Huntington Beach SP

Super long post...
As promised from my last post here is the rack I purchased, if I had to review it for the money it's perfect,.it's not the best made one, and it's not the best quality, but for the price it's just right...

It's really simple after you put it together, mount it via the 2 inch trailer hitch receiver, it will hold 2 bikes, what I really like is the way it folds down out of the way so I can get into the cargo area without removing the bike...Its a bit annoying to put the pin back in with the weight of the bike on it but it's manageable. Here I did have the bike off but you can lower the rack with the bike on too...the gear shifter I replaced is working well...

So feeling confident that the bike wont fall off I took a 2.5 hr drive to the coast to try out my theory...to pedal the 2 mile beach walk...OK here is where human error comes into play...I got a late start and arrived at high tide...10:30 AM so I had some difficulty finding hard packed sand on the ride IN...Because the fishermen set up all down the beach...and I would have to steer behind them in the loose sand,  or risk being tangled up in their lines, if I go in front of them so I didn't consider that either.  I pedaled in and out of them till I came to the service road. Its about 1/3 the way down.

Fishermen lined up

I pedaled the  service road the staff use when they take a short cut in their ATV to make rounds, and it was sandy and had sand spurs that  stuck in my tires, did not cause a flat, but gave some worry and the beginning part of that trail was ankle deep sand and I had to push the bike...
So those are the trouble shooting things I ran into,
but once I arrived at the jetty cove area I had a blast. 

Parked the bike and left my backpack on it, and  made my way to the jetty  salt marsh ponds,

 found Semipalmated Plover, Least Tern, Black Bellied Plover, Snowy Egret, Willet, Wilson's Plover with chicks, and two Whimbrel, one took to the air and flew to a pond farther away but one hung out for a photo opt.  

Whimbrel 

The Wilson's Plover with a chick they had 3 chicks altogether

Hiding behind Mom, and Papa made sure I didn't get too close..

I came upon this odd couple they were together  A couple of bachelors maybe...a Sanderling with a Ruddy Turnstone.  Besties

They always remind me of an ice cream sundae...dripping with color

Oh and a couple of Oyster Catchers showed up----> distant view..

The group of Terns had some company with them so I started to try and pick through that to see what's in there...it's like sorting thru straight pins, or needles in haystacks looking for the subtle differences,

The big ones of course the Royal Tern.

Some are ringed I noticed...

Then I found some  Sandwich Terns, with the little yellow tip of the beak and much smaller than the royals 

also some ringed.

And a flying Sandwich...

When I see a Tern in the air, the first thing I look for is the wing tips, the second is leg color and the 3rd is bill color.  BUT where is his legs??? LoL tucked in pretty tight. 

found 2 Common Terns in there as well short reddish legs with a bi-color of red and black beak...A more finely shaped head, one on each side of the big tern preening centerstage...

and this batch had one Black Skimmer trying to hide but he stood out like a sore thumb...
 across the waterway on the opposite bank I could make out a few more skimmers.

No hiding that beak

The little Least Terns are all over the place they have a nesting area roped off for them and it's protected by an electric fence!  ZAPPA.....They make  little wooden tents to give some cover to the eggs, protection from Gulls and others.

According to ebird 100 is way too many TOO F'N BAD...Im so fed up with ebird...

After my trek around the cove end of the Jetty I moved the bike to the Jetty proper and had my lunch break and relaxed for at least an hour...nothing like sitting on hot asphalt just taking in all the recreation  happening around me

the Jetty cove

Fighter Jet, F15, or F18? Sound Barrier was Broken, 

If you like to hang out call    843 357 7777

After the rest....I pedaled to the point where you exit the Jetty to head back, tied up the bike and walked to the other end watched these Ruddy Turnstones hunt on the rocks, 

Then it was time to head back....can you find my bike in this photo?

the ride back was fine, what is normally an hr walk of 2 miles I did in about 20 minutes and that's with photo stops!!   I still don't have my biking legs yet.  Anyways it was more of a challenge that I had wanted but I did not figure in the tide, so the beach was wide open for the return I could easily get behind the fishermen the ones who remained most were gone, 

Sanderlings in the surf

 Jelly Fish  make food for the Black Bellied Plover

And a couple of  Sea Star...
did you know they can grow a new limb if one comes up missing for some "unforeseen" reason? 

I parked before exiting the park and walked along the sides of the Mullet Pond, had more Black Bellied Plover, along with Least Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper along with Semipalmated Plover...

Semi Plover with a long worm...

a Least Sandpiper in the sand...

A black Bellied Plover in a hurry to see what's up over there....

The Semipalmated Sandpiper, 

The word semipalmated refers to a slight amount of webbing between the toes...

and the usual Great Blue Heron

And Yellowlegs, greater 

I was a tired puppy and got home around 8 pm...if not for having  to fed the girls  I would stay over, but they depend on me. 
 I was surprised at how crowded it was people have come out of the woodwork like 

wolf spiders on the the wood pile, hopefully they will return to the mall soon...lol But judging from all the fun they were having, I rather doubt it teehee! 

Till Next time...be safe out there...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

May Day!

I'm happy  to get this week out of the way.  The SHOT I will let  you know later in this post how it went.  

my Earth Day pick up was an entire bag of cans dumped on the road in one spot!  ALL picked up and recycled now! I pick up trash every single time I go out in nature not just Earth Day.  Im tired of  some lazy ass who thinks Nature is a place to trash?? GROW UP!

I had a quiet weekend at home I worked on my bike rack put new straps on it, because a squirrel did a job on it when I had it stored in the old shed....for a cost of $7 I bought strapping replaced it, and it works fine, but I have anxiety with it even tho... I don't want to worry that the strap comes loose and it falls off so after my shot tomorrow I will  see if they have one at Harbor Freight, the website says they do but I will see.  

The Pink Moon from my deck

I did replace the bike front Gear shifter did not make a video because I just didn't want to mess with the camera and I didn't feel like speaking.  Some days I do not speak to another human in fact most days I do not speak to another human, I do talk to the dogs, the birds, the squirrels. 

And even dragonflies, and Im perfectly fine with that...

It took a lot of fine tuning to get the bike to change gears properly...tweaking the high and low screws and making sure the cable was the right length.  What a dinosaur piece of engineering...lol BUT it works.  So I took it out today.  Put it on the rack and hauled it out to Sandhills.  

Perfect day the sun was warm but the humidity is low.  

I had planned to ride thru 2 areas, so I parked and off loaded my bike.  I am having problems with putting my binoculars and camera around my chest like in a sling manner.  They press on my neck I think of poor George Floyd as the pain becomes unbearable...I think I want to find a Velcro attached  tote of some kind, so I can whip it on and off of the front handlebars.  I want something soft but with a foundation I may end up making one myself.,,so a bump can't send my stuff flying,  I want to be able to whip it out fast. 

While getting things ready I heard this....My ears perked up!

And I was so very excited, the Bachman's Sparrow! Not just one but many calling to each other.   I found one close enough to get a photo.  

Bachman's Sparrow

It was nice to hear so many and to know they are flourishing, I hope they have a successful nest season. 

And then off down the trail...Almost immediately there is a tree across the path..

  had to bush whack around that and then eventually I arrived at the back of Pool D. 

SO many birds were singing  A Great Blue Heron took off, along with a Wood Duck, Orchard Orioles were already protecting territory and Eastern Kingbird was really belting out a song!!

"OH I just love Spring Breeding," I think that is what he is singing.   

I parked the bike and went tromping around I scared an Eastern Towhee off her nest...they nest on the ground or in/under a short shrub, I had no clue I was so close to a nest...but once she flushed I moved away. 

 Common Yellow Throat scolded me and stayed mostly hidden...there was a pair. 

Back at the van I moved to a shady spot for lunch this is one of my favorite spots to sit and listen to the pond,,,

I enjoyed listening to Great Crested Flycatcher whistling up high in the pines, and the Frogs calling,.,

A blue Grosbeak showed up to take a quick dip in the pond,.,

I moved the van to the photo blind parking area and rode the bike down to the blind,,,

I didn't expect to see much but I was wrong, the Dutch Iris was in bloom...

I stirred up a couple of Grey Catbirds, they seemed to be defending a nest site as well

And an Osprey sailed in to see what he could find from his perch,  

On the way back I had wanted to pedal the road by the lake but there is no way to get from the Blind to the road with the bike, it's been plowed and where it's not plowed it's briars.   By then it was hot so I made my way back to the van and packed it up for the day.  

The  butterflies love the Spring Thistle

I am enjoying incorporating the exercise of the bike into my nature and bird  outings.  

So I had the shot, it was crowded but they had their process down pat so once my name was called I had the shot then 15 min wait n see they made an appointment for my second dose that will be 3rd week of May. I have my white card with one check mark, and after that I stopped and got the bike rack will have to show it to you when I get it assembled. 


Since I was on that side of the river I went up to the Lake and Dam...

an Imm Bald Eagle soared over the river 

Singing up in the leafy tops was the White Eyed Vireo..

The Cliff Swallows found a couple of mud puddles to help shore up their Adobe Condo's lined up under the edge of the generating station...

Some birds had more luck on solid ground...like the Brown Thrasher...

AND with all the skeeters and gnats we need every Blue Grey Gnatcatcher we can get

A splash of Red is always welcome...

Northern Cardinal...

Wilma sent me on this short cut from the river to the lake, turned out to be a good short cut 

I heard Bob Whites singing, as well as Field Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager and the Prairie Warbler..

and a good thing for me got my FOY Indigo Bunting and the Yellow Breasted Chat...

And he was singing his heart out...I just listened to Joe Biden's address to Congress...a real President laid out a wonderful plan for our future; I only hope the GOP will realize we are  in ALL OF THIS TOGETHER not just the pandemic, but all of it, what holds one down holds us ALL DOWN. The economy will only flourish when we feed it, by giving a decent wage to those who don't get it...that means more spending and more spending means more bottom line GDP.

WiN WiN 

 IF that is not the truth then why did the Republicans  support the TRUMP stimulus? ?????? And tax break to the rich?? ANY break for individuals mean more spending in shops, eateries, and saving for a rainy day so how can giving people more money to spend put a business out of business?? ITS trickle UP people,,,we all know that is how it works, You give me more I spend more then I need more services keeping my new Home up etc...

AND the DEMS supported it also because spending is how our economy works.  THE GOP is the obstruction party they are in a word USELESS to the f this country. Their platform is to keep people down why do you think they don't support the child care portion of the bill?? They think Women should stay home with their kids not go off to work and be independent WHY else would they NOT want to help people with decent child care???? What is the problem with that?? And it's an attempt to keep minorities from having a family and realizing the American Dream. 

Until voters (US) are able to squash this rise of the bigotry and the double talk of the Right, we will get no satisfaction as a Nation. The Right Wing of this nation is the Taliban of the USA!

Hope your week was as interesting as mine was. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.