After a long day's flight to San Francisco, I caught the hotel shuttle, checked in, and went early to bed. Next morning, I had an early breakfast, left my luggage in the hotel's care for a bit, and walked along the San Francisco Bay Trail back to the airport to pick up my rental car. First bird that foggy, grey but mild morning was a once aptly named "Grey Plover", officially known by its equally apt breeding season name: Black-bellied Plover. The tide was in, so the few birds remaining near the trail were very near indeed, perched on rocks or bits of rubble right up by the low sea wall.
