The San Leandro Bay and Creek lies between the southeast end of Alameda Island, Oakland's Estuary, and Bay Farm Island, a delusive island built of a garbage mound (Mt. Trashmore) and punctuated with canals to drain the potential slush away from multi-million dollar super-suburban homes and back into the San Francisco Bay. A far cry from the original usage of residential farm tracts (landfill makes great fertilizer?) Current parks and rec map here, map of use in 1942.
A few months ago I took Jessica here to share one of my favorite sitting-and-staring spots around, the Damon Marsh. It is rich with water birds, including American White Pelicans, California Clapper Rails, ducks, cormorants, herons, and more species than I can name. The first time I came I sat on a rock reading Across the River and Into the Trees and after twenty minutes was almost stranded on my rock as the tides rose. So, I moved and sat next to a white heron fishing patiently for another twenty minutes before I was nearly drowned again. The bird flew away. Beware of tidal pooling.
Photos from Jessica but more on my flickr here.
A few months ago I took Jessica here to share one of my favorite sitting-and-staring spots around, the Damon Marsh. It is rich with water birds, including American White Pelicans, California Clapper Rails, ducks, cormorants, herons, and more species than I can name. The first time I came I sat on a rock reading Across the River and Into the Trees and after twenty minutes was almost stranded on my rock as the tides rose. So, I moved and sat next to a white heron fishing patiently for another twenty minutes before I was nearly drowned again. The bird flew away. Beware of tidal pooling.
Photos from Jessica but more on my flickr here.
