All afternoon, while puttering around in the front yard, we’ve been hearing this odd bird call, kind of a plaintive “squawk,” not harsh like a grackle’s, but a bit more melodic. It sounded familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it. Nor could I discern its source. Then, a few minutes ago, the call… Continue reading Overheard Bird
Category: Wildlife – Birds
Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)
It’s important to keep the Historical Records up to date, so here’s what’s happening in the front part of la hacienda: Barn Swallows – When last we checked in on the little #@*%& fellows, their nest was almost complete. It’s now finished and positioned so close to the ceiling that we can’t see inside the… Continue reading Front Porch Update (or, “Doo doo doo, lookin’ out my front door”)
Stationary Hummer
So, say you’re a hummingbird trying to cope with 40mph+ winds, blowing dust and smoke from wildfires on the north and the south, temperatures in the 90s and humidity around 5%. What would you do? Probably the same thing this little guy is doing…perching on a tomato cage sheltered by a concrete block wall, and… Continue reading Stationary Hummer
Barn Swallows 1, Us 0
If eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, we’ve just been enslaved due to inattention. I stepped onto the front porch this morning, just before daybreak, and this caught my eye: I swear, that nest was not there yesterday at noon, when Debbie and I did our usual lunch hour tour of the front yard… Continue reading Barn Swallows 1, Us 0
Avocet Video
Remember the flock of avocets that visited our neighborhood pond last weekend? Sure you do! Anyway, I finally got around to editing the video I shot and I’ve uploaded it to YouTube. You can either view it there via this link, or just click the following embed. Note that the source footage* is HD so… Continue reading Avocet Video
Awesome Acrobatic Avocets!
Debbie and I were in the front yard yesterday afternoon – she was working; I was, um, supervising – and our eyes were drawn to a flock of birds circling our neighborhood’s north pond, about two blocks away. I grabbed my video camera, and then returned and got my SLR with a long lens, and… Continue reading Awesome Acrobatic Avocets!
Great Blue Heron in Distress
We’ve had a Great Blue Heron hanging around the neighborhood for the past few months. It’s quite a sight, especially when winging its way over the mesquite-dotted pasture that surrounds us; there’s a vaguely prehistoric look to its flight. While it prefers to wade along the shoreline of the two ponds, it’s not unusual to… Continue reading Great Blue Heron in Distress
Barn Swallows: Winning the battle, losing the war
As you may recall, I was successful in convincing the local barn swallows that our porches were sub-optimal for nest placement. That battle was messy and frustrating for both sides, as battles always are, and neither side emerged feeling entirely satisfied with the outcome. During the aftermath, it became obvious that barn swallows are masters… Continue reading Barn Swallows: Winning the battle, losing the war
Nature Walk
Debbie and I went for a walk around the ponds this morning after breakfast, and as usual, encountered some interesting animals. The geese are still hanging around. They were inexplicably strolling through the vacant lot across from our house (I saw one of them nip at some of the weed seed heads), and when they… Continue reading Nature Walk
Take a Gander at This
Debbie and I went for an early morning run around the neighborhood last Sunday and were surprised to see these guys at the pond area. According to my extensive (one or two clicks) research, these are Western Greylag (or Graylag, if you prefer the Americanized spelling convention) geese, with the pleasingly repetitive scientific name anser… Continue reading Take a Gander at This