Along the shoreline

A few more photos from Abbotts Lagoon on 24 November 2017:

 

Mixed flock of shorebirds (including Sanderling, Dunlin, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, and Long-billed Dowitcher)

 

Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) blending in with the Jaumea (Jaumea carnosa) and Spike Grass (Distichlis spicata)

 

American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)

 

Greenish-blue below

When I arrived at the beach at the end of the Abbotts Lagoon trail yesterday, I overheard a family talking about a snake.

Intrigued, I went over to take a look.  It was a beautiful California Red-sided Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis)!

Sometimes this species has a wonderful greenish-blue coloration below:

 

Here it is pushing off the sand:

 

And one more — a close-up of the markings:

 

 Many thanks to the family for sharing their colorful discovery!

ADDENDUM (26 November 2017): P.S.  Eric and I were debating about the color of the underside of the snake.  We discussed turquoise and teal green, but neither of them seemed right.  Then Eric sampled the actual color of the snake in Photoshop, and we tried to find the closest match with a Pantone color (see photo below).  We didn't find an exact match, but we found that Pantone 345 was closer to the snake than either turquoise or teal (although it still needs to be a bit grayer).  Pantone 345 doesn't seem to have a name, so I guess it's up to us to make one up.  What would you call it?  :)

   

At the lagoon

After visiting Tom Killion's open studio this morning, I took a short walk at Abbotts Lagoon.

Four Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) were visible on the west side of the lagoon (close to the beach).  They were distant, but I managed a few pictures for the record:

 

 

 

It was also nice to see a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) along the trail:

 

 I'll share a few more highlights soon!

A visitor from East Asia

On 18 October 2016, a Lesser Sand-Plover (Charadrius mongolus) was discovered at Point Reyes.  I couldn't help it — I went to see it today.  I hadn't seen this species before and Point Reyes is so close!  There are only about 12 records for Lesser Sand-Plover in California, making it a very rare vagrant to this area.

Their former name — Mongolian Plover — hints at where they're usually found.  They breed in northeast Asia (e.g., examples of breeding sites include eastern Siberia, southern Mongolia, western China, the Himalayas) and winter from the Philippines to Australia.  Needless to say, this bird has strayed quite far from its normal range.

In the pictures below, look for the overall brownish coloration above, the dark markings around the eye, and the pale buffy coloration on the forehead and face (and faintly on the breast).

These photos were taken this afternoon, 23 October 2016 (about 1-hour walk north of the North Beach parking lot on the outer beach of Point Reyes):

 

 

 

 

In the image below, look for both the Lesser Sand-Plover and the Snowy Plover.  Note the Snowy Plover is smaller and paler gray:

 

 

(The Lesser Sand-Plover is on the far right; the Snowy Plover is on the far left.) 

And one more:

 

Good night!

Afternoon reflections

 

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), Abbotts Lagoon, 27 November 2015