Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline

Or Should I Say She Once Had Me

December 11, 2013

Another post of local bird pictures?  Sure, why not.  It's really all about that picture above.  I thought is was a lot of fun the way the goldeneye makes a circle with its reflection.

Yeah, I know.  Nerd.

Fruitvale Bridge, Alameda, CA

I also like how the buildings on the Oakland side of the estuary create yellow reflections in the water.  I think it makes for some cool looking pictures.

Surf Scoters -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary, CA

Lady Goldeneye

I took all of these pictures on my way to work Wednesday.  I stopped at Peet's for a cup of jo, then headed South down Doolittle.  I like taking the back roads when I'm not in a hurry, and this particular morning I felt like taking my time.I stopped at the little park on Doolittle just before the airport to shoot some bird pictures.  There's always a decent amount of bird action there.  It's not like one of the Central Valley wildlife refuges, but then again what is?

Greater Scaup -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

Silly Scaup

I don't know, I've been enjoying taking pictures of birds lately, and I like to read blogs of a few people who consider themselves to be birders.  I even started an eBird account to track my bird sightings.  I don't think of myself as a birder, though.  I'll definitely take a seal sighting in the estuary over any kind of bird sighting short of a bald eagle or a condor, and what are the odds those would ever happen?  

Ring-billed Gull -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

Identifying birds is definitely fun, though.  There's such a wide variety, it seems I'm always being surprised by the types of birds I see.  I'm definitely water-focused.  Ducks are awesome.  Geese are a little wacky.  Pelicans kick ass.  I like the hawks, too.  Eagles may be my favorite, but I've got a soft spot for the vultures and condors.  I dunno.  I guess I do like taking pictures of birds, so maybe I am a birder, or perhaps transitioning into one.  We'll see, I guess.

Ring-billed Gull -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

Oakland/Alameda Estuary

There's No Place Like Home

12/7/2013

It's December in Alameda.  What's that mean?  The leaves are turning brown and the air is getting cold.  I've gotten used to it now, but I used to find it strange that the leaves wouldn't turn usually until the middle of November or so.  I've gotten used to it.  It's the by-product of the warm days of September and early October, I think.  This year things seem to be happening even later than normal.

Fall Colors Near Our House

I wasn't planning on adding a blog entry this week since I'm not going anywhere, but when I saw some surf scoters in the water on my walk to get coffee this morning I decided to go back for my camera.  I think I took enough interesting pictures to put a page together, so here it is.

The High Street Bridge Over the Oakland/Alameda Estuary

I love the fact that I can see pelicans a block from my house.  They are the goofiest looking birds.  It doesn't seem like they should even be able to fly when you see them on land.  They appear to be good at it, though.

I don't think I've ever seen a white pelican on the estuary.  I've seen plenty of brown pelicans.  They aren't around every day, though.  In fact, months can go by without seeing one.  They tend to stick around for a while whenever they make an appearance, though.  The pelican is the mascot of one of the local elementary schools.  Sam's school mascot was the sea otter.  I always thought that was pretty cool.  I've never seen a sea otter around here.  I've seen seals swimming in the estuary, though.

Surf Scoters -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary

Western Grebe

The surf scoters are what got my camera out.  Like pelicans, they're strange looking birds.  Their beaks have a weird shape and are multi-colored.  They have white eyes and a white patch on their forehead.  The strangest part to me is the white square on the back of their heads.  How does a bird end up looking like this?

Common Goldeneye -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary

Common goldeneyes seem to becoming more . . . er . . . common as the days grow colder.  They're pretty birds, so I'm happy with that.

Not bad, being able to see this wildlife on a walk to the neighborhood Peet's, no?  Shoot, I didn't even mention the hawk I saw being chased by a crow over the factories across the water.  That's Oakland for ya.  tough city.

Brown Pelican -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary