Tag Archives: san francisco bay

Raccoon Family Outing

AE7I1491.jpgRoger and I were on a wildlife roll.  We had been visited by an osprey, we had seen a rat, what else could be lurking along the shoreline?  Roger had mentioned that he had seen some raccoons along there at various times.  I guess raccoons have good hearing.  It was not long after he mentioned this that a face appeared in the rocks.  Next thing you know, out pops a raccoon.  Not just one though.  This was a mom with a youngster in tow.  They were heading from the rocks along the shore towards the brush on the other side of the trail.  They scampered across the path in our direction and through the fencing.  Our presence did not seem to bother them at all.

AE7I1500.jpg

Ratty and Tales of the Riverbank (Well, Bayshore)

B11I8323.jpgRats have a bad reputation.  It’s not tricky to work out why people don’t like them but I think they are rather cool.  It’s hardly their fault that stuff has been built on top of their homes and they have had to adapt.  The fact we waste so much crap that they can feed on is our fault, not theirs.  They are, of course, a creature that likes living near water.  While sitting alongside the bay near San Francisco, we got a visit from a local rat.  He was busy gathering material for a nest I assume.  He (or she) popped up from amongst the rocks by the water and headed into the brush.  A little while later, back he came.  He grabbed some material and dragged it off where he needed it.  We were not making a lot of noise so he didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by our presence.

B11I8304.jpg B11I8316.jpg

Osprey Checks Us Out

AE7I1339.jpgOne fun aspect of shooting by San Francisco Bay is that you get a lot of wildlife while you are killing time.  Roger and I were sitting by the shore waiting for a few movements when a bird started flying in our direction.  We both paid attention when we realized that it was not a gull as is normally the case.  Instead, it was an osprey.  They are not a rarity but they are still noteworthy.  It certainly wasn’t bothered by us as it flew right over us as it headed along the shoreline.  Looking up you could stare straight into its eyes as it surveyed the scene looking for its next snack.  Sadly, nothing was nearby for it to dive onto and it flew off.  Even so, a brief moment like this with such a cool bird made me happy for a long time afterwards.  Actually, I am still happy when I think about it.

AE7I1353.jpg

Shipwreck

AE7I0448.jpgI stopped off at Coyote Point in the Bay for a short while.  It hasn’t been so long since I was last there so the new addition I saw must have occurred pretty recently.  It appears that someone has had a little incident with their sailing boat.  I don’t know whether they had a problem making it into the channel to the marina or whether the boat broke loose from a mooring somewhere else in the bay.  Whatever the origin, it is now lying on the rocks just outside the marina.  I didn’t get closer to see how bad the damage is but I am guessing that it is not in great shape!

Kiteboarding in the Bay

B11I0612.jpgIf the wind is up, there are usually a lot of people out kiteboarding in San Francisco Bay. While I was a Coyote Point I could see a few people out in the water. Some were a little further up the shore, one was very close to the marina near me and a few more were down towards the San Mateo Bridge. They may not have been that far down but it looked that way from where I was.

AE7I1219.jpg

Views of San Jose and Beyond

AU0E3439.jpgThe top of Mount Hamilton provides a view down to San Jose in the valley below and then on to San Francisco Bay. You can see all the way up to San Francisco if the weather is clear enough. On the day we were there, the conditions were a little less clear but we still could see a good distance. Beyond San Jose, the hangars at Moffett Field were easy to spot as was Levi Stadium and the many buildings scattered around the shoreline of the bay.

C59F7637.jpgI would love to be up on the top of the mountain early in the morning on a day with really clear skies. However, it is not an insignificant drive to get up there and you want to make sure it is going to be worth it. Therefore, while I am going to try and do this at some point, it is going to be a combination of good planning, luck and readiness to head off on short notice in order to make it all work out.

C59F7646.jpg AU0E3474.jpg

Ridgeway’s Rail

AU0E2370.jpgThe shore of San Francisco Bay is home to many varieties of bird life. I was walking along the water’s edge with my friend Roger one afternoon when he asked me whether I had ever seen a Ridgeway’s Rail. I confessed I had no idea what it was so also had no idea whether I had ever seen one. He told me that it is a species that is not widespread and mainly confined to the Bay Area. They are shy birds and so not common to see.

AU0E2522.jpgIt can’t have been too long after this conversation that Roger spots – you guessed it – a Ridgeway’s Rail. Not only did he spot this thing but it then decided to try and disprove any thoughts about it being shy. It wandered along in front of us feeding constantly. Occasionally it would go out of sight as it dropped into some thicker foliage but it would soon reappear and keep feeding, occasionally looking up at us to make sure we were taking its picture. We found the most demonstrative example of the species apparently.

AU0E2484.jpgIf you have never seen a Ridgeway’s Rail, this is what it looks like. If you want to see one for real, meet up with Roger and have him tell you about how rare they are and this guy will surely show up shortly afterwards!

AU0E2394.jpg

Waterspouts

AU0E6434.jpgSan Francisco Bay is a large body of water and you can get some interesting weather effects that will develop. I was down by the bay when the wind was whipping around. It was causing some little columns of spray to form out in the open water. Rather than a real waterspout, they were more like a dust devil – just water instead of dust!  They would form up and then disappear. However, it would not be long before a replacement would form. These are funny looking effects and it would have been nice to be a bit closer to see them in more detail.

AU0E6301.jpg

What is This Bird?

AU0E1889.jpgWhile I was down by San Francisco Bay, a bird came flying towards me and I took some shots purely for panning practice. I thought it was a gull or a tern so I was only bothered by trying to get steady shots. However, when I look at it, the bird has the beak of a raptor. I have no idea what it is. Does anyone out there know?

AU0E1895.jpg