On December 8, 2021, I opted for a little morning birding excursion outside the yard. I drove to the Cap Sante Marina where I found a Common loon preening. Having observed this species on prior occasions I readied my camera for what I knew would come at the end of its preening activity. I wasn’t disappointed. As it began to extend its wings I held down my shutter button, taking more than six frames per second and capturing the bird rising from the water and fully extending its wings. In a few seconds I recorded 20+ images… these are a few of the most interesting… 

After ‘stretching’ the bird began hunting. I tried to follow it as it submerged in the hopes it might resurface with a fish, but it appeared in the far side of a dock. It had to swim only 100 feet to its new location, but I would have to walk a couple of hundred yards to its new location with no assurance it would still be there when I arrived, so my pursuit ended. 

The avian traffic in the yard has been extremely boring lately. We have California quail, chickadees, House finches and several species of sparrows (overwhelmingly Dark-eyed Oregon juncos) and a few other common species but not a lot else. I pass my time in the yard repeatedly photographing some of our regular visitors. 

On December 10, a Ruby-crowned kinglet spent considerable time in the salvia around the watercourse but, frustratingly, I was unable to obtain photos of the bird.  I did photograph this male Anna’s hummingbird… 

and this male Downy woodpecker. 

And finally, news from San Francisco that my sister, who lives in a crowded neighborhood with no significant bird habitat nearby, had a pair of Yellow-rumped warblers come to a small saucer with hulled sunflower seeds earlier this week!