Happy New Year! Welcome 2021!

 

What a glorious way to welcome a new year! Twelve or more inches fell over two days in Idyllwild with much more in the high country. 2020 was an incredibly difficult and for some, tragic year. Let's all hope that 2021 will bring healing to us all!

I'm not quite sure why snow is such a joy to see. When the snow is falling, the skies are grey and gloomy. Plus, there is so much work to do. My goodness, we spent two days shoveling, stoking fires, knocking snow and ice off of birdfeeders and refilling those feeders for all the birds that found our oasis. The kindness of strangers is the most noticeable during challenging times. Next door, weekend renters happily shared in the work of clearing 12 plus inches of snow off of our steep driveway. Living on the coast, snow was a novelty to them. Thank you, Sean and Ryan!

     Anna's Hummingbird

The reward comes the first morning when the skies clear and the beautiful white snow is covering the land. For me, seeing the tiny, feisty birds that survive the storm makes my efforts to help them out before my morning coffee worth it!

And finally, a video from nearby cowboy/cowgirl country.... Garner Valley

Happy New Year!

Photos, video and content by Robin Roberts

Click to enlarge.

Music by Gabriel Witcher (Blue Mountains)

Got Fish?

 

Imagine being a fish-eating bird leaving your northern breeding grounds for the winter...You are a creature of habit and really like going to the same place but you're now having to find a new place to spend the winter since your once favorite spot (the Salton Sea) no longer has fish to eat...Where do you go? You spy this place from overhead (Lake Hemet). Perhaps, they have some fish to eat.

Not bad! This is a pretty good spot to be but what about some other places since this place gets mighty cold in the winter and there aren't a lot of fish to go around.

Wow, this place is beautiful (Sunnylands Estate). You hear that some famous two-legged people hang out here at times (presidents, queens, kings, entertainers) but you really only care about some good, tasty fish.

You don't travel alone. It's much better to be with your buddy pelicans since you all catch fish better when you work together in unison. One, two, three... glide. Four, five, six... duck and open your huge beak. Yum!

You notice one of your fishing buddies has something on its wings. Mmmmm...

If you knew more about those two-legged humans, you would know that there are many who care a lot about where you choose to spend your future winters so they can help you and all the thousands of American White Pelicans who are needing to find new places to spend their winters now that the Salton Sea is no longer the best place to go.

Here is a note to you humans, if you have the opportunity to encourage the stocking of lakes, please do it. Plus, if you see a banded pelican or other bird, contact USGS at reportband.gov.

They will send you an appreciation certificate as well as information about the banded bird in thanks for your efforts.

It is pretty humbling to see the journey that this pelican has made from its initial home in Idaho to a desert oasis in southern California. Let's hope the other pelicans will find suitable places to spend their winters soon.

Click on photos to enlarge

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

A Night of Santa Ana Winds

 Tonight the strongest Santa Ana Winds that we have ever experienced are howling outside our home. Before moving here, we had never even heard of these powerful winds that arrive from the Great Basin area. If we were on the southeast coast, we would attribute these unrelenting winds to a tropical storm or hurricane. The electric company was right in their decision to turn off the electricity to prevent wildfires today. It's a pain to be without electricity and to have to relocate food from the refrigerator into ice-filled coolers but it certainly is worth the effort on a night like this. Our home is on a ridge so we feel every bit of the wind. Our home is shaking and even the water in the toilets is moving. Whoa! I've never seen that before. When the storm is over and the power returns, I plan on writing about some incredible birds that I saw this week but for now, the story is the wind! Here's to hoping the windows and trees hold strong through the night! We don't want to experience a blow out like we did at the lookout tower! Whew!

A Surprise Visitor with a Bushy Tail

When I looked out to the backyard today to see what birds were at the feeders, I found empty feeders and one mighty fine looking grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).

What a great surprise! These nocturnal/crepuscular critters are not seen very often during the day!

I did a little research and discovered that they are unique in North American canids (canine family) for being able to climb trees! It comes in handy when escaping danger or looking for food. As for meals, they are omnivores. They will happily devour a little rodent, rabbit, bird as well as vegetarian fare such as berries and acorns. 

Keep your eyes open! You never know what special creature you may encounter! Cheers to wildlife!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

More information on Grey Fox 

The Mountains are Revealed

It is morning and the fog has lifted revealing the beautiful snow-covered mountains. I never grow tired of seeing what the white storm has left behind! Marion Mountain and Tahquitz Peak are covered in over a foot of snow.

It's always a relief to see the tough birds that survive living through these wintry days! Both of these birds choose to stay in the mountains year-round. The clever California Scrub-Jay and the tireless Mountain Chickadee are constantly foraging and stashing away seeds or nuts for days like this.

High on Tahquitz Peak at 8,846 feet, the fire lookout tower is now officially closed for the season.

Here is a last view of the rock before the sun disappeared from sight. This winter storm was quite unexpected so early in the season but it certainly was a welcome event!

                              Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

                                    Click on photos to enlarge

 

Hunkered Down

 

This was a weekend to hunker down while the fog-shrouded mountains kept hidden the snowy scenes of this unexpected snowstorm. Just like anywhere you live, when you know a storm is coming, it's best to keep busy days in advance so you can just enjoy the coziness of your home when the weather changes.

I totally was expecting my next blog post to be about the fall weather but we all were in for a surprise when this snow event arrived on Saturday.

What better way to start the morning than watch Donald Duck and his encounters with Chip and Dale. This episode is all about popcorn thieves. 

Of course, I couldn't linger inside watching Donald and the gang for long knowing that our avian friends outside had inches of snow covering their feeders. 

Pine Siskin

The most abundant bird species in our yard is the Pine Siskin. Since the snow arrived, we have about 40-50 of these beauties devouring the thistle.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Every year in the winter, a golden-crowned sparrow or two finds our backyard once again. They spend their summers in Alaska or Canada. 

Gray-headed Junco 

This subspecies of Dark-eyed juncos is a rare bird for our area. They are more likely to be seen in Nevada, Utah, or Colorado in the summer and Arizona, New Mexico, or Mexico in the winter. Most of the juncos in our mountains are Oregon juncos but occasionally, some others show up in the winter. Like the golden-crowned sparrow, it is here on its own in a mixed flock. 

Night has taken over. Tomorrow, the skies will clear and the snow will end. It's always exciting to wake up and see the transformation that the snowy weather creates. Until tomorrow...... 

Retreat in San Diego

 

The lure of water is powerful! We haven't had any rain in the mountains since May or June and it is now October. Luckily for us, San Diego is only two hours away. We headed there for a short but much-needed respite from the dry San Jacinto Mountains.

Early mornings in San Diego are characterized by a rolling fog or marine layer that adds moisture to the coastal chaparral and exotic tropical plants that fill the landscape.

This ghostly "pirate" sailship kept appearing and disappearing in the morning fog while we went for a morning bike ride along the "strand". The Great Blue Heron ignored us mostly while it was intent on spearing a fish for breakfast.

Sometimes you visit a place that transports you to somewhere exotic. That is what happened for us at this little hotel on Shelter Island. It was just what we needed for our San Diego retreat.

Isn't it amazing how peaceful and powerful water can be?

I rarely see marine animals so this was a highlight of our trip! A sea lion fishing off the shoreline.

I hope you are finding ways to cope during these upside-down days in our world! My recommendation is to spend time in nature as much as possible!

                           Click on photos to enlarge. Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Disappearing Mountains

So, where did our mountains go? They are hidden behind a cloud of smoke caused by the El Dorado fire. Prospective parents, please don't use pyrotechnic devices to announce the gender of your baby!!! It's not worth it! Stick with a cake filled with blue or pink M & M's or whatever clever idea you can come up with! Your child will not want to grow up feeling responsible for a multi-thousand-acre wildfire!

White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus)

How do I cope with the ongoing stress of threatening wildfires? I spend time outdoors watching birds. Trust me, it helps tremendously! Whether it's birds, insects, lizards, or little rodents, go outside for a bit and observe the wildlife in your yard. There are lots of studies that support what I experience. Spending time outdoors helps physically, mentally, and spiritually. (The smoky skies are going to make it hard for us to get out right now.)

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)

You can actually do something helpful while you are observing the birds. Smaller birds like these Lesser Goldfinches are primarily seedeaters which means they rely on supplemental water and places of refuge from the heat during times of drought and extreme heat to survive. Consider putting out a water dish.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Hummingbirds are on the move. Besides your regular resident Anna's Hummingbirds, look for the migrating hummers that are looking for some nectar from your garden plants or a feeder to help fatten them up on their journey.

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)

The arrival of the Black-chinned hummingbirds and other dislocated Anna's Hummingbirds have put our resident hummer in a tizzy.

I guarantee if you spend at least 20-30 minutes outdoors in the morning observing the activity in your back or front yard, you will experience a drop in your stress level.(However, it might be too difficult with the worsening air quality right now.) When you add doing something concrete like putting out a water dish or hummingbird feeder, it will magnify. 

Our wilderness will be closed to hikers and campers for at least the next week to prevent another disastrous wildfire.  Keep safe everyone!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.