We've been to the park several times lately, looking for our black swan cygnets and feeding the birds.

( From November 15 )

Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk at the park to check on the baby cygnets, among other things. It's amazing how fast they are growing. While at the park, not only did I take photos of yet more birds, I experimented with my camera's video recording capabilities, trying to capture some of the interesting bird behavior I saw.

( Bird pictures and videos, and cuteness )

Yesterday was a very nice day, so we went for a walk in LaFreniere Park. We brought stale bread and were looking for a swan and her little cygnets that we saw grazing at the edge of the canals last time.

This time, it took us quite some time to find the swan with the cygnets, as she was 3/4 of the way around the lake in the opposite direction that we started walking. On the way, we saw (and fed) lots of other interesting critters.

( Nutria and cygnets ahoy! )

A couple of weeks ago (Aug 16), we went to the zoo again, and I took lots more pictures.

( First, the birds )

Well, I was going to post zoo pictures from this last weekend tonight, but when I got to processing photos from my camera's directory, I found some photos from back in April that I completely forgot to post. So Lafreniere Park instead of Audubon Zoo, this time.

( Did I say chickens? )

The other day two weekends ago I was returning to my home when I noticed a rather large white bird standing in the front yard eyeing the blackberry thicket around the oak tree. Its neck was coiled, poised to strike like a snake--

--and it did! Head and beak stabbed out, grabbing something off the vines (probably a lizard), which the egret gobbled down.

Not wanting to scare the bird by getting out of my car, I phoned the family in the house to tell them about the visitor in the front yard. Mi Esposo grabbed my camera and took pictures of the bird through the front door; I believe The Daughter did as well.

( Not a lawn flamingo )

Audubon Zoo trip, part 1
Audubon Zoo trip, part 2
Audubon Zoo trip, part 3

In my raw pictures folder, I found some more bird & otter pics I forgot to export and upload.
Next time, we'll move on to the monkeys.

( Addenda to previous birds and things )

Yesterday we went to zoo for the second time since I came back from California, as the weather was finally bearable for venturing outdoors in the Deep South again. Last time was in March, right after moving back home--early spring being the other end of the nice weather period.

It's always fun going to the zoo, both to watch the animals and watch the people. The zoo is always swarming with kids and their families, and I find it immensely cheering to see children having fun and being amazed. I also take lots of pictures. *grin*

While sorting through yesterday's pictures, I found March's zoo pictures as well, which I never got around to posting--so you get twice the fun for half the posts! Same animals, anyway.

( Birds of Audubon Zoo )

During the visit to the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park (more about that in future posts), I took pictures of the regional jaybird, the Western Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma californica.

( Bird pictures )

This is the last batch of pictures from the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. Remember that duckpond I mentioned?
( Birdsies )

I spent some time trying to identify the shorebirds in the pictures I took last weekend, and I was more-or-less successful.
( Pictures of the birds I saw at Half Moon Bay )

Sunday, August 5, I drove out to the beach. That's actually a bit more adventurous than it sounds; from San Jose, the shortest road to, say, Half Moon Bay, is one of those winding mountain roads. Fortunately 92 is a bit wider and shorter than 9 was.
( Birds, flowers and sand )