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I decided to add a few hills to my ride since I did not have much time to do distance. I rode over the little hill near my house and headed down the road towards the race track.

I headed north to hook up with the Bay Trail. The afternoon sun seemed to be quickly slipping away.
Even the ground squirrels were out trying to capture every bit of sun remaining.

I headed north towards the little village of Pt. Richmond. Along the way, I passed through the wetlands which is part of a wildlife habitat for birds. There were Egrets, Herons and Pelicans fishing along the little canals and in the bay.


There was even a flock of wild turkeys wandering around a side street in Pt. Richmond!

Besides feral turkeys running wild in the streets, Pt. Richmond has its share of steep hills. I cycled up one particularly steep slope and used my camera as an excuse to stop and catch my breath.

Back on the Bay Trail, I stopped by the old Ford production plant to take in a view of Brooks Island. There are several islands in the Bay that are actually public parks. It is possible to visit Brooks Island but only by reservation. Visits to the island are very tightly controlled and visitors must be accompanied by the resident rangers while there. My thoughts about visiting the island were short lived as I realized that I had only one small light with me. I had to rush back home if I did not want to be stuck riding in the dark.

On the way back, I came across a Blue Heron fishing in one of the canals. It was wary of me but would not give up fishing. I stopped and took a few photographs of the enormous bird before resuming my rush to beat the setting sun.

Love the shots of the wild turkeys. Ours here are very wary birds who won't normally let you get withing a half mile of them before they're gone. As usual, you have a way of making the city, much less "city like" in your photos. A very enjoyable read. I'm glad to read that I'm not the only one to use my camera ("just taking pictures here") to catch my breath on a hill.

Nice, TL. The Bay area has lots of good scenery. The ground squirrels look cute in your pic, but they are not welcome here. They burrow into the river levee.

Way to go TL!! Getting off the couch especially later in the day is always a good test of will power and it looks like you were rewarded with some beautiful shots of local bird watching! I also liked the turkey pictures. I would need a couple of those skinny wild ones to feed all of my boys! I have seen pictures of wild turkeys in the Estes Valley but have never gotten to see them myself.
What a great way to spend the last few hours of daylight, thanks for sharing with us!
BTW, the camera is "essential" equipment so you can still look "cool" while gasping for air while going up or at the top of a hill!
Jim

Hey there kiddo! Great photo work, as usual!

Now that is how I like my turkeys.....wild and free and alive.

I am working tomorrow, as Thursday is always a scheduled day for me, but I would have volunteered as all the rest of the staff members have family either living close by, or under the same roof, unlike me.

Very quiet here in the MHP today, so I think I am going to clean out a storage closet, or quite literall vacuum out the silica sand dust that is settled on everything in there over the past few windstorms. that silica dust can find its way through microscopic cracks.....just a mess.

Anyhow, keep up the great stories and photo shoots.

Love and peace for the holiday weekend
Beej