Well this April has been fun for me and I've made quite a few new images. I've posted a couple dozen of these new photos at the following link...
Even though the weather has been wet and wild throughout the month, I've managed to visit my favorite locations regularly. Along the bay and sloughs, sightings of ducklings were frequent. Nothing out of the ordinary, just lots of mallard ducklings and even more Canada Geese goslings. As I mentioned in the preceding post, I had been carefully watching a Stilt nest which had 4 eggs ...hoping to have the chance to photograph their chicks. But after about 3 weeks, the eggs vanished and the Stilt pair resumed their normal behavior with no chicks to be seen. With Night Herons, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Crows always on the lookout, it's a wonder any eggs survive. But it's all about numbers, as I observed the first Avocet chicks in the last week of April at Palo Alto Baylands. And also at the Baylands, my first ever sighting of a Bullock's Oriole (there were at least 2 males and a female). Thanks to folks posting on Sialia.com, I successfully located and photographed a beautiful example of a male Lazuli Bunting at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. The month of May will bring even more ducklings and hopefully more good photographic opportunities. Let me know what you think about my new photos or if you see something interesting. More to come...