The Birds Have Returned
Well, it looks like summer is officially over. The estuary is once again brimming with birds. A large flock of scaups has taken up residence off shore. There are hundreds of them out there. The hawks and owls are back. The shore birds are slowly increasing in number. I've been making semi-regular visits on my way to and from work to track the progress.
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| Red-tailed Hawk -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
I'm pretty sure the red-tailed hawk I saw was the same one that was here last year. It's not the prettiest bird by any stretch.
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| Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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| Cooper's Hawk |
I've seen a burrowing owl on several occasions over the last couple of weeks on different mounds. Usually I see him/her on #2, but this morning it was on #3. I took a few pictures before it disappeared quickly into its den. I thought I had startled it, but then a young cooper's hawk buzzed the den within a couple of seconds of the owl's disappearance. I guess you've got to be careful when you're only as big as a large potato.
The hawk settled down on a tree nearby. I couldn't get a good picture before it flew off, though. It kind of bums me out that a cooper's hawk would try to eat one of these little owls. We've all got to make our way in life, I guess.
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| Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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| Great & Snowy Egrets -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
Egrets are year round residents. Brown and white pelicans aren't always present, but I'm not sure what their timetable is. Just passing through? They're fun to watch.
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| Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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| California Towhee -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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| Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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| Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA |
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