Hayward Regional Shoreline

Yesterday we visited Hayward, CA. It's the first time I've been to the East Bay except driving through to get somewhere else. Based on my limited viewing, Hayward seems very bright and dry. I coated myself in sunscreen; there was no shade anywhere.

The view along the bay is very nice.

You can see San Francisco in the distance.

This brown pelican made some very dramatic dives while fishing.

The key attraction was the marshes, which both snowy and great egrets enjoy.

Below is a great egret in the marsh. You can see that he has a pretty large area to fish.

I love all the colors in the brush.

This egret is fishing in the shallow end.

Great egrets are so incredibly graceful when they fly.

This snowy egret was sitting on the side, all hunkered down.

Something caught his attention and he fully extended his neck. It's amazing how much of it he can tuck into his chest.

At one point a great egret and a snowy egret were fishing the same marsh. I was really excited to get a picture that shows their size difference.

The great egret is almost twice as tall as the snowy egret.

Behind the marsh was dry grasslands. The grass attracted goldfinches, black phoebes, house finches, and some little guys that were either flycatchers or bushtits. They were too shy to get a clear picture.

I could have listened to the birds chirping all day. I really love the noises of bird communities. The wildlife refuge is a very nice place to spend an afternoon.