Since we live on an island in the San Francisco Bay, we are blessed with all sorts of bird life, like these double-crested cormorants. Many species show up in our backyard, but beyond its bounds there are lots of others. I wanted to show you a few of them.

Every winter, thousands of waterbirds and shorebirds sojourn on the nearby San Leandro Bay. We love to bike the loop trail around this small inlet, where we never know what we might see. But on a fair winter’s morning, we’re bound to see something!

In the spring and early summer, egrets — both snowy and great — nest in a grove of pine trees on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island.

Our neighborhood boasts a resident pair of wild turkeys, who make occasional appearances on our block. The other day we spied Mama Turkey proudly herding her four chicks down the street.

If you are lucky enough to visit Alameda in the autumn, you might catch a glimpse of our indigenous flamingos, which show up in October but generally disappear by Thanksgiving. 

Go outdoors, take a walk, ride a bike, look around:
Everywhere there are birds by the scores to be found!  

You might also enjoy…

• The rest of my posts about birding in a pandemic:
  • Our fine-feathered friends
  • Which bird is which?
  • Capturing nature on the page
  • Along the Pacific Flyway
  • An exotic visitor
• A contrary bird is the pelican!