The ducklings have grown

Today I ambled across five mallard ducklings with their mother and a small community of adult males and females. They were all sitting on rocks under a footpath on the Bay Trail. Two of the ducklings were occupied with cleaning themselves. I thought it quite amusing as I watched them bump each other around. It didn't look as if the rocks made a very comfortable roosting place for them, but they were making the best of it. A little bit further on there was a pair of mallards swimming along the shore line. When they came to a narrow passage, the male took the lead. I thought it looked quite gallant on the drake's part. Wikipedia notes that the drakes and females do not stay together, but I have seen male-female pairs together on the Bay every time I take a walk. The beautiful color of the drake's head and the lovely purple feathers on the female really catch your eye. I wonder how long before the ducklings begin to take on adult plumage?

Report from the Bay Trail near Sierra Point

Starting out near Veterans Blvd there were quite a few swallows swooping all around. It was high tide and the swallows were gathered together just above the waterline. They were quite energetic. Walking around the slip where the liberty ships were set into the water, there was a lone mallard enjoying the warm weather and light winds. A bit further down I passed six pairs of Canadian geese. They are really big and they totally own the territory they walk on.

But the really big surprise was the manta ray that was patrolling just off the shoreline. I am not sure what he was searching for but it was a riveting experience watching him parallel the shoreline for quite a distance before heading into deeper water. While he swam around you could estimate his size as about three feet from tip to tip as his flaps broke the surface ever so slightly.

The rock squirrels remain uncounted but their tails were going straight up as the ran back and forth over the path at the side of the shoreline. On reaching the parking lot for the Sierra Point Marina, the resident red-tailed hawk took up his perch atop the light standard. He preened nicely displaying his beautiful colors. Walking along the marina there weren't too many remarkable sights. But you could see more boat owners taking the sails out and readying their boats for a voyage. Along the outside wall of the marina there were dozens of pelicans and other waterfowl sitting and enjoying the sights of Oakland across the bay. A beautiful spring day near the city by the bay.