Boulders of varying sizes and shapes are a familiar sight in parts of Southern California. They cover our mountain hillsides and are prominent on our mountain peaks.
They create canyon walls in the desert below. Although Joshua Tree National Park is known for its namesake trees, the stacks of boulders are just as famous especially among the rock climbers.
So you are probably wondering what do stacks of boulders and rock piles have to do with plummeting notes?
The Canyon Wren, of course!The cute little birds with slightly down curved beaks and flattened heads live among the boulders in remote places - high in the rocky mountains and deep in the desert. The plummeting notes of their musical song are quite memorable once you hear them.
This Summer, I saw these tough little birds while serving in the Fire Lookout tower on Tahquitz Peak at 8,846 feet.
We have also seen them in Joshua Tree and the remote Smuggler's Canyon in Anza-Borrego desert.
Normally, the only way I've been able to see this grand little bird that makes its nest in crevices and feasts on spiders and insects is to take a trek up the mountain or down to the desert. It is not a familiar sight at backyard feeders. It doesn't go to bird feeders and it is theorized that it doesn't need to drink water. It probably gets most of its hydration from the insects it devours. It is one of the least studied birds because of where it lives.
This week, we were awoken before sunrise each morning with a cascade of musical notes outside our window. Fantastic! It got me out of bed each time I heard it! Our yard is full of small boulders. Enough of them exist so that we have a warning sign outside of our house.
I was totally surprised when a Canyon Wren flew right through the gap under the shingles of the porch roof. I guess it looked like a familiar place to find food. Very smart bird, indeed! We have plenty of spiders on that little porch for the wren to devour. Please eat up! (Listen carefully and you will hear the Canyon Wren.)
This past week, the days have also been filled with fearsome shrieks. Circling overhead, the hawk with translucent wing patches and a striped tail has been attracting a lot of unwanted attention from a flock of six Common Ravens.
Today was different. Our lone Red-shouldered Hawk was joined by another. After a brief romantic interlude on the snag behind our house, they returned to the skies with the Ravens in close pursuit. They are doing their best to scare them off. Perhaps, they will ignore the Ravens and nest nearby.
An adventure is probably occurring in your backyard today. You just need to open your eyes and ears and discover it! Enjoy!
Click on photos to enlarge.
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
