Drinking and Dust Bathing - Mountain Quails

When we moved into our new home in January, I was sad to say "Good-bye"to the Mt Quail families that had visited us in our previous home in the woods. I doubted we would be lucky enough for them to visit us in our new home.

Fortunately, my doubts were not realized! This week we have had a daily visit by an adult and his/her 4 chicks!

The sound of bubbling water in our water dish was probably the key to their initial visits. 

We also have a yard that is in progress..We are adding native plants one by one but we have a long way to go. There are still lots of open patches of dirt. This must be an enticing feature since the quail family discovered soft dirt to bathe in. In arid places, dust bathing is an alternative to water bathing. The dust helps expel excessive oil and dry skin. Maintaining feathers is essential for a healthy bird. This 6 minute video captures an adult Mt Quail enjoying wallowing in the dirt followed by his/her chicks joining in the fun one by one. Funny how they don't mind being squashed next to each other. Enjoy!

Chaparral to a Conifer Forest - Thomas Mountain

Finding a Lazuli Bunting was why my day started at 4:30am. It is a summer resident in the San Jacinto mountains but until a month ago, I had never been able to see one. My goal on this day was to find one and get a photo..no guarantees.

Thomas and Little Thomas Mt are easy to overlook when you drive through Garner Valley since you tend to look at the taller, majestic mountains on the opposite side of the valley. These mountains have their own unique beauty.

To reach the mountain peak, you follow a narrow, dirt USFS road and hope you don't encounter too many people driving in the opposite direction. Ribbonwood, Chamise and Scrub Oak dominate the chaparral landscape until you reach the higher elevation.

Black-chinned Sparrow

Western Scrub Jay

There is a huge diversity of birds that call this habitat home. The Black-chinned Sparrow is a summer resident but the Scrub Jay is here all year round.

When we reached the peak, the air was filled with blooming flowers mixed with the vanilla scent from the Jeffrey Pine trees.

Today was my lucky day! The first bird that I saw after reaching the top was singing from the tallest snag overlooking the valley far below. It was the beautiful, turquoise feathered Lazuli Bunting! I had hoped for a closer, clearer photo but I was happy to at least catch a glimpse of this bird!

Last year when we were here, there was a meadow filled with California Poppies and Lupine. This year, the invasive grass dominated the meadow.

 In other areas of the mountain, we saw unfamiliar Mariposa Lilies in bloom.

A nice surprise was finding a couple of Lark Sparrows. Sparrows are generally hard to distinguish from each other but this sparrow has a striking facial pattern so it's easy to recognize.

It was  great to see a patch of one of my favorite summer blooming flowers, the Prickly Poppy. If you look close you can see a cute little bug peeking over the petals. 

Wishing you some peaceful, inspiring moments in Nature this Summer.

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Content and photos by Robin Roberts.

Lake Hemet - A Special Place

Lake Hemet is an incredibly important place for birds and other wildlife in the San Jacinto Mountains. From the sky, you can see clearly that there is very little freshwater available. This photo was taken in 2014 when our friend, Dave, gave me a ride in the Lynx. Thanks, Dave! I won't forget it.

The latest unusual sighting has been the 4 Eared Grebes in breeding plumage. They are seen in the Winter but it is unusual for them to be here during breeding season. Last year, I went all the way to the Sierra Mts in hopes of seeing this beautiful bird in breeding plumage.

It looks a lot different in the winter!

Mallard ducks are pretty common but seeing a whole family swimming along the water is a great find!

Last week, I saw splashing, jumping fish all along the lake. The Bald Eagles and other fish eaters have plenty to eat right now.

The new resident Bald Eagles were successful this year with at least one chick. This photo was taken from a great distance. I include it because it documents their success. Last year, this pair wasn't so fortunate.

While looking at the nesting Bald Eagles, I noticed this Turkey Vulture perched on a post. It is amazing to see this large bird flatten its body.

 Between the nearby Turkey Vulture and me, this Western Bluebird had to think twice before delivering breakfast to his hungry clan.

Finally, this Gopher snake is my first snake sighting of the new year. He was basking in the sun long enough for me to see him before returning to the underbrush near the lake. Unlike rattlesnakes, it is nonvenomous. Spring is quickly turning into Summer. Enjoy!

Click on photos to enlarge.