A Day For Ducks

More rain poured down over the bay area this weekend. Fourteen inches so far this season, which is almost up to normal, though not enough to erase the drought conditions. I ventured out in my new rain boots on Sunday for little walk around the neighborhood. The grassy area near the estuary was somewhat flooded and the geese, gulls and ducks congregated there. The wigeons hang out with the mallards, I wonder if they're becoming more common I don't remember seeing so many around the shore other years. There's also a few hybrid ducks of some sort that look really freaky. I think they're some sort of farm duck crossed with mallard. They are a large, upright bird with some white parts combined with dark splotches and one has a green head. It's sort of an ugly combination, and really looks like no duck should. I've seen one of them before but yesterday there were several in a group with the mallards. The mallards seem to accept them so I guess I must too.

On another note there have been less surf scoters around this year, one article I read speculated this may be due to the Cosco Busan incident spilling oil into the bay over a year ago.