Alameda / Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline

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.

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.

Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

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.

Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

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.

Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

California Towhee -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Brown Pelican -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline

Odds & Ends

January, 2014

I've been stopping by Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline on my way to work off and on over the last couple of weeks.  Stockpiling photos.  Trying things out with the new camera.  I think I've got enough interesting shots to make a post.

Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

I finally found the burrowing owl out there.  He seems to hang out in the same spot most mornings.  From a distance he looks like a large potato that has been stuck on a stick.  Actually, he looks a lot like that in the pictures, too.

Black-necked Stilt -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

There's usually a small flock of stilts hanging around.  They're funny looking birds.

Turkey Vulture -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

Cooper's Hawk

There was a dead bird on the road this morning.  It attracted a few vultures.  I was able to get some nice shots.

A cooper's hawk was hanging around for a while.  I saw him/her a couple of times.  I'm more convinced now than I was earlier that it was a cooper's hawk and not a sharp-shinned hawk.  What a good looking bird.

One morning a scroungy looking red-tailed hawk was hanging out in the trees.  His feet were dirty and his feathers were untidy and in general he looked like the kind of bird that worked dark alleys at night.  A bad seed, if you will.I assume it was a male only because it's hard to imagine a lady hawk letting herself go like that.

Red-tailed Hawk -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

California Towhee -- Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, CA

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