Lake Merritt Birds

Took a walk around Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA the other day. This is what I saw there:

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Canadian Goose

Floating Feathers

Time to roost. I believe the tree is filled with Cormorants but I could very well be wrong.

Time to roost. I believe the tree is filled with Cormorants but I could very well be wrong.

Time to roost. I believe the tree is filled with Cormorants but I could very well be wrong.

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Heron

Green Heron

Domestic Duck

Domestic Duck

White Goose? Domestic Duck?

Baby Bushtits!

Found these little guys in the garden behind the Western Addition Branch of the SF Public Library the other day. They are just too adorable.

The Pigeon Color Project

I have recently taken up urban bird watching. One of the first things I noticed was that pigeons in the handy little guide I bought all looked exactly the same: 

Rock pigeon out my window, like the ones in my guide.

I have been seeing a lot more variety in my neighborhood though. I have decided to start photographing all of the pigeons that I see who are a little different. Once I started paying attention, I was surprised to find that there are some really beautiful pigeons around.

Brown/red and white pigeon at Alioto Park.

White with black "smudge" marks out my window.

Speckled white and black at Alioto Park.

Brown/red and white pigeon outside of my window.

Same brown/red and white pigeon out my window.

Speckled grey and black pigeon out my window. I think he is a youngster.

Brown/red and white pigeon near Lake Merritt in Oakland.

I am slowly learning more and more about these birds. I hope to get many more photos of uniquely colored pigeons to add to the project.