Recently I'd signed up for a guided walk at the Laguna de Santa Rosa, to learn about and see the vernal pools. Unfortunately, I had to miss it, but it seems that the pools were not what they have been in previous years. We are once again in a drought, and things are pretty dry.
Earlier this week Cay and I went out to Schollenberger park. We were shocked at how dry it was.
 |
| as we walked in, the area close to the entrance was bone dry. |
 |
| you can see the difference in the damp ground between the area which might be impacted by the tide, and that which has been dry for some time. |
There were fewer birds on this trip. Oh, there were the pair of swan that stay there, a half dozen Canada geese, a couple stilts, a couple avocets, and of course a smattering of ducks and an egret or two, as well as the ever-present redwing blackbirds, but not the large amount and diversity we'd seen
on previous visits.
The trip was rather brief (we were both dispirited by the conditions) and I'd forgotten to charge my camera, so the photos from the time we were there were also disappointing. What wasn't disappointing was a large flock of birds that rose up from the mudflats and skimmed across to the ponds mere yards away, but by then of course, my camera was dead, and Cay's phone was in her pocket, so no photos.
Early on in the hike I did get a few so-so photos of some of the birds, including the redwing.
 |
| a pair of ducks snoozing in the reeds |
 |
| an avocet on the hunt |
 |
| one of the many redwing blackbirds |
Comments
Post a Comment