March 23, 2014
I didn't have the opportunity for a big adventure this weekend. I was able to get away for a few hours, though, so I headed over to Marin to visit Rodeo Lagoon.
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| Rodeo Beach, CA |
I read that there are often a lot of birds on the lagoon. Not so, at least not when I got there. There were a few canada geese and mallards. A common merganser made an appearance at one point. I saw a few surf scoters out on the ocean, but they were too far out to photograph. So, I just spent a little time relaxing on the beach. I watched the surfers. The waves were big and they seemed to be having a great time out there.
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| Great Blue Heron -- Rodeo Lagoon, CA |
I decided to stop at Lake Merritt on my way home. I was in the mood for getting some bird pictures and Rodeo Lagoon had proven to be something of a disappointment in that regard. It was a lovely day at the beach, mind you. I just wanted more birds.
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| Hank -- Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA |
Hank was there, of course. He's a white pelican from Klamath Falls, OR. He was injured up there a few years ago and sent down to the lake to live. I wasn't aware of this until recently, but Lake Merritt is the oldest wildlife reserve in the country. The folks there take good care of him, feeding him fish, which you can witness first-hand if you're lucky. I get the impression Hank is pretty happy, all things considered.
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| Greater Scaup -- Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA |
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| Lesser Scaup |
I've gotten better at telling greater scaups and lesser scaups apart. Greater scaups always look angry. Lesser scaups usually look either a little dopey or "cool" in an Arthur Fonzerelli kind of way. Simple, right?
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| Black-crowned Night Heron -- Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA |
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| Eared Grebe |
A horned grebe and an eared grebe were sporting breeding plumage out on the lake. They'll be heading off North soon, I suppose, along with most of the other waterfowl. Not Hank, of course, he can't fly.
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| Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA |
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