Clark's Grebe courtshipI was told by another birder that he had observed the Western/Clark's Grebes courting each other. My dream is to observe this behavior, as it is one of the most beautiful dances one could witness. However, these birds are not yet in breeding plumage, so I was not sure exactly what he observed. I made it my mission to watch these birds closely for an hour or two. What I saw was one bird catching a fish, then presenting it to the other. It was a very pre-scripted performance. The one catching the fish kills it, and with crest flared, presents it to the other. The other bird does not have a flared crest, and keeps its head very low. I witnessed this several times. Step one, catch the fish: 's Step two, kill the fish:
Portrait day at the SF BaylandsI got lots of closeups today both from my kayak and from land. Everyone just felt like posing for me today. It started with a Say's Phoebe.
Then a Yellow-rumped warbler:
Forster's TernsI have always enjoyed watching terns fishing. Nothing subtle about their fishing style. Back home in Seattle it is the Caspian Tern with its obnoxious screeching that I spend hours watching. Here in California it is the Forster's tern. They really like to fish along one stretch of beach in Redwood City, so I have been spending a lot of time observing them. On occasion I am lucky enough to photograph them surfacing with a fish in their mouth. They always cruise about 20 feet above the water looking for fish.
Then the dramatic dive:
And the landing:
Point Reyes Peninsula with Kestrel and Bobcat bookends.I had the pleasure to travel to Point Reyes Peninsula with Dave Mauk, naturalist and photographer extraordinaire. We were treated from one end to the other with extraordinary sightings. We were not even to the parking area yet when we found a Kestrel feeding on a fence post. It was the closest I have ever gotten to a Kestrel.
One of the biggest treats was viewing hundreds of Tule Elk. This is a new animal for me, and a huge treat. They were almost hunted to extinction 100 years ago.
As if these sightings were not enough, we then got to see a coyote hunting for a vole.
Enough you say? No, the day was not over yet. Even though we reluctantly drove away (but Dave's convertible made the departure tolerable!), we had one more sighting awaiting us: a bobcat! We had heard from another visitor that they had seen one, but bobcats are VERY hard to see, so it is not as though we were spending any time looking for it. We were now out of the park and driving through pasture land.
To see more photos from the day, click here: Point Reyes Photos
White-Tailed Kite FightI have never seen a White-tailed Kite ever before in my life, but I got to witness a pair fighting over San Francisco Bay in the town of Redwood City. They started fighting quite a distance from me, but the fight continued for at least 5 minutes. As they were fighting they kept working their way southward, and eventually they were right over my head. It all started out innocently enough
As far as I could tell, no one got hurt. It sure was fun to watch!!
|
