The Joy of Bay Mud

The California gold rush brought a surge in population to the state and they demanded to be fed. First to go were most of the Tule Elk and many of the deer. When the wild game ran low they turned to raising and importing livestock. This led to a huge market for hay to feed the livestock. What better areas to grow hay than the tidal flats surrounding San Francisco Bay. Many areas around the bay were diked off and put into production for growing hay. Luckily for us today the Tule Elk are on the rebound and there are conservation efforts both underway and many already completed to return many agricultural areas around the bay back to tidal flats that are open to the free flowing waters of the bay. These areas are both rich in marine and bird life and contribute to the overall health of San Francisco Bay. Today on the way back from Oakland we stopped next to one of the recovery projects off of Highway 37 next to the bay. There were literally thousands of shorebirds feeding in the reclaimed tidal flats. I had my camera with me but I had only a short lens with me so the birds were too far away to photograph. I photographed the rich bay mud next to the parking lot instead. Oh the joys of bay mud! God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon EF 17-85mm lens.