Night Heron

There were four herons in a tree on the sunny side of Lake Ralphine this morning. Three of them took off when they got wind of Ozzie, but this one didn't seem to notice us. He remained motionless while I crept up on him to take this picture. Too bad I was shooting directly into the sun…although it was undoubtedly why he was reluctant to leave….

For some reason it is always windy next to railroad tracks. There is a shopping area, rather unimaginatively known as 'Fourth Street" in Berkeley, that is right next to the Amtrak rails. If the wind blowing off the bay doesn't blow you off your feet, the sound of the horn blasting as the trains pass will. We could hear the blast from our house four miles away.

A fence has been built next to the tracks by the Flying Goat to 'educate' people to the fact that there will eventually be trains on it. We were late enough today that the sun had cleared the building and was shining on one of the four outside tables where we can sit with Ozzie. This morning a biting little wind neutralized the warming effects of the sun and our Aztek Mochas so we didn't linger long. These tracks are not close to any body of water but a wind tunnel of sorts is created between the industrial buildings on either side.

We took Ozzie over to Western Farm Supply near the Flying Goat to fit him out with a 'martingale collar' and a short lead in hopes of preventing another lead mishap as he wanders back and forth across the pavement.. We rarely put him on a lead in the parks in the Berkeley Hills where we always walked, so he never did learn very good trail manners. 

Western Farm Supply carries everything from baled hay to live chickens and 50 kinds of dog food…not to mention horse, goat and pig food. Dogs are welcome inside, but for Ozzie, the open bins of dog treats, pigs' ears,and  bones are hugely tempting. Treats are kept by the cash registers and handed out liberally. We were behind a woman with a large white dog who refused her treat. Not so Ozzie who put his paws up on the counter for his…and hers. I'll put his new gear to the test tomorrow.