Taking the long way home

This is the Seal Slough, about half a mile inland from Mariner's Point. I walk here a lot.  There are office buildings, condos, and several major highways nearby, but this stretch is quiet and the birds love it. Coots are the mainstays, but gulls, loons, and egrets frequently drop by as well.  I've even seen stilts, dropping in from their migratory travels.  Currently there are some mallards in the neighborhood, including two that have gone rogue and splash around in a fountain in front of a nearby office building.  This is also one of the few places where you can see the endangered California clapper rail, although it is several miles from the nearest breeding ground in Belmont.

The area is technically a park, but there's rarely anyone here.  A good secret.