It's baby season. It's murder season. It's Spring Time!
Collage wrap-up: Oriole, Wrentit derp, rattlesnake tail, big baby jay, and flowers photos taken at Inceville. Swallow beat down, nesting Snowy Plover, and Yellow-headed Blackbird photos taken at Malibu Lagoon. Wren in/on the dog poop bag dispenser (check out the legs on lunch!) taken at White Point Nature Reserve Palos Verdes Peninsula. Flying Western Tanager and red flower photos taken at Chilao in the San Gabriel Mountains Angeles Crest. Bushtit in flowers was taken at South Coast Botanic Garden.
Not represented in the collage, the Phainopeplas that have returned to Los Liones Canyon. Are you still awake?
Of all places to find a new bird! Inceville, or as most people would know it, Los Liones Canyon. It's one of our favorite haunts and we are there a few days a week. If we are lucky we beat the BDBs (beer drinking bums) to grab the best table. The brush has been horribly (but perhaps responsibly) hacked back (for fire safety reasons) and the critters have adapted. The rains transformed the drought taupe color of the canyon to verdant green. Now, the green is receding and being rapidly replaced by shades of brown. The migrant sparrows have left us and we miss their sweet songs and magical energy. Our year round birds remain, including the California and Spotted Towhees, Oak Titmice, Wrentits, California Thrashers, California Scrub Jays, MODOs, House Finches, Goldfinches and the non-native parrots. Not a long list and they blend into the dried flowers and drab plants.
Mystery bird moved like a Wrentit.... they are built for "flying" through a tangle of twigs and branches. I catch a glimpse. Yellow? Can't be. I hoist up the camera and fire off one blurry shot. Ca-ching!
I sent the less than optimal photo to my experts. ID confirmed : Female Yellow-breasted Chat. Terrible photo on the second row. Lifer.
It's fun getting a new bird. But the degree of "fun" varies. A bird we've wanted for a long time gets a happy dance. The new bird you discover going through the shots of the day gets a loud sucking inhale and hard stare. Could it be?
As we hike we hear and see the big babies fresh from the nest. They follow the parents and beg to be fed. We have the new edition of jays. Some with a bit of baby gape. One has an endearing cowlick of belly feathers.
Suddenly all the jays flock to one small bush and scream. Jerry and W9 investigate. Our resident rattlesnake has taken a jay… on our watch.
... Language is leaving me.
I am so heartbroken. It's hard to talk about it. But the jay taken wasn't the silly energetic youngster with the cowlick belly feathers.
May gray has transitioned into June gloom. The days are longer and the light is terrible. But already June seems to be shaping up to be a good month.
I wish you all happy birding, good light, and no biting bugs.
Anstatt zu beschweren, dass der Rosenstock voller Dornen ist, sei froh, dass der Dornbusch Rosen hat.
バラブシが棘でいっぱいであると不平を言うのではなく、棘の茂みにバラがあることを喜んでください。
Au lieu de se plaindre que le rosier est plein d'épines, soyez heureux que le buisson épineuse ait des roses.
In plaats van te klagen dat de rozebos vol doornen is, wees blij dat de doornbos rozen heeft.
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