A red-shouldered hawk living nearby dropped a gift on the driveway. Thanks to my friend Alli, who recently replaced my Bird Feathers reference guide (lost in the fire), I could easily ID it.
buteo lineatus
Tag: birds
Thryomanes bewickii
That long white eyebrow was the giveaway.
cat and (tit)mouse
mystery nest
We found a lovely soft nest on the ground, mostly made of oak catkins and cobwebs, with decorations of feather and lichen. It actually looked like two conjoined nests, but I assume it had been teased out by an interested critter, before or after it fell. Who built it? I hope the eggs hatched safely.
this week’s draw with me
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.
hashiworks 