Red-tails in the Sunset

With only 20 minutes of light remaining in the day, I decided to get to Sutro Baths to see what might transpire. Upon arrival the scene was quiet but the setting sun seemed to hold promise. A moment later two specks over the distant pines banked in unison and within seconds the resident hawks appeared over my head and hung motionless. Flickering primaries and focused scanning ensued, the pair seemed intent on finding something before night fell. Then the male approached the female in a slow glide with his legs extended and she quickly angled her wings and banked away. She was apparently not interested in his advances and he seemed distracted. His attempts at hunting were hurried and scattershot. She, on the other hand, stayed over one area for a long time. When she committed to her attack the sun had already set on the ocean and it quickly set for her prey, a 2-3 foot snake. Apparently she grasped the wrong end because as she flew away, the snake's head was free and one of the photos shows it, mouth agape, still struggling. When the city is consumed by encroaching night, there is still light to be had near the sea. Even 20 minutes can be revelatory.

The kiting hawks arrive.

The male in orange light.

When kiting turns to diving.

Stretching a leg.

Over the horizon with a hard-won meal.

Grainy, but you can clearly see the snake's mouth open.

Earlier, a freighter came by with precious cargo. That must be how they get that thing back to the east.

After sunset you can reclaim the day with a 40 second exposure, gathering the light and turning the waves into a creeping fog.

Great Blue Heron Review

On occasion, I'm going to post visual reviews of particular species and their behaviours. Photographs that I've taken over the past 2 years. Starting us off is the ubiquitous Great Blue Heron. **Warning** not for the squeamish. (As always, click the images for the juicy details.)

Dressed alike.

Non-serious nest building at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Crissy Field night fly-by.

Predators have forward facing eyes.

A large-mouthed bass fished from the Palace of Fine Arts Lagoon. 10 minutes of thinking, 2 minutes of swallowing.

Sunset illuminates a heron with gopher hunting history evident on its bill.

7 foot wingspan.

Balancing at Lake Merced.

On the hunt, with a stylish bracelet on to boot.

Lovely profile.

Top view of head and dagger-like bill.

Nesting for real at lake Merced.

Gopher for dinner.

This took many minutes. The heron kept dunking the gopher to make it slide down a bit easier.

15 minutes later and almost done, when the resident Great Blue came charging in and scared it off.

Flying away with the gopher still in progress.

A more manageable morsel.

In flight with a profile on the wing.

Cruising past the footbridge.

Chased off at Crissy field.

Red-shouldered Hawks Entertain

If you have to wait for an estimate on your car's brakes, find a mechanic near the park... then eschew the waiting room for the arboretum. The Red-shouldered Hawk pair were calling and I found them in the cloud forest. This one plummeted down at an astounding rate to land in a little creek - not even a creek really, the water was a millimeter deep. But apparently that is deep enough to hold a fish.

Click for the detailed view.

Next was a plunge into a marshy deeper area. Here is the hawk emerging from the water...

and eating a frog...

Seeing the world through frog-footed glasses. (they are rose coloured, I guess) Click the image for better detail.

A gull as seen via its reflection.

GGP Coyote and Gull Studies

I started with another trip to Stow Lake and upon arriving a Coyote came into view trotting nonchalantly down the road. No Glaucous-winged Gulls at Stow. I'm somehow fascinated by them because they are new to me. It is an exciting time in any endeavor when there is so much yet to learn, that even the relatively mundane can be spectacular. At Lloyd Lake I was watching for the Hooded Merganser and the first gull to settle near my feet was a GWG. It turns out there were 2 of them there today. I finally got one of the Common Mergansers comfortable enough with my presence that it fell asleep after some preening. Back at Stow Lake something triggered repeated Mallard fly-bys and the geese were feeling territorial. In the midst of it all, a Green Heron flew by. I know it's a lot of pictures, but - this is one of those rare media where you can over-share a little and people make their own choices by clicking. Anyway, thanks for looking - I'll do my best to keep it interesting.

Coyote after the storm.

Just a lovely pose.

The first Gull that I surmise is a Glaucous-winged.

Wings in motion.

Grey to the tips.

This is the other GWG, I think it is a 3rd year because the bill still has some black in it, but the plumage is clean so, I'm not sure. Gulls aren't really my specialty.

Beautiful wings.

Common Merganser.

Territorial Goose. (click to view larger)

Green Heron comes out of nowhere.

While the Mallards criss-cross giving me a chance to practice my skills.

Wind flattened vegetation at Stow Lake.