Shollenberger Park

Just down the street, and I hadn’t been there until Monday.  Shollenberger Park is a wetlands area off the Petaluma river.  A 2.2 mile gravel walking loop goes around the park, which features views of the river, the ponds, and the tidal mudflats.  Pets are allowed on leash, and the path is flat, so it seemed like a great place to get some sunshine and try to recharge our batteries after an exhausting (but fun!) trip Sunday.

Cay and Cinnamon entering the park

The sun was shining, the various birds were calling out in their distinct voices, and there was a gentle breeze.  I never understand people who come to these parks with their noses in their phones and headphones on. Seems to defeat the purpose.

For me, it was just about all the birds (even though I’m not much of a birder) and just having a connection with nature.  For Cinnamon, it seemed to be mostly just about hanging with us in a new place with new smells, at least for the first mile to mile and a half, then it became about finding resting places and wanting to not walk any farther.

I took a lot  of photos, but my big plan was to get a really good photo of a redwing blackbird, since I have such fond memories of them in the wetlands back in Western New York, and seeing them again in Albuquerque at Tingley, and seeing and hearing them so frequently here just makes my day.

Of course there were plenty of other birds and sights to photograph:

ducks, loons and swans on the pond

one of the swans

a great egret in the marsh

black-necked stilt in the marsh

Canadian goose and black-neck stilts

a view across the Petaluma River

one of the resting areas, apparently a favorite of the local birds

looking out over the mudflats

There is, at about the half way point, an overlook to the river.

There was a fun view of some old boats moored on the opposite side, as well as a lot of swallows diving along the muddy underside gathering materials for their nests.

I learned pretty quickly that it was difficult to photograph the darting birds, and turned to the stationary boats.

swallows

across the river

Shollenberger seems like a fun place to walk if you’re just walking for the sake of walking, or if you’re really into birds, it seems like a place you can see a few different species.  We also saw a scrub jay, but I’ve been to wetlands with a greater variety, so I’m not sure this is a place I’ll return to this summer.   It’s an easy walk, and relaxing, so I may find myself returning in winter, when my arthritis forbids more challenging walks.