In the final week of June, amidst last-minute (and high-stress) packing and planning, I said goodbye to northern California and some of the amazing environments I've been lucky enough to explore over the past year.
Two young Common Ravens watched our small group of explorers as we wandered the Arcata Marsh one last time:
What little water was left in the low-tide bay evaporated into mist in the hot sun:
And I couldn't resist some final pictures of this place's gregarious Marsh Wrens:
Look, a Marsh Wren tongue!
A trip to the beach at sunset also seemed remarkably appropriate for our final days in California. I love the combination of waves and low sunlight:
What a cool thing, to see the sun disappearing behind the Pacific Ocean:
Big waves and a Brown Pelican make the scene even more dramatic:
Northwestern California really is an incredible place, and I can't think of many other parts of the country I'd be as excited to live in for a year. It was an amazing experience, indeed.
Even more exciting, though, is what's up next: a familiar environment that I dearly love, yet with new and fantastic areas to explore, and the possibility of settling down for a good long while and finally making a place my home. All of this is coming soon. But first, I have sights to share from that little endeavor, moving across the country. Stay tuned!
Last Saturday, Paul and I found ourselves awake unusually early, and we went for a walk at the Arcata Marsh before breakfast. I was expecting to find an extraordinary amount of dawn-time activity, but the marsh was just as active as I usually see it (which is to say, very active). Even so, it was cool to see some creatures in their morning routine. A couple of male Buffleheads were rolling onto their backs in the water and preening their pristine white bellies. I've never seen ducks do this before, and this just won Buffleheads several more cuteness points in my mind (they were already pretty cute to begin with):
Saturday's early morning light wasn't great for picture-taking, but I was back at the marsh on Tuesday afternoon when there were just as many creatures to see (with better light to see them by). Song Sparrows were singing and setting up territories along almost every stretch of the path:
And of course Marsh Wrens were all over. Little wren, does your tail get any higher?
Hundreds of shorebirds were flocking in the mudflats, and one Marbled Godwit (with a strangely crooked beak) was foraging right next to the path:
A group of five Great Egrets looked particularly fancy surrounded by mud:
This Canada Goose seems to have found a great nesting place on top of an old (redwood?) trunk with great marsh views:
A White-tailed Kite was hovering over the meadow, watching for furry morsels below:
I'm super impressed by the hovering skills of these raptors:
And this kite sure picked a lovely place to hunt:
Yesterday morning -- again, during a temporary break in the rain -- I went back to the Arcata Marsh. I'm finally starting to take advantage of how close I live to this amazing place! Just like last week, the marsh was hosting lots and lots of ducks, as well as various other birds, including several hunters in a large pool that must have been brimming with fish. I loved getting to see herons and grebes at work, especially at such close range. (I don't know whether it's because of the abundance of wildlife or the abundance of people that hang out in this relatively small area, but the birds at the Arcata Marsh seem especially willing to stay near the paths even when people walk by!)
Two gorgeous Western Grebes were popping in and out of the water:
This grebe is about to slice into the water for another dive:
I've only ever seen these big grebes from afar before, so this was quite a treat. What a bird:
I can't get over those red eyes, and that knife-like beak:
Two smaller Eared Grebes were hunting in these waters as well. OK, wait, these eyes are the best, with that ring of yellow in the middle of the orange-red:
One of the two Eared Grebes was looking especially fluffy, but it was doing just as much diving as its fellow:
A Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret were prowling nearby:
And this turned out to be an amazing chance to watch a Great Blue Heron at work up close. First, I just had to admire this giant bird:
Herons look so funny from the front, but I absolutely love the patterns on this creature's neck and chest:
This heron proved to be an excellent hunter, nabbing a fish every few minutes. (The Great Egret wasn't having quite as much success.) Got one:
Ah, too many eyes!
And down it goes! (Not shown: the fish was still wriggling as it was swallowed.)
And there's another fish soon afterward:
So yeah, I would not want to be a fish in this pond, that's for sure.
In another pond, Green-winged Teal were busy filtering food from the water's surface, motoring around like flat little boats:
A few Lesser Scaup (including some dapper males this time) were in another pond:
And a very sleepy Horned Grebe was floating around as well:
(I also saw a Pied-billed Grebe, making a total of four grebe species; not bad for one visit!)
I can't help taking more pictures of Marsh Wrens when these handsome little birds keep popping up right next to me:
Sing, little Marsh Wren!
I wonder if these birds have started building nests yet, or if they're still working on establishing their territories:
Lovely little bird:
Could this be the same Northern Harrier that flew past me last week, in exactly this same spot?
A Red-shouldered Hawk watched a meadow from a nearby tree:
And a flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows waited calmly in some brambles for me to walk past so they could return to feeding in the path:
And all that in a short visit between rain storms! Hooray for the Arcata Marsh!
Have I really not been to the Arcata Marsh since late July? See, this is what I mean about missing my outside time. When I woke up on Sunday morning to bright sunlight rather than the predicted rain, I grabbed my chance and drove the few minutes to this amazing habitat. The marsh was just overflowing with activity -- so many birds, and lots of happy people walking around. It was hard to decide where to look! A pond next to the road was filled with ducks, so that seemed like a good place to start:
A flotilla of Ruddy Ducks paddled nearest to my side of the pond:
A couple of female Lesser Scaup were in the mix as well:
Ruddy Ducks are such strange, dumpy birds, and this is one of the few times I've seen them up close:
Those tails are so cool and strange-looking:
Hello, funny bird. You are very cute:
A male Northern Shoveler mingled with the group as well. Why do so many ducks look so weird?
Green-winged Teal were in several of the ponds. This pair was resting in a nice sheltered spot:
Male Green-winged Teal are exceptionally fancy:
This teal trio made quite the tableau; I love the male's speckled breasts and the female's almost-hidden flash of green:
Here's the trio in another arrangement; the male in the back kept lifting up his head to make a high-pitched peeping call:
Swallows zoomed above the water's surface. (Perhaps I will be able to photograph a Violet-green Swallow sometime before the move. Their costumes are simply amazing.) A Northern Harrier flew low overhead, giving me the rare chance to admire this raptor's belly and wings:
Marsh Wrens sang out from every direction. It's such a treat to see these little birds being so bold:
In a nearby field, Western Meadowlarks flashed their brilliant yellow breasts as they foraged in the grass:
Every few minutes, the small flock of meadowlarks would burst up out of the grass to relocate to a new spot in the field. I felt a bit like I was watching a very quiet and very unpredictable fireworks show:
A tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet foraged in some bushes next to the path and was remarkably obliging with me and my camera:
Later, I even saw the kinglet flash its bright red crown for a moment, but here it's looking typically plain and adorable:
As I was heading back to my car, the promised rain began, but I had to make a last quick stop when I met a Yellow-rumped Warbler on a moss-covered tree next to the path:
Beautiful warbler on branches that look like they will soon covered with leaves:
I suppose there really are seasons here, too, but they're certainly muted compared with what I'm used to in the east. I'm looking forward to seeing what spring in Northern California brings!
