Cottontails on both coasts

Traveling around America, one of the things we notice is the differences in the flora and fauna in the different regions.  We were on Long Island in New York a few weeks ago and saw cardinals in a bird bath, a very interesting bird that is never seen in our Bay Area backyard.  We also saw robins as we do here, but they seemed to be bigger and fatter there.  Maybe there are more worms?

We were walking down a trail at Montauk point--the farthest east point of Long Island--when up ahead we saw a couple of cottontail rabbits.  Those critters we do see frequently. We did not get a good picture of them in NY, but here are a few photos of some we saw in the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) watershed near Upper San Leandro Reservoir.  We took those pictures a couple months ago and I have been waiting for an excuse to get them up on this blog.

On that same Long Island hike we were happy to see some bright orange orioles, another bird we don't see here.   And we got bit by no-see-ums, which, thankfully, we don't have out west!