Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve
23 February 2008
Palo Alto, California
|
Today had been predicted to be all stormy and icky, but when I got up this morning the
sky was mostly just high, flat clouds and some wind. I checked the radar and it looked
like the rains weren't due for at least a few hours. So, I got my tush in gear and got
out and on the road.
When I got there, most of the parking areas were already pretty jammed full. It turns out that the Leukemia Society (or Foundation or something) were having a Walk today for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Woohoo! They're out there walking for folks like me! I chatted with a few of them and thanked them for walking (in the cold wind and cold rain) "for me." I got lots of "You go, girl!"s from them. While I was walking, the wind picked up then it started spitting rain. After several minutes of increasing wind-and-rain, I gave up and headed back in. It wasn't just a case of not wanting to get my new camera (or me) wet, it was because of picture quality. (Huh?) Well, the dark-dark day causes the shutter to stay open longer. That leaves more opportunities for getting a blurry picture (from movement of the subject and movement of the camera). The strong winds make for more movement of the subject and more movement of the camera (and the camera-holder -- me). And let me tell you, there were some seriously buffet-y winds! By the time I got back to the starting point, the wind had backed off some and the rain had stopped. Oh, well.
So, today I hiked about 2 miles in 1.5 hours over pretty flat terrain. This place is basically on the northern end of Shoreline Park in Mt. View where Pat and I hiked on February 2nd. If you started at Shoreline and hiked north, you'd get here and never notice that you'd crossed from one to the other. Many agencies (city, state, private, and national) around San Francisco Bay have staked out areas to preserve wildlife habitat, protect threatened and endangered species, protect migratory birds, and offer opportunities for nature study, and so on. Shoreline (see hike 2-2-08), Don Edwards (see hike 2-17-08), and Baylands are all part of those efforts.
|
When you first arrive, you come to a pool then a levy. There are a variety of birds poking around in the shallow pool for tasty tidbits including the American Avocets seen here. The one with the rusty-colored head is Mr. Avocet in "breeding plumage." |
A male Northern Shoveler floats among the reeds. Here you get a hint of his bill shape leading to his name. |
I came across this Snowy Egret hanging out at the edge of the slough in the pickleweed and grasses. |
On the opposite side of the levy on which I was walking was a mud flat. Besides the Avocets above, other long-legged, long-billed birds poking around are these Black-Necked Stilts. |
Usually seen floating and "tipping" out in the sloughs and bays, the Green-Winged Teal also dabbles in the mud looking for tasty tidbits. Here you can see the bright green "speculum" on the female's wing as well as the rusty-brown head, white vertical stripe at the shoulder, and the gold patch near the tail of the male. What you can't see here is the green head-patch on the male. |
As I noted in the posts for my earlier hikes, I openly and freely admit that I suck at identifying all the little sandpipers, plovers, and other little shore birds. However, I think that we have a trio of Dowitchers here at the edge of the drainage channel of the tidal mud flat. Whether this is the Short-Billed or the Long-Billed, I haven't a clue! |
|
Anybody who's ever been to a municipal park with duckies floating about will recognize Mr. Mallard. The notable identifying mark here is the white ring around his neck. |
You saw one of their buddies above, but here's a nice Northern Shoveler pair paddling around. Their shovel-shaped bills are more noticeable here. |
Here's a slightly prettier picture of the Green-Winged Teal. You can almost, but not quite, make out the green patch on his head. I really must go back when the sun's out! |
Today I came across another Great Egret. This picture is not as pretty as the ones I got last week, but last week the wind was calm and the sun was out. |
As much as I suck at identifying all the little shore birds, I suck even worse at the sparrows. This guy could be one of the "many races" of Fox Sparrow (quote from Peterson's "Western Birds") or one of "30 western races" of Song Sparrow (also from Peterson's) or one of the forms of the Savannah Sparrow or some other streaked sparrow that I can't get a grip on. |
Now for a lesson in bird field marking terminology: The area around the place where the bill anchors to the face is called the "front." Got that? That's why this guy is called the Greater White-Fronted Goose. Yes, yes. That's a Canada Goose in the foreground, but that's a pair of White-Fronted Geese behind him. |
Finally! A picture of Mr. Green-Winged Teal where you can actually see the green patch on his face. In the sun it's even brighter. Then it looks like it's been painted on. Kind of like the shoulder stripe and the tail patch look painted on. |
Last week at Don Edwards we got a picture of a Cinnamon Teal. Well, I got another one today. |
It's not the best picture and I'm not entirely sure, but I think this is a female Bufflehead. |
