Birding at Golden Gate Park

 Even in the heart of San Francisco we can still find great birds living at Stow Lake. Stow Lake is a great place for walks, picnics, and my favorite place for running because of the dirt paths. But whenever we visit, we always see an abundance of birds drawn to the tourists who (for better or for worse) are constantly feeding them bread. I finally made it out to Stow Lake with my camera, a few weekends ago. The birds are used to people and easy to photograph.

Pied-billed Grebe

 A very photogenic American Coot. They have adorable chicken feet. There are an abundance of these guys at the lake and occasionally waddling onto shore. They make a variety of different croaking and squawking noises. Apparently, they also look really crazy as chicks, with spiky orange feathers, and were hatching in the park. I will have to look out for them in the spring-time!

 

 

There are lots of other water-fowl at the park, including many Mallard ducks. Because there are plenty of pine trees and scrub grasses, there are also many sparrows. One of my favorite birds in the park is the  photogenic and noisy Steller's Jay. Like crows and other corvids, they aren't especially shy but somehow I always find them when I don't have my camera. I had to follow this little guy around a bit to even get a photograph. They are as beautiful as they are raucous birds.