Flamingo! Wait, what? In the Bay Area?

Today I birded Coyote Hills Regional Park and Pacific Commons Linear Park. This was my first trip down to Fremont this year.

One of the oddest birds I saw today was a flamingo. It was far away but you couldn’t miss the bright pink glowing in a sea of black silhouette waterfowl. The first time I spotted this flamingo was in 2016. It’s an escapee and has been living its long life here in the Bay Area. It’s quite a sight to see – but you will need binoculars!

Pacific Commons Linear Park was hopping with birds. We’ve had several days of rain and it seemed like all the birds were rushing out to grab some grub before the next rain arrives. I find that birding right before and after storms often yields a lot of bird activity.

My favorite moment was when a beautiful Barn Owl flew in front us and landed in a nearby tree. I carefully, quietly, and quickly snapped a couple pictures and left it alone so as not to disturb it or draw attention to it. I haven’t seen a Barn Owl in over a year, so it was quite a treat.