58/250 and a morning on the bay.

In my efforts to photo-document 250 species in each of California's 58 counties, there are iconic places that can't be missed. These include large, internationally known locations like the Farallon Islands, Death Valley National Park, and Redwoods National Park. There are also smaller spots that are of more localized importance or hold a special place in the hearts of the region's naturalists. The Palo Alto Baylands is just such a place. Wedged between East Palo Alto and Mountain View, it is the largest tract of undeveloped marshland in San Francisco Bay. As such it attracts amazing numbers of shorebirds , waders, and waterfowl. It is also home to numerous endangered species such as the Black Rail, Ridgway's Rail, and Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse. I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours there last week and had an amazing time. This included several looks at Ridgway's Rails, one of which was still long enough that I was able to get a few good photos. I look forward to returning in the winter for more wildlife and hopefully, with a good high tide, some of the other, more secretive animals of the marsh. Returning from this trip puts me at 72 species for the county with future trips planned that cover Henry Coe State Park, Sierra Azul Preserve and Almaden Quicksilver County Park, urban walks for parrots and the Mediterranean Spiny False Wolf Spider (Zoropsis spinimana), and more time along the waterfront.

Observations from this day include:

Posted on 21 October, 2019 23:15 by rjadams55