Located in Pac Heights, Lafayette Park is 11 acres with trees, rolling hills, a playground for kids, and a view of the San Francisco Bay. I was lucky to visit on a cloudy morning with some sprinkling rain, which made for well exposed photos and active birds.
The first birds that I saw were a group of Acorn Woodpeckers at the top of a hill. Acorn Woodpeckers are really chatty when in a group, almost sounding like a group of friends laughing (recordings from All About Birds/Cornell). A few had splotches of pollen on their foreheads and sure enough, I saw them drinking up nectar from a flowering tree. I guess that they have a sweet tooth.
With so many flowers in a popular park, I got some close views of Anna’s Hummingbirds too. As typical, they were guarding their territories and flowers.
After going through photos from the day, I noticed that a hummingbird picked up a tiny insect. I can’t identify what kind it was and I’m guessing that the hummingbird picked it up from a flower. Hopefully not a harmful one!
The tree that I first saw Acorn Woodpeckers in was also popular with other birds. Probably had plentiful bugs and berries to eat. The California Scrub-Jay was a juvenile and still working on adult feathers.
Lastly, a few birds that are regulars to parks. Overall a pretty successful visit to spot birds.
