grip after becoming exposed above the water line.

This other tiny six-rayed star was showing off its underside.

My wife asked me to photograph this hermit crab, attracted by its nacreous shell colors.

I just took it as a challenge to try to photograph this little tidepool sculpin.

2025: A Beach Odyssey

I was interested in the split between the dark aggregating anemones and the lighter ones that apparently lost their symbiotic algae.

A conclave of crabs watches the sun go down.

Farther out than I could reach in my street clothes, I had to let my Lumix superzoom do the walking. It has been years, I think, since I last saw bat stars and leather stars in the wild, and those are some pretty big purple sea urchins out in the open near an even bigger red urchin.

The sea palms were pretty beat up, having peaked in spring and early summer.

Drifting boat at sunset.

Moonrise from Glass Beach

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