Hummingbirds for Christmas

Imagine seeing this beautiful male Costa's Hummingbird outside your window one morning. Just enjoying one of these birds would be great, right?

Now, multiply this one bird by 50!!!

Our friends, Kurt and Candice, invited us down to the desert this week to witness an amazing spectacle going on at their home. When the hummingbirds started arriving in November, they added one feeder after another as more and more of these flying gems showed up.  Now they have 4 main huge feeders which need to be refilled twice a day!

Watching these birds is mesmerizing! When they aren't at the feeders, they become royal purple Christmas ornaments in the nearby tree.

When you stand close to the feeder, you feel the slight wind and hear the constant humming from their rapid wing beat. You might even get lucky and have one perch on your finger.Wow!

Click on this video to get a glimpse of these fantastic birds!

I found this quote that I wanted to share. Unfortunately, the author was not listed.

"Like a hummingbird, we aspire to hover and to savor each moment as it passes, embrace all that life has to offer and to celebrate the joy of everyday. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation." Anonymous

Thank you!

Click on photos to enlarge. 

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Cute, Colorful, Bold and Daring - Birds over the last month

It's been a month since my last blog entry so this one is a collection of favorite sightings from different spots over the last month.

Our last trip to the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge was so exciting that we decided to visit again. When you leave the congested roads behind and enter this unique haven, you immediately realize the importance of protecting this refuge from encroaching development.

On this trip, we didn't see the "Ferocious Trio" as recorded in the previous blog. Instead, the highlight was a large flock of Mountain Bluebirds. What a sight! These brilliant sky blue birds are so beautiful! Since they breed in higher elevations further north in the Sierra Mts and to the west of us, it is a treat to catch a glimpse of them in the Winter.

Another uncommon bird to see except during the Winter is the Red-breasted Merganser. I unexpectedly came upon one of these birds in a duck pond. I remember my unsuccessful attempts at getting a photo at nearby Lake Hemet a month ago. Yeah!

Another vital place for wildlife conservation is the Tijuana Sanctuary located south of San Diego near the Mexican border. In fact, you can see Mexico and its prominent bullring from the beach.

The highlight of this trip was finding a flock of incredibly cute Snowy Plovers resting in depressions in the sand on the beach. Like many shorebirds that nest in the open, they are extremely vulnerable during breeding.

I've covered cute and colorful. Now, the bold and daring.

I loved seeing these 3 birds - American Kestral, Acorn Woodpecker and Northern Flicker.

The Acorn Woodpecker and Northern flicker kept an eye on the potential "troublemaker" of the neighborhood. When the Kestral flew to another snag, they followed.

A big surprise occurred when I tried to photograph this Western Bluebird. He turned his back on me and started to chase a Whip-tailed Lizard, unsuccessfully. That was a first!

The latest outing was to a rural area north of Barstow where agricultural fields and dairy farms dominate the landscape.

White-crowned Sparrow

One agricultural field growing alfalfa had a hedge of milo. The birds loved it! We saw countless sparrows and meadowlarks feasting on the seed.

This isn't the greatest photo but it has some pretty impressive birds in it. Three Inca Doves and one Ruddy Ground-Dove, a Mexican bird. Birders will be heading to this spot to search for this rare visitor!

Another distant photo of an impressive bird - the Ferruginous Hawk.

It comes for the winter to agricultural fields in California. This was the closest look we had of the largest hawk in North America. We saw this one just before sunset.

Finally, we had our first snowfall on Thanksgiving weekend just as the annual  lighting of the Christmas tree in the center of town was occurring. The snow is quickly melting. Our little "Pooh" snowman is now a memory.

This is a good time of year to remember to help our wildlife.

A simple way to help wildlife refuges is to buy a duck stamp. The proceeds help fund these special places.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Tres Feroz - The Ferocious Trio

It's not often you get to see or photograph a bird of prey up close. To find three of these intimidating beauties on the same day is quite fortuitous! The most ferocious pose award goes to this Peregrine Falcon who was was guarding his prey  - the unlucky Black Phoebe.

Our little adventure took place in a very special place - the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge

 

Long-billed Curlew

White-faced Ibis

The ponds surrounded by marshland attract ducks, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds throughout the year.

The Merlin was the first beautiful raptor we encountered when we arrived. This was the very first close look I've ever had of this bird!

The female American Kestral, the third of the ferocious trio, is quite stunning with its colorful pattern of feathers.

 

The San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge is one of the few places in our area where migrating and resident birds can find water surrounded by marsh providing food, shelter and habitat for breeding. It is definitely a place to recognize and to support for its importance to our wildlife. Seeing Tres Feroz, the ferocious trio, in one day was quite memorable! I will return!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

 

A Hike to Tahquitz Peak

There are a couple of ways to get to Tahquitz Peak. I usually choose the South Ridge trail despite the fact that the last mile is pretty steep. The views are spectacular which makes up for the temporary suffering I endure.

This past weekend, we hiked on Devil's Slide with an extra mile added on along the PCT. I picked this longer route in hopes of seeing a bird I had seen 2 years ago along this section of the trail. My hope was that I'd see it again. Odds were not in my favor.

When we arrived in the high country, we did find this newly arrived winter resident, the Hermit Thrush. He/she is the only thrush that remains in North America during winter. The others fly to warmer grounds further south. Since they are only here in the winter, I never hear their flute-like songs. William Dawson (1923) wrote..."He who has never heard the evening requiem of the hermit has missed the choicest thing which Nature in California has to offer."

At approximately 8,000 feet, this dark bird flew into a tall Sugar Pine tree. At first all we could see was his black head and back. Eventually, he came into view.

I found my "treasure"! The Williamson's Sapsucker came into full view albeit from a tall branch far from where I was standing. It is better than a Loch Ness monster photo but not much better. Wow! It made the extra mile of hiking with a fully loaded backpack all worth it!

Suicide Rock opposite Tahquitz Rock

Most of the Summer skies have been filled with smoke from distant wildfires. Today was different. The skies were clear enabling us to see as far as Catalina Island to the west and the Salton Sea to the southeast. Amazing!

 

"We reached the treeline and I dropped my pack, sat down on my haunches and I looked back down over the mountain, helpless, speechless, breathless, Gaia.

James Taylor

"Gaia"

Discovering Pink Bellies and Chewbaca in Disguise

It's been a great week of discovering new birds and furry animals! I'll start with the Lewis's Woodpecker. This beautiful pink-bellied bird came to our backyard with a couple of his pals twice in one week! We haven't seen this Sierra bird in 2 years so it was a great sighting for us!

 During the same week, we found our very first Red-naped Sapsucker! They are rarely seen in our mountains as well but a few lucky people see them in the Winter occasionally. This one looked like it had just landed from a night of flight. He sat motionlessly on this Jeffrey Pine tree trunk blinking his eyes slowly. Great for us since we could get a good look at him.

We had a couple of new butterflies to add to our list. This one landed on our newly planted Butterfly Bush. It looks quite like the other Swallowtails but remember it's all in the details...this is the Anise Swallowtail. It has dark "shoulders".

The other new butterfly for us was this Common Buckeye. No other butterfly on the mountain looks quite like this one. Yeah! There are a few easy ones to learn.

Coffee Berry bushes are filled with berries now. At Lake Hemet, we found both a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows feasting.

By far, the cutest animals on the mountain this past week were the two alpacas who came to visit at the annual quilt show. If you are in the market for alpacas, they can be purchased from a farm in Anza. These animals are incredibly magnetic! We couldn't leave them. Once they started to make a sound, I heard Chewbaca speaking to me! Wow! George Lucas must have been inspired by these guys!

It's been an exciting couple of weeks down the mountain in the desert for thousands of classic Rock fans. If you listen closely, you can pretend to hear Paul, Mick, Bob, Neil and Roger singing to cheering fans! Enjoy! Tonight is the final night of the historic concert!

 Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Early Fall Days on the Mountain

South Ridge Trailhead

Seasons are shifting. Clouds fill the blue skies and cooler air has returned.

Seven Pines Trail

In our previous southeastern home, skies like this would precede a rainstorm. As much as I hoped and expected to get wet on our recent Seven Pines Trail hike, not a drop fell. Predicting weather based on 

the clouds here is futile.

Pygmy Nuthatch

While migrating birds are filling up on their southward journeys, our resident birds like the Mountain Chickadee and Pygmy Nuthatch are in constant motion caching seeds from the abundant pine cones.

Merriam's chipmunk

Chipmunks are busy as well. This little guy was at the top of the tallest Limber Pine tree on Tahquitz Peak (8,846feet) stuffing his cheeks with nuts to store in his hiding spot before Winter sets in.

Granite Spiny Lizard - male

It's still warm enough for the lizards. Granite Spiny Lizards are the "big guys" on the mt. They can measure up to 11 inches. In fact, when I returned from Tahquitz Peak, I thought chipmunks were crossing my path but it turned out to be these lizards. This summer a researcher from Loma Linda University stated that he believes our venomous Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes get their extra potent venom from feasting on these lizards.

Red-shouldered Hawk, Juvenile

All the critters need to keep an eye out for the quiet one with a sharp beak and curved, sharp talons!

 For my insect curious friends, here's a new one for us. It is some type of stick bug. Very different from  the ones we see in Georgia. It blends in with pine straw perfectly. Since it was on our house, we could spot it.

At the end of a cloud filled day, the sunsets are spectacular. Welcome Fall!!!