Whenever a trip to Clear Lake has us staying in Nice (same pronunciation as the city in France!) one of the first things I like to do is take a stroll along Lakeshore Boulevard with my camera, preferably in the morning. Despite its rather grand name, this street is a narrow side lane without markings or sidewalk; I normally see very little traffic along this particular stretch. There are some wonderful old shade trees, and the views across the lake are obstructed only by a few small houses, some with their own tiny launch ramps. On our March visit, the tree swallows and sparrows were feasting on Mayflies, so there was plenty of bird activity — although I finally had to give up on my attempts to catch the swallows in mid air.

American Coots in a grooming session

House sparrow

Mayflies were everywhere

Common merganser (female)

Western fence lizard 

Common goldeneye

My best shots of the Tree swallows were from below

Song sparrow

Looks like someone has grown a brand new tail