I know what it feels like...

 

On my way back from the post office this afternoon, I stopped to watch a flock of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) feeding in Bodega Harbor.  One of the pelicans looked a little funny.  Did you notice it, too?

The pelican on the far right had a piece of sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) draped over its head.  It probably just got stuck there while the pelican was fishing.  But it made me laugh because I know what it feels like to have sea lettuce on your face!  While pulling lobster traps when we were young, sometimes my sister and I would have sea lettuce "fights."  It's the perfect seaweed for it, because the thin, transparent sheets mold right to your face.

What do coots eat?

Sometimes an observation reminds me how easy it is not to ask questions about what's around us.  I've seen American Coots (Fulica americana) frequently in Bodega Harbor, but I hadn't stopped to wonder what they might be eating.  

On 28 January I was watching shorebirds through a spotting scope and heard some unusual sounds — splashing, chuckling, slurping.  I looked up to see a large group of coots in a nearby tidal channel.  I took the photos below to try to see what they were eating (click on the pictures to see larger versions):

 

 

 

The first photo shows bright green pieces of sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) in their bills.  The coots then moved further upstream into a deeper part of the channel.  They became very active, leaping out of the water and diving beneath the surface (second photo).  When they emerged they had long green ribbons of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in their bills (third photo).

I don't know what else coots might be eating in this area (do you?), but these photos document at least two species that make up a portion of their diet on Bodega Head.