this week’s draw with me
Tag: birds
Astur cooperii
I know it’s got a striped tail, dark back, yellow legs, and yellow on the top of its bill. But quite a few hawks have these features. (Sketch done from a photo by Ashok Khosla.)
Selasphorus sasin
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii
Far from the back country, I’m grateful that sparrows find some sustenance in this stucco desert and bring pleasure to my wildness-starved soul.
Ardea herodias
Big, blue, and beautiful.
Adenanthos sericeus
The woolly bush is a shrub native to the south coast of Western Australia. We planted three here in 2017; one eventually died but the other two are doing well. This fine-textured, upright shrub or small tree typically reaches a height of 6 to 10 feet. The wispy stems are adorned with soft, gray, needle-like foliage that feels velvety to the touch and displays pink hues in its new growth. Small red flowers emerge intermittently throughout the year at the base of the leaves. They are so obscure that I wasn’t even aware the bushes were currently flowering until I noticed the hummingbirds having a feast.
Ardea herodias
Low-flying great blue heron at Malibu Creek State Park. These large, elegant birds are a familiar sight at the Park, hunting for fish, gophers and ground squirrels. Ardea herodias is the largest heron native to North America.
Catherpes mexicanus
Before I’d opened any doors or windows, I heard some rather loud, scratchy, dzeee dzeee alarm calls in the living room. This little beauty had clearly spent the night in the house, and wanted out!
Salpinctes obsoletus
The rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) is a small songbird native to western North America, Mexico and Central America. They are apparently common and widespread, but this was the first time I’d ever noticed one.
I’ve learned that rock wrens usually build their nests in crevices among boulders or beneath large rock ledges, typically on the ground or just a few inches above it, resting on a foundation of small rocks. Uniquely, they create a “paving” or “front porch” at the entrance of the nesting site, often lined with small stones, bones, and various debris. The purpose of this “paving” remains a mystery, but it is evidently significant, as rock wrens construct it before building the nest itself.
The other fun sighting on this hike was a bobcat, calmly crossing the trail quite close to humans. I’ve seen these gorgeous cats in the same area of the Park on several other occasions; they are clearly habituated to hikers.
Pardalotus punctatus
I‘m a sucker for a bird with spots, so I was delighted to spy a group of spotted pardalotes at my sister’s bird bath. So pretty!
hashiworks 