Channel Islands Nature Journalers met at the botanic garden today, but it was unexpectedly closed. Not to be deterred, we spent a few hours observing the nature in the adjacent park. I was entertained by the contortions of a fastidious drake.
We have a pair of nesting bald eagles at the local lake, and I caught a glimpse of them the other day. Very exciting! They don’t have a webcam, but they do have a Facebook page.
Things I learned on this hike—the Sepulveda Dam wall is 3 miles (5 km) long, and you can climb onto it. When the basin floods, fish are stranded on the trails. Egrets eat other birds!
The hawk dropped down to the ground and poked a bit, then jumped back up on the fence, and then down on the other side of it. Eat a gopher, please!
I see acorn woodpeckers all the time, but rarely spot a Nuttall’s.
I’m a total sucker for a bird with spots, so of course the gorgeous Northern Flicker is one of my faves. I was so happy to hear and see them on Friday’s hike.
Western Bluebird on the fence at Las Virgenes Reservoir.
I thought it was a kestrel, but iNaturalist told me it was a sharp-shinned hawk lying dead beside the main road, its eyes being devoured by ants. I didn’t have any gloves or a bag or anything with which to safely examine it, so I just turned it over with a stick and took some photos.
The ruby-crowned kinglet is a winter visitor to these parts. One of North America’s tiniest songbirds, it feeds primarily on insects but also eats fruits and seeds. It searches restlessly among the lower branches of shrubs and trees, and its constant wing-flicking is a distinctive trait that helps with identification. Only the males wear the ruby crown.
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