Birds – Page 2

Rare Visitors

September 26, 2021September 26, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 99 Views Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

White Pelicans rarely make an appearance here in the North Basin. All the more remarkable was the visit of this

* American Coot Birds Black Phoebe Black-crowned Night Heron Brown Pelican Double-crested Cormorant Ring-billed Gull Snowy Egret Willet

My Birthday Birds

September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 109 Views 2 Comments Ardea herodias, Egretta thula, Fulica americana, Larus delawarensis, Nannopterum auritum, Nycticorax nycticorax, Pelecanus occidentalis, Sayornis nigricans, Tringa semipalmata

It was my birthday and my gift from the park was lots of birds. I saw the resident American Coot

* Birds Canada Goose

Scene of Serenity

September 23, 2021September 9, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 76 Views Branta canadensis

Geese can be a noisy bunch when hungry or angry. The Wikipedia entry for them notes: Extremely adept at living in

* Birds Willet

Big Crab

September 21, 2021September 8, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 91 Views 0 Comments Tringa semipalmata

Well, not a big crab by Fisherman’s Wharf standards, but big for a Willet. This crab’s body is almost the

* Birds Clark's Grebe Western Grebe

Outliers

September 20, 2021September 7, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 82 Views 0 Comments Aechmophorus clarkii, Aechmophorus occidentalis

These Western Grebes were not the main show. The main show was a flock of Clark’s Grebes out in the

* Birds Marbled Godwit

From Alaska

September 19, 2021September 19, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 88 Views 0 Comments Limosa fedoa

The godwit in the video captures first what looks like a small crab, and later some kind of worm. These

* Birds Mallard

Mixed Mallard

September 18, 2021September 9, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 78 Views Anas platyrhynchos

Photographer James Kusz spotted and photographed this extraordinary Mallard. It’s a white-breasted brown Mallard. Mallards are known for hybridizing with

* Birds Great Blue Heron

Bluenotes

September 16, 2021September 4, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 85 Views 0 Comments Ardea herodias

I’ve filmed the Great Blue Heron a number of times here in the park, but I’ve never heard it vocalize.

* Birds Burrowing Owl Whimbrel

Not-Quite-So-Long-Bill

September 14, 2021September 14, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 65 Views 0 Comments Numenius phaeopus

The Long-Billed Curlew isn’t the only shorebird with a long curved bill. Photographer James Kusz caught these Whimbrel foraging in

* Birds Long-billed Curlew

Early Longbill

September 13, 2021September 2, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 84 Views 0 Comments Numenius americanus

Another early migrant, along with the Marbled Godwits, is this Long-billed Curlew. This one is likely to be a male.

* Birds Bushtit

Bugtits

September 12, 2021September 2, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 84 Views 0 Comments Psaltriparus minimus

I saw a handful of these little featherballs busy pecking in the crown of a fennel bush. How odd, I

* Birds Marbled Godwit

Early ‘Wits

September 11, 2021September 19, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 93 Views 1 Comment Limosa fedoa

The Golden Gate Audubon bird blog advised recently that the fall migration was starting early this year, and these Marbled

* Birds Double-crested Cormorant

Cormorant Commandos

September 10, 2021September 27, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 96 Views 1 Comment Nannopterum auritum, Phalacrocorax auritus

If I were a foot-long fish I think I’d have a better chance of survival with the water surface full

* Birds Great Blue Heron

Bird in Pipe

September 9, 2021September 1, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 102 Views 0 Comments Ardea herodias

Shortly after chasing away the Cormorant (“Bossy Blue,” September 4 2021) the Great Blue Heron stalked cautiously into the big

* Birds Black-crowned Night Heron

Young and Old

September 8, 2021September 1, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 136 Views 0 Comments Nycticorax nycticorax

Shooting video of a Black-crowned Night Heron is almost a total waste of pixels. The bird seems to surpass all

* Birds Savannah Sparrow

Sad Savannah

September 5, 2021August 24, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 128 Views 0 Comments Passerculus sandwichensis

This Savannah Sparrow foraged for bugs, its favorite food, on the rocks on the east side of the park, just

* Birds Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret

Bossy Blue

September 4, 2021August 31, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 140 Views 1 Comment Ardea alba, Ardea herodias, Nannopterum auritum

Herons and cormorants have very different styles of hunting. The herons (and their family members, the egrets) stay mostly still

* Birds Great Egret

Loses Feather

September 2, 2021August 31, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 85 Views 1 Comment Ardea alba

This might not be the most dramatic event in a bird’s life or in a nature watcher’s experience. But, while

* Birds California Towhee

Towhee at Work

July 31, 2021July 23, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 93 Views 0 Comments Melozone crissalis

This California Towhee was foraging in its usual way, on the ground, looking for seeds, sometimes scratching with both feet

* American Coot Birds

Lone Coot

July 30, 2021July 22, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 135 Views 0 Comments Fulica americana

Earlier in the summer — or late in the spring — I reported on birds that had missed the migration

* Ants Birds Black Oystercatcher Bugs

Ants on Bird

July 29, 2021July 22, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 157 Views 1 Comment Haematopus bachmani

I was watching this solo Black Oystercatcher on a rock off the east side of the seasonal Burrowing Owl sanctuary.

* Birds House Finch

New Fledgling

July 25, 2021July 17, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 125 Views 1 Comment Haemorhous mexicanus

Recently I posted images of the new crop of House Finches in the park. Although those were “newly hatched” for

* Birds Willet

Breeding Willets

July 24, 2021July 23, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 129 Views 3 Comments Tringa semipalmata

The Willet is a familiar sight in the North Basin, but it usually wears a plain coat of gray, as

* Birds Brown Pelican

Pelican Pond

July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 Marty Nicolaus 171 Views 2 Comments Pelecanus occidentalis

The full moon flexed its muscle today. Overnight it pulled up the waters of the North Basin over the seawalls

Translate »