I had the best time at the first meetup of the Santa Monica Mountains Nature Journal Club. Thirteen of us (including some NJ newbies) got together at gorgeous King Gillette Ranch for nature journalling, food, art supply tryouts, and brainstorming. Can’t wait to do it again next month!
I need to do more crepuscular hiking. I’d love to see a burrowing owl!
For a long time I thought we only had one thrasher in our yard, but now it’s clear we have a pair. They are busy all day long bringing food to their nest in the bougainvillea. Fingers crossed for a successful fledge!
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium sized heron with a long head and a funny way of making its neck disappear when at rest. A juvenile was hanging out at Legacy Park this morning. I loved the lime-green legs.
These birds are among the seven heron species observed to engage in tool use. They lure or distract fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range. Smart!
Big thanks to Chris Tosdevin for permission to sketch from his photos.
One of the two eggs hatched several days ago, but I can’t tell if the baby is actually alive. I haven’t heard it cheep, and whenever I peek it appears to be sleeping in this same position. The mama is either away from the nest, or sitting on it; I haven’t observed her bringing food to the hatchling. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a successful outcome here, but I’m not feeling very optimistic.
I only had a few minutes to sketch before work, and in the time it took me to draw a Foothill Penstemon, the Merlin app identified 19 nearby bird songs. I can recognise seven (maybe eight) of those birds by ear; I plan to keep studying their calls, and one day know them all.
A new-to-me waterbird at Legacy Park! I was delighted by the bright blue bill on this male ruddy duck.
I’ve read that ruddy ducks are very aggressive toward each other and toward other species, but this fellow was behaving peacefully. Apparently they will even chase rabbits feeding on the shore. During courtship, males beat their bill against their neck hard enough to create a swirl of bubbles in the water. Pretty intense!
The genus name Oxyura is derived from Ancient Greek oxus meaning “sharp”, and oura meaning “tail”. Ruddy ducks were imported into the UK in 1948 and have since spread to Europe, where they are considered invasive.
We’re delighted to see a hummingbird nesting close by the house, though it means we have to creep past so as not to disturb her. Two years ago, when the lemonadeberry was bigger and closer to the pathway (and thus more easily disturbed), a hummer hatched two babies there, but they died before fledging. We never knew if our presence disturbed the mama too much, or there was some other reason for the fatalities. Fingers crossed for a successful raising this year.
The Allen’s hummingbird constructs her nest out of plant fibers and down, coating it with lichens and spider webs to give it structure. There’s likely one or two eggs, which she will incubate for 15 to 17 days. The young leave the nest about three weeks after hatching, so we might have another month of fun (cautious) viewing.
