Weekend in SF Bay area

We had a whirlwind weekend in the bay area, but still found time to visit a couple wonderful spots. The first is the Radio City Sewage Treatment Ponds in Redwood City. Not exactly romantic, but it was wall-to-wall waterfowl.

Green-Winged Teal
American Widgeon
Canvas Backs
Northern Shoveler
American Avocets
Black-necked Stilts
Gadwalls
Buffleheads
Hooded Mergansers
Ruddy Ducks
Mallards
Willet
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
American Coot

On Sunday afternoon, before heading home, we visited St. George Spirits in Alemeda, then headed over to Arrowhead Marsh just to the east of the Oakland airport. We parked and immediately puzzled over a Northern Mockingbird (not a bird in our normal area) and a flock of golden-crowned sparrows. Humming birds were flitting around the bushes, but we never got a good look at one, so no idea what they were.

We walked across the lawn and saw a large flock of coots, a California Towhee and a Black Phoebe. There weren't a lot of waders although we saw one Willet and a number of coots on the mud. There was a flock of Western grebes on the water and a flock that appeared to be a mixed group of Eared and Horned grebes in winter plumage.

There were a number of warblers in a large cottonwood tree including yellow-rumped warblers, but there were others we couldn't ID.

The high-light was wandering out on an observation deck above the marsh grass and eventually spotted a Clapper Rail. at first it was quite shy and we just caught glimpses, but eventually it came up onto a reed mat and displayed itself, offering a photo op. In the meantime marsh wrens were active in the reeds. It was busy foraging on mussels and would pop up to pries one open. We watched it for some time as the light faded, then had to run back across the bay to catch our flight home.