San Francisco Bay Area- Day 2
2nd day and I have rented a smaller car comparing to the car in Florida. In Florida it was just wilderness so it is no problem with a big car.
I had some driving yesterday to get used to it so I will go north today. I will visit the San Francisco / Golden Gate area so before throwing myself out from that step I wanted some driving.
San Francisco Botanical Garden opens at 07:30 and I will spend 3 to 4 hours here before going for the whale/ bird watching cruise with “San Francisco Whale Tours”
We will return from the whale watching around 14:30. So there might be time to explore a couple of eBird hotspot north of the Golden Gate Bridge:
• Four Benches Hawk Observation Site
• Hawk Hill
Thursday 13 th of April 2023 and San Francisco Botanical Garden opens at 7 thirty and I left my hotel at 6 thirty. I made a wrong turn and I had to go back on the high way again and I lost a couple of minutes.
It was light traffic and it was easy to find thanks to the GPS. The main difference between Florida and California is the size of the parking space. In Florida it was possible to drive in between the lines with a truck, in San Francisco it is almost impossible to get out of the car if there is a car next to your space.
I was enjoying the drive to the Botanical Garden with good music and refreshments.
Approaching San Francisco Botanical Garden
I reach San Francisco Botanical Garden
I parked the car just outside the entrance and it is 4 hours free parking curb side. I double checked with a girl parking in front of me.
- Yes, it is free for 4 hours, but no one is checking.
- Thank you! I will just stay for a couple of hours to watch birds.
I went to the kiosk at the entrance to buy a ticket. The lad told me it was free before 9 o'clock and I went inside and it looked to be a beautiful park. American Robin was the first bird and the second bird was a Black Phoebe.
Black Phoebe
Black Phoebe
I asked the lady in the kiosk where I could find hummingbirds and she told me that they were everywhere. I was soon spotting my first hummingbird and it was impossible to take any pictures. But it was a red hummingbird. And they move around very quick.
It was a gorgeous park and it looked to be a very well-maintained park.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Dangerous animals in the park
San Francisco Botanical Garden
An area with many hummingbirds
Hermit Thrush
There were plenty places to sit down, but no place to sit and watch the areas where I spotted the hummingbirds. I continued and after 30 minutes I had seen 12 hummingbirds, but no pictures. The irrigation system was running so it was a little tricky to walk around without getting wet.
There were many other birds as well, especially the White-crowned sparrow. A lot of birds but I could not get any pictures so not possible to ID.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Walking through a small forest - Redwood Grove Garden
Walking through a small forest - Redwood Grove Garden
Walking through a small forest - Redwood Grove Garden
Walking through a small forest - Redwood Grove Garden
I find a bench to sit down
Brown-headed Cowbird
Black Phoebe
I spot a singing Song Sparrow and I make a recording and I discover one humming bird above me in the same tree and the first second of the recording is the humming bird singing.
The hummingbird disappeared before I could take any pictures of the bird.
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Listen to the Song Sparrow
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
The first sound in the recording is from a humming bird, last for 1 second or so. The humming bird was sitting in the same tree as the Song Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
I stop the recording and I continue, after 20 minutes I pass a small pond and I spot a Great Blue Heron. It is a huge bird and I sneak up to take a picture. I discovered one mallard as well.
There is a bench and I sit down looking up the pine tree. And there is one hummingbird sitting and I try to get some pictures of the bird. Dull bird, but when he started to flap the wings looking at me it was like an explosion of pink/ purple and it was very beautiful.
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
I left and after 20 meters I left the walk path to check out the side of the path and I discovered a small pond covered with flowers. I sat down and there was soon one hummingbird flying over the pond. There were a couple of other hummingbirds flying by.
But this hummingbird was sitting on a twig and every now and then it took off flying around over the small pond. The humming bird looks very funny when flying. Like a robot standing still in the air and they look like they stand up when flying.
Moving in straight horizontal movements and it really looked like a remote toy.
Female Anna's Hummingbird
Female Anna's Hummingbird
Female Anna's Hummingbird
Female Anna's Hummingbird
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Female Anna's Hummingbird
I walk towards the entrance, soon time to leave for the whale watching. I make a last loop around the Great Meadow at the entrance and I discover a man on a bench. And his camera tells me that it is a bird watcher. I walk over and BOOM! There it was, a bench overlooking the bushes where the humming birds come to eat.
I join him and there were many hummingbirds coming. Perfect, the sun in the back so the lightning was very good. I even managed to get a recording of one of the humming birds
Anna's Hummingbird
Allen's Hummingbird
Listen to the Anna's Hummingbird
Sound from www.xeno-canto.org
Remarks from the Recordist
Recorded with my ZOOM H5 Handy Recorder and High Pass Filter applied with Audacity
Sitting with a new friend I met on the bench overlooking the bushes with hummingbirds. We were taking pictures when we had a singing Anna's Hummingbird in the tree above us
eBird Report
Golden Gate Park--San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco, California, US
Apr 13, 2023 07:48 - 10:30
Protocol: Traveling
2.04 kilometer(s)
12 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 2
Mallard 2
Anna's Hummingbird 4
Allen's Hummingbird 1
hummingbird sp. 17 Three green and one red+ one pink
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Phoebe 2
Common Raven 3
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 5
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 10 Singing and carry nest material
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Juvenile
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S133618550
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Today's track at San Francisco Botanical Garden
Time for me to leave and my new friend walked with me to the gate and we will meet here tomorrow morning to watch more hummingbirds. I arrived to Pier 39 and I parked my car, 10 US Dollar per hour, sweet Lord, it is really expensive here.
Departure at 12 and I went for brunch, omelette with tea, well, I have had better.
Walking to Pier 39
Alcatrazand a group of sea lions
Sea lions
I left the restaurant to check in at San Francisco Whale Whatching and I walk to the gate and there is a group of people waiting for the gate to open. And it seems to be a full boat. There are cormorants and plenty Western Gulls in the marina, and of course Feral Pigeons
We depart and I am on aft deck looking for birds, the rest of the passengers were not interested in birds, they were here for the whales only. I have been on man whale watching tours, so this tour is for the birds. There were Double-crested Cormorants sitting on the pier and I tried to get pictures on the way out.
And of course, there are plenty gulls and as they have pink legs, I ID the birds as Western Gulls. Yellow legs and it would have been California Gulls.
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Western Gull
San Francisco Whale Watching
San Francisco Whale Watching
San Francisco Whale Watching
San Francisco Whale Watching
Passing Alcatraz
Golden Gate Bridge
Leaving San Francisco behind
Leaving San Francisco behind
We have a lot of Cormorants flying over the water and I was lucky to get some pictures so I could ID the bird. Straight neck and blue throat mean that it is a Brandt's Cormorant, a new LIFER for me. And a LIFER with picture.
I tried to get pictures of the gulls but it was very hard.
I was soon seeing my second LIFER for today, the Great Northern Diver. Too far away for any good pictures, but good enough so I could ID the bird when I was back at Best Western Coyote Point Inn later on in the afternoon.
Brandt's Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Great Northern Diver
Great Northern Diver
Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern
Elegant Tern
We had one Elegant Tern flying over the boat and I managed to get some pictures. I had no luck with the quick flying gulls but at the end we had one Western Gull following us. It was almost like the bird was waiting for the passengers to throw food.
And I suspect that this was the case as here are many tour boats and the tourists have most likely feed the gulls more than once during the years. Never mind, I got pictures.
And it was easy to see the pink legs so we knew that it was a Western Gull.
It was time to return to the marina and there were still Double-crested Cormorant sitting along the concrete pier.
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
eBird Report
San Francisco Whale Watching, San Francisco, California, US
Apr 13, 2023 12:04 - 14:16
Protocol: Traveling
13.31 kilometer(s)
7 species (+1 other taxa)
Western Grebe 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Western Gull 6
gull sp. 14 Not able to ID
Elegant Tern 1
Great Northern Diver 1 Called Common Loon in USA
Brandt's Cormorant 17
Double-crested Cormorant 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S133639612
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Today's track with San Francisco whale Watching
Western Gull
Western Gull
Western Gull
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Coming ashore and I look for birds in the marina and 20 meters from the whale watching boat I see one huge juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron, there are several Feral Pigeons and many Western Gulls that I see going back to my car.
eBird Report
Pier 39, San Francisco, California, US
Apr 13, 2023 14:19 - 14:35
Protocol: Traveling
0.78 kilometer(s)
4 species
Feral Pigeon 5
Western Gull 7
Double-crested Cormorant 8
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1 Juvenile
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S133641315
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Today's track at Pier 39, San Francisco
I should drive back to my hotel, but I decided to go to the north side of the Golden Gate bridge before going back to Best Western Coyote Point Inn and I don't have to cross the bridge tomorrow. I don't know why, but coming to San Francisco with a rented car it is a MUST to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
So, I pay the parking fee at Pier 39 and I drive up on highway #1 going north to the Golden Gate Bridge. I don't have my small camera since I forgot it in my AVIS rented car in Florida so I had to use m Canon D5.
Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge
Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge
Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge
First stop is at the Golden Gate Observation Deck, this is also an eBird hotspot: Four Benches Hawk Observation Site But I only see a White-crowned Sparrow. Second stop is at the Golden Gate View Point and I see two Turky Vultures.
Golden Gate Observation Deck
Golden Gate View Point
Golden Gate View Point
Golden Gate View Point
White-crowned Sparrow
Driving back and I made one stop at the tunnel to the Golden Gate Scenic Drive, coming here and I spotted a blue bird on the grass and I went to check if it was still in the area, no luck, but I spotted a humming bird, but far away.
It was time to call it a day and I walked back to the tree and I had managed to do the most
important, to find a tree. And that was in the nick of time.
Anna's Hummingbird
Time to leave for the hotel
I drove back to highway #1 and I really don't understand, it is the same highway that pass my hotel. But coming from north and the highway come to an end with a traffic light and you are in down town San Francisco,
I had expected the highway to by-pass San Francisco, but there I was in the city traffic with red light or a STOP sign in every intersection.
But it was also good luck for me, I got to drive in the hills of San Francisco, nothing I ever want to do again. But now I have seen it and done it. And it was actually scary at times. Coming up the steep hill and there is an intersection ad a STOP sign.
So, when I stop, I cannot see anything but the sky in front of me as the car is standing in the steep hill, this was very scary as I could not see the crossing road.
Going down all the hills
Tea and ham with honey mustard when I was back in my room and I spend the evening with today's pictures and I went to bed early with the alarm set to go off at 4 o'clock in the morning. I will go back to the Botanical Garden to have a look for the hummingbirds.
Last day in California tomorrow and I want to see more of the hummingbirds and you just need to click HERE to find out if I have any luck with the hummingbirds.
eBird Trip Report
Since April 2023 eBird offer a new feature, to create Trip Reports. At least this is when I first heard of this feature and I have decided to make the eBird Trip Reports instead of my list of OBSERVED birds.
And of course, this also means that I will HAVE TO go back and do the same for my old birding adventures, WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!
Today's Trip Report: Birding in the San Francisco Bay Area - Day 2 | Click HERE
Download | PDF
Lifers
Icons for lifers used in the eBird trip reports
Species lifer:First time that someone observes a species in their life
Photo lifer:First time that someone photographs a species in their life
Audio lifer:First time that someone audio records a species in their lifeExotic species
Exotic species flags differentiate locally introduced species from native species.
Naturalized:Exotic population is self-sustaining, breeding in the wild, persisting for many years, and not maintained through ongoing releases (including vagrants from Naturalized populations). These count in official eBird totals and, where applicable, have been accepted by regional bird records committee(s).
Provisional:Either: 1)member of exotic population that is breeding in the wild, self-propagating, and has persisted for multiple years, but not yet Naturalized; 2)rarity of uncertain provenance, with natural vagrancy or captive provenance both considered plausible.When applicable, eBird generally defers to bird records committees for records formally considered to be of "uncertain provenance". Provisional species count in official eBird totals.
Escapee:Exotic species known or suspected to be escaped or released, including those that havebred but don't yet fulfill the criteria for Provisional. Escapee exotics do not count in official eBird totals.
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