Chocked full of ducklings

Awww

 Today, I saw a new mom with three very tiny ducklings.

 Mom was very nervous because there was a red-shouldered hawk flying around, watching her.  Her ducklings were very obedient to her calls.

I haven't figured out who the mom is, she might be new.  But, she looks familiar (Update:  I *think* it's Sweetie, Fish Food Mama's daughter.  She knows all about red-shouldered hawks):

Canal Mama with her four ducklings:

Butterscotch with her three ducklings:

Here are five of the ten half-grown ducklings who might be from Fish Food Mama (but, I'm still not sure):

This one came up to me like Indy did:

She was very protective and kept threatening me even when I wasn't very close:

Giving me a "dirty look":

Still protecting:

I saw a pair of black-crowned night herons:

The blue heron was really close to the tiny ducklings.  He stole this fish from a gull:

Here is the disappointed gull:

Later, someone said she saw 12 small ducklings near the first three I saw at the same time I was there, but I didn't see them.

A morning at the lake

I went back to Lake Murray and snapped a few photos:

The mother duck that lost all her ducklings last year is down to three babies, but they're healthier than the babies she had last year at the same age.  It was around the age that these ducklings are that she lost all of them.  Today, though, she led them right toward the heron!  I followed them and the heron disappeared.  I didn't see him leave, but I couldn't find him anywhere.

Then, the mom was being harassed by a few drakes and her ducklings moved head of her.  But, the soon stopped and began calling for her, so she flew over.  I left a few minutes later.  Hopefully the heron was nowhere to be found so that she could deal with the drakes without risking her ducklings to the heron.

These two ducklings seemed to have become good friends.  It's the rouen and a regular mallard duckling:

All the killdeer where out calling and fighting.  I don't know which killdeer this is, but it was arguing with Junior.  I think it's George's son from last year:

Pepper still has his hurt wing, though he seems to be moving it around a little.  He hasn't changed otherwise and was even seen harassing a female duck.

I'm really surprised these guys have survived this long.  They've been at this lake almost exactly one year:

I'm also really surprised to still see ruddy ducks at this lake at this time of year.

I don't know if this female ring-necked duck is ever going to leave, either:

Yesterday, I went to Cabrillo National Monument.  It was a free week with no entry fees.  I saw some pelicans:

And, surprisingly, some California quail, too:

Later, I went to Famosa Slough and saw some stilts:

Shorebirds and missing ducks

This morning at Lake Murray was beautiful with lots of sun.  I started from the north side of the lake.  There was a lady there feeding the geese and duck and noticed that Cinnamon as well as the pekin and Swedish duck were all doing well.  But, no sign of Bossy duck.

On the other side, Pepper, Not Pepper, Buffy and Pepper's family were doing well.  Here's a photo of Pepper with his brother:

Nearby, all the ducks were by where people normally feed them.  However, one of the pekins from that side was missing.  I looked everywhere and could not find him. The two are normally together all the time, so it doesn't look good for the missing duck.  Here is a photo of the remaining one alone with the runner duck and the most recently dumped trio:

I found this new female spoonface today.  She has a spoon on her bill just like Bossy does:

Speaking of spoonbills, here are two real spoonbill (northern shovelers, actually)  females:

Also not seen was Quacker, the flying Cayuga.  This also worries me as I haven't gone a day without seeing her in a long time.  All her friends and adopted family were there but her.  But, it rained recently, so she could have gone somewhere else for a while.  The killdeer were all missing, too, probably for the same reason.  They tend to go missing once we get hard rain.

I also went to Crown Point and saw lots upon lots of shorebirds. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and dark, so the colors were muted:

Black-bellied plovers:

A black-bellied plover and a ruddy turnstone:

Semipalmated plovers and a dunlin:

Shorebirds in general, including marbled godwits:

There were about a hundred plovers all on the sand, too.

Foggy day

This morning was foggy almost all morning. The sun did come out in the afternoon, though.

George, Martha, Killer and Dee were spotted first. They were very vocal and flew around a lot doing their kill-dees over and over. Later, I heard sounds like a killdeer was being attacked by something, but didn't see anything. I'm betting the hawk was nearby, perhaps I was standing under it and they were trying to warn me. When I came through the second time, there were twice as many killdeer, it seems.

George and Martha

Killer and Dee

Unknown

George's daughter

Pepper was there. He is absolutely fascinated with flying birds and loves to watch them. Here he is watching some pigeons flying around behind him. He loves to watch birds fly. I've never seen any bird be as fascinated by seeing others fly than Pepper. However, I have never seen him even attempt to fly himself. I wonder if he knows he can.


Bossy moved to a new location. Here he is:


Here is his ultra-friendly girlfriend:

I also saw Cinnamon:


The grumpy geese:


The juvenile Canada goose:


And, two towhees: