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| Sunset over the Marin Headlands |
Long-neglected and abused,
and lately rehabbed,
the tiny parcel of land
dubbed the Albany Bulb
is an endless source
of amusement and adventure.
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| Breathtaking scenery looking toward Mount Tamalpais |
No matter which way you cast your gaze,
million dollar views punctuate
world-famous, drop-dead gorgeous
panoramas of natural beauty:
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| Mudflats looking southeast toward Albany and Berkeley |
From the shimmering Bay
to San Francisco's glittering skyline,
Angel Island, the Marin Headlands,
iconic Golden Gate Bridge
and resplendent Mount Tamalpais.
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| Never tire of the sights and attractions |
For nature lovers and dog owners,
casual strollers and everyday out 'n abouters,
the reclaimed peninsula is a haven
for exploring and sight-seeing.
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| Eyes of the world |
A regular old slice of heaven and refuge
on the edge of urban sprawl
bordering factories and warehouses
and a roaring 10-lane freeway of non-stop traffic,
but mostly you'd never know it!
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| Codornices Creek's final journey to the Bay from the Berkeley Hills |
Fortunately, the Bulb sticks out into San Francisco Bay far enough where the noise and eyesores are not noticeable, but along the marsh and mudflats, where three East Bay creeks drain, the presence of so much negative energy is hard to ignore.
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| Great Blue Heron crouching down beside the Bay |
But, hey, the birds don't seem to mind one bit, so busy are they occupied by their industrious searches for food afforded when the tide recedes and exposes geometric patterns of textured raised mud beds.
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| Albany / SF Bay mudflats exposing nutrient-rich biome |
It is a veritable smorgasbord for thousands of individual birds, perhaps over 30 different species converging in the area to take advantage of the rich pickings.
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| Curvaceous San Francisco Bay hugging the Bulb shoreline |
Once a dumping ground for industrial detritus left over from the Bay Area's post-WW II construction boom, the Bulb has since been rehabbed and nurtured into a green splotch of elevated scrub land studded with trees and surrounded by rock strewn shoreline.
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| Great White Egret scoping out possibilities |
The Bulb is also an outdoor art museum, littered with quirky sculptures and bizarre rock paintings, resembling a mini sandbox for creative Burning Man expressions.
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| Rough-hewn bird sculpture |
More importantly, germane to this blog, the Bulb is a phenomenal place to observe birds. Here, shorebirds, perching birds, soaring birds, all manner of birds, congregate at the Bulb.
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| When the tide's out, the birds turn out in droves |
In incomprehensible numbers along the shoreline, in dizzying murmurations over the mudflats, in frenzied flocks of Finches in bushes and small trees, everywhere you turn, there are birds to see!
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| Vibrant colors and serenity of the waning day |
What follows are some of my favorite shots
of the various birds I've been fortunate
to encounter and photograph at the Bulb.
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Adult Black-crowned Night Heron just sitting on a cement embankment not a stone's throw from I-80 looking every bit as content and at home in "the wild" as though spotted at Point Reyes National Seashore |
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| White-tailed Kite a beautiful raptor I came upon perched in a treetop with some dead bit of provender he later flew off with it clutched in his talons perhaps headed to a high nest somewhere to nourish a young hungry brood |
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| Marbled Godwits and Whimbrels in flight lifting off from the mudflats where they'd been feeding on microbiota dredged up from tidal action |
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| Snowy Egrets wondering what to think about the Mallard encroaching upon their territory |
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| Great White Egret stalking shallow waters of mudflats exposing raised geometric patterns rich with worms, invertebrates, snakes and frogs |
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| Anna's Hummingbird with fan tail and wings in abstract motion creating a special kind of uplift unique to Hummingbirds |
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| Red-winged Blackbird waiting for mate to return usually they flock in droves creating spectacular murmurations turning and twisting in the sky flashing their red markings |
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| Finch reaching for some tasty tidbit they love to flock in large bunches flying about from tree to tree bush to bush seeking seeds and berries that abound at the Bulb |
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| Fox Sparrow fairly common Bulb resident livening things up with their vocalizations their sweet whistling calls |
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| Whimbrel a funny looking bird with a scimitar like beak a specialized curved "utensil" for foraging in tiny holes and cracks in the mudflats and beneath rocks |
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| Anna's Hummingbird tiny witness to dramatic backdrop of Mount Tamalpais |
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| Black-crowned Night Heron juvenile hunter stalking learning the trade of survival |
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| Ruby-crowned Kinglet out 'n about, frisky as heck makin' the rounds in search of food and perhaps a mate |
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| Brown Pelican once on the brink of extinction ready to dive bomb for a meal capable of descending in water 20 feet to scoop up fishy edibles in their big gullets |
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| Golden-crowned Sparrow flocks in large numbers ground feeding for seeds and worms in rich soil habitat at the Bulb |
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| Anna's Hummingbird baring her flaming purple gorget enveloping entire head amazing spectacle of polychromatic wizardry |
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| Finches mates perching atop brushy foliage when the light strikes them just right revealing tropical-like colors of otherwise prosaic but always pretty birds |
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| White-crowned Sparrow (Dark-lored Adult) flocking, ground-feeding pretty bird always a joy to spot them |
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| Mallard resting in the grass taking in the world |
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| Canada Goose framed in triptych of blending colors |
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| American Avocets feeding on rich picking in mudflats Northern Shoveler in view |
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| Northern Mockingbird they love the Bulb more than any other in East Bay Wild lively, mocking birds seen engaging crows bullying smaller birds for rights to the best berry bushes sitting atop their domain tweeting out to the world: don't mess with me |
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| Sandpipers gathering on rock in bay fantastic flocks of them murmurations of them hovering gracefully over the mudflats |
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| Black Phoebe perched on snag of rusting art installation abandoned in small inlet of bay |
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| Western Grebe plying smooth bay waters later seen engaged in elaborate synchronized courtship display |
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| Coots swimming peacefully together in shimmery blue waters |
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| Snowy Egret familiar denizen of wetlands and marshes |
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| Anna's Hummingbird perched on a thin branch tip a magical extension of a colorful wand |
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| Gray Pelicans and Gull co-existing in time and space |
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| Great Blue Heron wading in the golden light of dusk |
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| Shorebirds in their mudflat milieu feeding and playing |
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| Golden-crowned Sparrows couple of lovebirds |
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| Sanderling in a moment of calm along the peaceful shoreline |
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| Anna's Hummingbird perched in repose one second gone the next in a flash of glittery flight |
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| Heron and Ducks nothing much going on except everything in their aquatic world |
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| Snowy Egret Adept stalker of the marshes Patience rewards the hungry hunter |
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| Belted Kingfisher gracefully darting here and there expertly diving from your perch to haul in your catch of the moment |
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| American Pipit ground feeder seed eater a new bird for me today |
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| Ducks and Shorebirds congregating amassing in avian conviviality |
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| Cormorant often flamboyant beautiful diver and swimmer |
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| Snowy Egret in never-ending search for sustenance |
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| Avocets peacefully feeding in beautiful scene |
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| Common Goldeneye nothing common about this little lovely |
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| Osprey prey is part of the name of this powerful raptor keenly aware of his environment and surroundings |
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| Gambolin' Man birding at the Bulb always on the lookout eyeballs peeled to make a connection to experience the mystery to feel in the magic to revel in the majesty of every miracle large and small magnificent and minute |
Read more bird-related essays
from Gambolin' Man's bird blog
about Albany Bulb & the San Francisco Bay shoreline:
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| Northern Pintail first sighting at Albany Bulb |
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| White-tailed Kite checking on mate |
Check out Gambolin' Man's FLICKR albums
on hundreds of BULB landscape, art and birding scenes:
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| San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais viewed from the Bulb |
Take your choice of 46 live-action videos
of various birding & outdoor adventure scenes
from Albany Bulb & shoreline areas:
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| Cross-legged Whimbrel |
