Meadow Visit
(Burrowing Owl Update Below) A few years ago we had a lot of rain in March, and it made sizeable
Read more(Burrowing Owl Update Below) A few years ago we had a lot of rain in March, and it made sizeable
Read moreMallards are famous for generosity with their DNA, to put it diplomatically. The males readily mate with other duck species,
Read moreBird sex generally is not a romantic affair. Many species do have elaborate and prolonged courtship rituals, but the act
Read moreIt was late in the afternoon and not much seemed to be happening in the mud flats east of the
Read morePhotographer David Hauer spotted this unusually colorful female Mallard in the North Basin. At least three males surrounded her. David
Read morePhotographer James Kusz spotted and photographed this extraordinary Mallard. It’s a white-breasted brown Mallard. Mallards are known for hybridizing with
Read morePark visitor and contributing photographer Evie Williams captured these beautiful images of a Mallard mom and her trail of chicks
Read moreCourtship is a serious business for these Mallards. Male A has got the female to accept his company (and maybe
Read moreMallards form monogamous pairs before the spring breeding season. This pair, dabbling together in the brackish water just below the
Read moreSome days when I visit the park, I don’t get anything worth posting as a blog item. Other days I
Read moreAt the southeast corner of the North Basin (the water between the park and the freeway) sits the culvert that
Read moreLike the proverbial pigs, these Mallards looked at home and happy rooting in the mud at low tide on the
Read moreThis Mallard drake stood on a rock, quacking occasionally, soaking up the rays. There was nothing special about it. Mallards
Read moreMy wife laughed in disbelief when I told her that I came back from the park with speculum pictures. She
Read moreCoots, Mallards, and a few Scaup all share the North Basin cove amicably. There is some aggressive pecking among the
Read moreThe heavy rains of the past week came like manna from heaven for the Mallards. Big puddles materialized, and these
Read moreThis pair of Mallards was working the rip-rap along the north shore of the park, eating the thin hairy seaweed
Read moreThe rip-rap rehab job is over, all but the landscape repair and the tidying up. A rusting bucket from a
Read moreOne of the lowest tides of the year so far exposed acres of mud flats on the North Basin in
Read moreThere used to be a marsh area just north of the picnic site on the west shore of the park.
Read moreMallards are dabblers, not divers. Other ducks, such as Ruddy Ducks, Bufflehead, Scaup, and Goldeneye, can easily submerge their whole
Read more There’s a handful of Mallards that stay in the North Basin year round. This morning (9/25) they may have
Read moreAt first I thought this must be a goose, practically all white as it seemed from a distance. (See small
Read moreThe Open Circle art work, including the fresh air classroom and the border walkway, have reopened to the public. The
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