Lake Ralphine

I could only fit in a single trip to Lake Ralphine/Spring Lake on this visit to Santa Rosa and that was rather later than I usually walk there. We didn’t see quite as many birds there as I’ve usually seen in the past, but I’m not sure if that was because of the time of day or because I’ve seldom visited Santa Rosa in April.

Even if I failed to see a single Acorn Woodpecker, my personal favorite, on this visit Lael and I found lots of other subjects who were too intent on absorbing sun rays to notice us. This might be the biggest turtle I’ve ever seen outside of a zoo, much larger than the turtles we usually see around home.

Right behind him was a Double-Crested Cormorant that seemed nearly as ancient as the turtle.

While I was out trying to sight a Swan or Night Heron, Lael was focusing on the intrepid ground squirrels that scamper the shores of Lake Ralphine

and on a hybrid goose.

I think I took pictures of both on earlier visits, but over time they seem to have faded into the background for me, probably undeservedly.