Winter on the Creek Trail – Western Flyway – Pelican Brief
Its winter on the creek trail so that means cold mornings, less people and more birds. It was a different type of cold yesterday, never really warmed up. Saw almost ZERO people out there, all home and snuggled in bed I suppose. The birds were out in force though. San Francisco Bay is part of the great western flyway, the path migrating birds take when heading south for winter. The numbers that hang out (particularly at low tides) are astounding! So many whatchamacallits and whatevertheyares just resting and feeding in the shallows. When a group takes off the sounds breaks the morning silence and sounds like a far away plane or car zooming past on a road. When a swarming group of thingamagigs fly pass and turn quickly, it looks like a beautful dance on the wind. And all this a mere 5 miles from home!
We are always seeing pelicans cruising the shallows and salt ponds, occasionally diving for a tasty morsel. There must be several types of pelicans out there because some seem HUGE compared to others.
So yesterday as we were coming off the levy road and turning onto the creek trail (mile marker 11), John saw some movement in the mud where the creek empties into the bay. Sure enough it was a pelican. John (Audubon) was trying to get a good bird pic all morning, scaring away both great blue herron and ecret in an attempt to get a close up with his handy dandy phone cam. The great blue flew away mad, neck fully extended and squawking away. You don’t want a great blue mad at you.
So Johnny boy takes off to get a closer look at the pelican, over the rickety wooden plank that spans a small outlet and into the mud. The picture above is John out in no mans land. He got within 5 feet and took these great pics. This report according to John: the bird was sitting on a mud mound of some kind, staring at a torn up blue and white sofa cushion that had washed up with the tides. John said it was almost like he was praying to it, or in love with it.
“Are you my Mother!?”
Since old pelican pete didn’t look shot or tangled in anything, we went on our way. Maybe just in love with the cushion. John did call the park ranger and they said they would go out and take a look to make sure he was ok. Click here to check out my video perspective on jimsjoint YouTube Channel
On a side note, someone had taken our flag (now beat up after many months in the elements) that we put out at the bus stop and stuck it in the mud! John had to go rescue it and put it in its rightful place.
