I expect fewer sightings like these as summer comes to a close.
Category: Birds
Welcome, birds!
I found this tree the other day. What fun! And I was equally impressed when I walked up to photograph it. The air was filled with birdsong.
Then I noticed that those weren’t the only houses nestled along the edge of the property.
Many of the trees had houses nestled in their branches here and there. And most of them looked like they were well used.
The flock
We came across this flock of California quail (Callipela californica) feeding along the trial last Saturday. I’m posting this not because I think it’s a particularly nice photo but because I was impressed at how many of them there were. I understand that in prolific breeding years quail can have two broods with up to 20 eggs per clutch. I count 29 here, a covey of multiple families.
Fox sparrow
I’ve been hearing some beautiful birdsong now that it’s warm enough to leave our windows open. I finally traced one particularly nice song to the fox sparrow (passerella iliaca). One down, two or three dozen more to go. No complaints there. It’s some of the best music available.
Lunch at the honeysuckle cafe
Here’s a hummingbird as it worked its way through lunch. Hummers are fascinating birds. Their wings move in a figure eight motion which allows them to move forward, backward, sideways, up and down. They can even fly upside down for short distances.
Hummingbirds have a heart rate that can be as high as 1,250 beats per minute while they fly and forage. At rest it can slow to 250 beats per minute. To conserve their energy reserves they can lower their body temperature to 55 degrees F (13C) and their heartcan slow down to 50 beats per minute.
Make way for ducklings
This is a view I caught recently in my backyard.
Independence Day
Today is Independence Day in the U.S.
The bald eagle was chosen in 1782 as the symbol of our new nation, though not without some controversy. Benjamin Franklin felt eagles were birds of “bad moral character” because they rob food from other birds. Franklin felt the turkey a brave and more respectable candidate. His loss was our gain. After all, what would people in the U.S. eat on Thanksgiving Day? Certainly not our national bird!
Be safe and sane if you’re celebrating Independence Day. I’m of a mind to grill a turkey burger.