And now for something completely different...

I think these guys are playing bones, but I honestly don't remember.  Dominoes are very popular in Puerto Rico.

Lucky Shot

I saved this shot to post last so that it could be at the top.  This was honestly just very lucky timing as my crane got spooked and wanted to fly farther away from me.  The picture is a bit overexposed due to the time of day (bad, bright, mid-day lighting), but I love the water rolling off the bird's feet and the arc of the wings just beginning flight.

At water's edge

A white crane... well, cranes it's head to see what goodies there are at the water's edge.  Around 2 in the afternoon.

Bath Time

In the hot mid-day sun, a few of the sandpipers start bathing themselves in, what I have to admit, is pretty unappealing water.

The Swamp

There are quite a few benefits to living in a place as beautiful as Mill Valley.  And living close to the bay, where the bird sanctuary is, also has it's advantages.  One major disadvantage: it stinks like a swamp when the water is this low!  This picture was taken around 10:30 in the morning, with very bright clear skies.

The Cold Shoulder

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get this cormorant to look at me!  What do you think of the patterns on the water though, isn't it kind of cool?

Spring means babies

These aren't sparrows; they're just tiny little sandpipers who have yet to grow their trademark beaks.  The adults don't seem to be too afraid for the babies, who blend right in with the mud and apparently don't have too much trouble with the turkey vultures and red-tailed hawks circling above.

Family Reunion

A large group of sandpipers (these ones really are sandpipers, unlike the black and white bird I posted on earlier).  I am not sure if they stick only with their families, but I have noticed that sandpipers hang out in several different cliques in the stream and the bay.  This picture was taken around 10 am on a very bright day.

Mother Goose

The Canadian Geese have recently returned to Mill Valley, and are already wrecking havoc on Tamalpais high school's football field by messing up the grass.  Personally, I love seeing them around.  This talkative girl kept honking at me for a while even after I stopped taking her picture.

A Watchful Eye

A white egret keeps a watchful eye on me as I creep ever closer.  It was nearly impossible not to overexpose the bird's paper-white feathers with my little point-and-shoot camera.  Taken about mid-day, with full sun not quite directly overhead.

The 'hood

This is just one of many views of the 'hood near where I live.  The water is low, this picture was taken around 11 in the morning, during the full moon cycle.  Many times the areas where you see mud and even plants are simply covered in water.

The Groupies

A group of seagulls hangs out in the water. They kept getting up and flying around in a circle and then settling back down. I don't know why they all decided to face the same direction, but I thought they looked cute hanging out.

Holes in the Mud

The mud where the water has receded is extremely sticky and goopy, almost like quicksand. There are endless numbers of holes in the ground, which I think are a mixture of worm holes, holes caused by air bubbles escaping, and holes poked by the birds looking for subterranean goodies.

Little birdies

There are a number of waterfowl that call the stream home. I don't know what this one is called, and although I know it's not a sandpiper (because those are brown), I tend to call these sandpipers anyway. They have just recently returned from their winter absence, and busily pluck worms from the mud from early morning until about sunset.

The beginning of the photo stream (pun intended)

So there's this creek that runs through Tennessee Valley out to Alexander Bay. It's pretty close to my house, and what's strange about it is that it's really just a skinny extension of the bay itself. The water flows in either direction, depending on the tide. Sometimes it's nothing but mud, and sometimes the water gets so high that it floods the whole neighborhood. I've noticed that both extremes happen during a full moon cycle, so hopefully I'll catch that in the next couple of days...

Catching Up

Insane catch-up work now needed! Expect an enormous photo explosion on my Cat is the New Dog Blog tomorrow...