We live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whether one lives in the City itself, the suburbs of the East Bay, the Peninsula suburbs or down south in Silicon Valley it is over developed and crowded. Seven million people are crammed into The Bay Area. The population translates into too many cars attempting to travel the same roads at the same time, scary business. The number one employment is the myriad of technology companies. More and better apps are what they focus on while ignoring the natural beauty and drama happening all around them.
Yes, in spite of all the chaos, the heart of nature in the Bay Area continues to beat. I sit at my desk writing and observing the variety of water fowl from my 10 ft. x 6 ft. window. Daily visits from a variety of feathered friends entertain me as they hunt for the morsels they need to survive. Sometimes they visit simply to stare at me, the weird animal sitting in the window.
Canadian Geese find this to be a safe haven. They graze on succulent green grass. The traffic stops to let them cross the street even when they aren’t in the crosswalk. The honking of the geese serves as our alarm clock at daybreak.
A Black Crowned Night Heron roosts all day in a tree just above my window. When dusk arrives he disappears for the night using his bright red eyes to hunt his prey.
The Snowy Egrets and the Great Egrets prowl the shallows for whatever it is they consider delicacies. At times 4 or 5 of these beautiful white birds are visible from my viewing location.
The huge American White Pelicans keep their distance but are visible in a sizable flock. Telescopic lenses or binoculars bring them up close for viewing. Occasionally a Brown Pelican will circle and plunge just yards from me and capture a fish to fill its belly.
Flocks of Cormorants swim by as they dive and re-surface with breakfast in their beaks. Occasionally one will stand on a rock looking directly at me. It seems I am being offered a hug but I know they are actually simply drying their wings.
This is a sampling of what I have observed. I have much more to learn before I will understand the culture and habits of the birds I live with. They interest me more than any new app.
Stan the Man
