Walking Distance: 5 miles (estimate)
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 30 min. (1:55 - 4:25 p.m.)
Starting Point: John F. McInnis County Park, parking lot
Today's walk was on unpaved, packed dirt trails in and around John F. McInnis County Park, and included a great bird-watching area -- Las Gallinas Ponds (adjacent to the park and part of Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District).
I started this walk by walking out toward Bay on unpaved trail. I stopped to walk out to a small pier (launching area for kayaks?), and then walked along the trail along the water that was part of the McInnis Park Wetland Preserve, according to a sign I passed.
The trail furthest out by the bay was adjacent to a large area of patchy, but healthy looking marsh grasses. I watched a great blue heron, a kite (bird), and some other birds of prey out in baylands either staring into the grasses intently (hunting) or making sudden grabs at tiny, unseen items (food).
Eventually I headed back toward the hills (inland) and looped back round to Las Gallinas (Wildlife) Ponds. I walked around first two ponds, (was some construction going on, and it was getting late, so turned around). I enjoyed watching ducks, white pelicans, cormorants, hawks, and several red-headed mergansers -- who were squawking at each other on a log. I thought one of the mergansers should be called Lucille Ball (a red-headed comedienne and TV star in the 1900s) for his/her antics.
I then had to find way back to my car in McInnis Park without going through the golf course (i.e. I didn't want to walk all the way out into the Baylands again, and thought I could cut through the park. However, I found myself walking up a hill via a narrow dirt path, and eventually climbing up and over the top of the hill (where there was a nice view) to a skate park and a road, that I followed back down again toward playing fields and the parking lot where my car was, near park entrance. Alls well that ends well.
Wildlife Sightings:
51 LBJs/brown sparrows; 3 great egrets, 3 snowy egrets; 1 crow; 142 RWBs / Blackbirds; 3 birds of prey -- 1 kite and 1 larger red-tailed hawk at ponds; 3 great blue herons; 36 Canada Geese; 173 ducks; 4 black-crowned night herons; 35 sea gulls; 2 white pelicans; 6 mergansers; 7 cormorants; 7 black birds with long-black tails flying over ponds late in afternoon; 10 swifts or swallows (not the orange and blue kind); 3 balls (1 golf ball); 3 grebes; 4 coots
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCZqU5HkmdjzywWPc6dUzqP2qOBIyo_SwRUbRkSPzKC-XrKOVNWodDVXSxncNh1CEzHLBeSFNfmjgKCVaU_TBTobFDhzQ_Uzk9bTVVIypEK8YQeJlK4MCK2Ca2MbXbJRUaKCUdkQyWxOC/s1600/LasGallinas.HawkOnPoleZoomdIn.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx4jfy0T7R9RaKaxf0bVRqAJc4CsvqLgKjymYPQmpUGq8gVF3FmzQ3ma4FpgFPi7nqOD4CGJncBzhAsB0AszftudXl2GJcJuruTBkZ-VHVY_Vstmcgj5MQ-lmzqI8RJ7Cd1htXPh5N8ch/s1600/LasGallinas.Pond.Grasses.LongShot.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pERLxgMzSFT3iZV6jgZPY-fTNECPJhbrJl5paX7uOLv8MCcjBkDHXjRqf7gEM8nCPClH0QSIbk-jkaZzBzW5aYgLvkfBJ0Nho-f7UQLI14LrcDrqZuAnJshF8Mjk9uEsepwebIb4tnFj/s1600/LasGallinas.BlackWhiteDucksInH20.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0_qUnKi2kQjbz121wLRFFaKn-Xv52NjLk0GgGc4SJuQmwF6yTthXY9nJwdsc9My49JrDfZfpdmjSNXP3AvUFN51J-niS1_j4a7-F94GQx9Ko-FJqh8LrpnK57WvhpII35E8RCnaxoevk/s1600/LasGallinas.RTHawkGrassH20.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAC5KO1s9Sc5H0Pkrx3nNanpiGkQPKYigb5B9B_ZmcTCWDWK7JadKBEqKJyi44lF75e1qJBqA8OZHdWUDvM_wqptFXRnq7rgTUfisJwF0evYjiQWEOCUDb_DUA2KMYWBgNeFLtJZEbq2K/s1600/McInnisPark.LBJonRock.BlueSky.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD02jR24j_moYwRzMRoL33ptLj1KCIMddw1HHXGfkoKF9Nwpif7DzV-eGpdn7DveR1e3Cat_nJ9UKmrp9iX51P_n2tGdSHc1kOvhYxlxQQPjkGrZUvP7fNjUlAGyHE65XWjkPh_aN5CrOA/s1600/McInnisPark.UpAHill.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhHgQOTs_K_xAvP1vEdN1iS9tWq1Are3rzRWHS5RuikX51d5EoKknDFZnYeAPxclCHTxW27nQf6a6jQaUU6XsiZ6H37AP_IVXbiFSV11vcg2YjGJUP4u9eR6KI2m90AI_2q5RoA8ox41g/s1600/McInnisPark.SunsetGlowTrees.12.11.13.600.jpg)
Walking Time: 2 hrs., 30 min. (1:55 - 4:25 p.m.)
Starting Point: John F. McInnis County Park, parking lot
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiIC9c5or9iYnD95nF9erthMYbe5TmKFPrELtdAc67U5Vhqc7zw0BJwuC1mvASWR2FEtW0v4eQ5EeBu7FnyynCpxe-xg0aHc-1CNcgA-MuKc_NEQz93DuomY9DUNZtBg1gilGF3IOLTUr/s1600/McInnisPark.PierCreekView.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_8oY-O8GzSKXP9RWbeqlkugDJ8pQPiXQRuUyNC0tqFW4FRMSMg-MeZVJ-1ASKMzybue_CKjgEUcTfOyHpfdn_4_jU5pcQaAetCdSUpY-w7xGm2BfX09Ixq9mMx8tBZDVT306bz2vm6Zm/s1600/McInnisPark.TrailtoBay.12.11.13.600.jpg)
The trail furthest out by the bay was adjacent to a large area of patchy, but healthy looking marsh grasses. I watched a great blue heron, a kite (bird), and some other birds of prey out in baylands either staring into the grasses intently (hunting) or making sudden grabs at tiny, unseen items (food).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ0lD2uMM1mEV8iBwZhUHrEJPkult3EnGtJoqj6U3_P0hg1WXb5Isu-zUUuDwtzPtKZupdspxHxGkjrkLqP0IMOaNjavWDeGK-LwXFwBY5Q8t2YvKitzUj5I33FvYt2r6NLoYVrVWHto7/s1600/McInnisPark.BaylandGrasses.Hills.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKcZQ7Xz4NKnY95KE7Zz10iXxtXSkYlmPJ7O05j9jPkPG2zkO92fQAqw-fOuDA4Q_rcn1tK2xRi2LHzgKt-c2WzA76G6_8KP8Aui0AQHzixCPFqOWc_P3yyvtDLLM1JfitFbJ2oEmrJ88/s1600/McInnisPark.EgretFluffingInMud.12.11.13.600.jpg)
Wildlife Sightings:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheumb8ulw5oO8XJyo9xSLJhclKNb90RZLjIBj6rLJQXHQqwfX_B_oXajicTXKNWMLcC-lHafvIkHAN2YCH_bF4vLqqinyFuEns39lagtZb6mXW2BJiQ8m07Ox6VQP5KuswC5nnsUIpWOb5/s1600/McInnisPark.GBH.Bay.DrtTrail.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCZqU5HkmdjzywWPc6dUzqP2qOBIyo_SwRUbRkSPzKC-XrKOVNWodDVXSxncNh1CEzHLBeSFNfmjgKCVaU_TBTobFDhzQ_Uzk9bTVVIypEK8YQeJlK4MCK2Ca2MbXbJRUaKCUdkQyWxOC/s1600/LasGallinas.HawkOnPoleZoomdIn.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx4jfy0T7R9RaKaxf0bVRqAJc4CsvqLgKjymYPQmpUGq8gVF3FmzQ3ma4FpgFPi7nqOD4CGJncBzhAsB0AszftudXl2GJcJuruTBkZ-VHVY_Vstmcgj5MQ-lmzqI8RJ7Cd1htXPh5N8ch/s1600/LasGallinas.Pond.Grasses.LongShot.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pERLxgMzSFT3iZV6jgZPY-fTNECPJhbrJl5paX7uOLv8MCcjBkDHXjRqf7gEM8nCPClH0QSIbk-jkaZzBzW5aYgLvkfBJ0Nho-f7UQLI14LrcDrqZuAnJshF8Mjk9uEsepwebIb4tnFj/s1600/LasGallinas.BlackWhiteDucksInH20.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0_qUnKi2kQjbz121wLRFFaKn-Xv52NjLk0GgGc4SJuQmwF6yTthXY9nJwdsc9My49JrDfZfpdmjSNXP3AvUFN51J-niS1_j4a7-F94GQx9Ko-FJqh8LrpnK57WvhpII35E8RCnaxoevk/s1600/LasGallinas.RTHawkGrassH20.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAC5KO1s9Sc5H0Pkrx3nNanpiGkQPKYigb5B9B_ZmcTCWDWK7JadKBEqKJyi44lF75e1qJBqA8OZHdWUDvM_wqptFXRnq7rgTUfisJwF0evYjiQWEOCUDb_DUA2KMYWBgNeFLtJZEbq2K/s1600/McInnisPark.LBJonRock.BlueSky.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD02jR24j_moYwRzMRoL33ptLj1KCIMddw1HHXGfkoKF9Nwpif7DzV-eGpdn7DveR1e3Cat_nJ9UKmrp9iX51P_n2tGdSHc1kOvhYxlxQQPjkGrZUvP7fNjUlAGyHE65XWjkPh_aN5CrOA/s1600/McInnisPark.UpAHill.12.11.13.600.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhHgQOTs_K_xAvP1vEdN1iS9tWq1Are3rzRWHS5RuikX51d5EoKknDFZnYeAPxclCHTxW27nQf6a6jQaUU6XsiZ6H37AP_IVXbiFSV11vcg2YjGJUP4u9eR6KI2m90AI_2q5RoA8ox41g/s1600/McInnisPark.SunsetGlowTrees.12.11.13.600.jpg)