Tales of the Heliosphere

Two weeks since he first made an appearance in the backyard, the escaped Zebra Finch is still coming around. He seems to be acclimating to the outdoors.

From Saga of the Zebra Finch

Not sure how long he'll survive, what with this neighborhood cat stalking the feeders every day. "That's right, cat, you'd better keep walking away, you damn furry little serial killer!"

From Cats

But he's doing fine for now.

From Saga of the Zebra Finch

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Nature, Photography

From Pigeon Sumo

From Pigeon Sumo

From Pigeon Sumo

From Pigeon Sumo

From Pigeon Sumo

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Nature, Photography

Competition among birds isn't only over food. Sometimes, birds fight it out for territory. Here two mockingbirds harass a crow to drive it off the top of their telephone pole.

From Birds

From Birds

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Nature, Photography

What do you get when too many pigeons try to fit in the same food bowl? Here it is. As always click on the photos to zoom in.

From Birds

From Birds

From Birds

From Birds

-tdr

Republished to change images size.

Labels: Birds, Nature, Photography, San Diego

Somebody's cage is missing a Zebra Finch. (Here.) The bird is not native to Southern California. Fortunately for it, it found a backyard feeder; and for me: it's got a sweet call and beautiful coloring.

Meanwhile, a native bird feeds on a San Diego Sunflower in the front yard.

The sunflower plant still blooms but it's losing flowers in anticipation of summer. The blooming flowers continue to feed hummingbirds and insects. The dying flowers feed other birds. Nice!

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography, San Diego

Today's a holiday at my office. We get all the holidays California state judges get, and they get a lot. So, this idle morning was spent in the backyard along with these visitors:

A Black-headed Grosbeak.





A House Sparrow, I think, came along.



Pigeons, too, of course, flew in from the nearby grocery store.



Meanwhile, the cat roamed the yard blissfully unaware of her appointment for vaccinations later today.



Have a day, everybody.

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography, San Diego

This weekend's shots of birds were taken at Mount Laguna about 50 miles east of San Diego. Saw 14 different types of birds. If I were a real birder I'd give you a list. But I'm not. So, here's a picture of a Steller's Jay, instead.

For more pictures of this and other birds go to my picasaweb photos page at picasaweb.google.com/tdavera and open the 2009 Laguna Mountain Folder. (Here)

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Nature, Photography, San Diego

This little bird was busy this morning taking its breakfast meal on the sage plant. Notice the yellow matter coating its beak of this little bird. It's from the underside of the sage leaves that the bird is resting on.

Here's a shot of the bird feeding.

The photo is taken through a foggy window and a screen. Hence the poor quality. But it's still possible to make out the food on the bottom of the sage leaf and on the beak.

Native plants rule! You're welcome, little fella.

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography

This Red-Tailed Hawk displays its wings at the Wildlife Research Institute in Ramona, California. Each Saturday in January and February the Institute is hosting HawkWatch 2009, an educational program for the public. For more information about the Institute's work tracking raptors and preserving habitat go to its website. (Here.)

If you're in Southern California, head out to Ramona on any of the remaining Saturday mornings in February. You'll see birds like this beautiful American Kestrel, the cutest raptor of them all. For more photos of last weekend's HawkWatch 2009, visit my photos website at picasaweb.google.com/tdavera. (Here.)

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography

This Northern Harrier (here) takes flight empty handed at Mission Trails Regional Park within the city limits of San Diego.



This drab little bird, a Cassin's Finch, I believe (here), looks curiously at the photographer in a San Diego backyard.



Happy Weekend, everybody.

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography, San Diego

This weekend while America prepared for the Presidential Inauguration of its first living god, it was good to get away and view some of the handiwork of Thomas Jefferson's creator.

A gull floats over the Pacific off the coast of Imperial Beach, California.


A hummingbird hovering in a San Diego backyard.


Reflections in a vernal pool at Mission Trails Regional Park.


A mule deer at Mission Trails.


A white-tailed kite at Mission Trails.


-tdr

Labels: Animals, Birds, Environment, Photography, Politics

Over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach, California.




-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography

This pelican does what comes naturally on the deck of the Imperial Beach Pier.




-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography

Today is Christmas and you'll be giving to the people you care about. Tomorrow, it'll be all about you. Don't forget to hit the day after Christmas sales. The economy needs a stimulus package. My to-buy list includes a macro lens (here) to put on my Canon Rebel for extreme close-ups, binoculars for birdwatching (here), and a 9 mm handgun, probably a Sig Sauer (here), either the P220 or P226. Peace on Earth, people!

-tdr

Labels: Birds, Guns, Photography, Religion

Here's a chubby little California Towhee standing by the patio, oblivious to the cat about 20 feet away.

The cat, Kimba, rests among the native plants next to the laughing Buddha.

Meanwhile, this Black Phoebe waits on the utility wire for the cat to vacate the yard.

Just another wild day in the urbs.

-tdr

All shots taken with 10.1 megapixel Canon Rebel XTi and EF 75-300 telephoto lens. My new toys.

Labels: Animals, Birds, Nature, Photography, Plants

A hard rain fell on Thanksgiving morning in San Diego. After the rain, the yard smelled like redwood and sage, and the birds came alive with singing. Small somethings to be thankful for.



-tdr

Labels: Birds, Photography, San Diego, Thanksgiving

Southern California is a dry land. Okay, all land is dry land, but Southern California's land is especially dry. We don't get a lot of rain and we don't have much of our own water. Well, there is that giant ocean just to the west, but it's got all that salt in it, and don't get me started about the lack of desalination plants in this region. So, let's pretend the Pacific Ocean isn't there. That's what San Diego's City Council is doing.

Water supply is so bad that San Diego, thanks to the City Council, is going to start recycling waste water into drinking water. So, if you live elsewhere and have thought about moving here because you see how wonderful the weather is every time you watch a Chargers or Padres game from San Diego, think again. You'll be drinking cleaned up toilet water. Yummy, yummy toilet water. Not quite Tang but just like NASA!

Anyway, all that's a round about way of getting to the point. Those beautiful green lawns that define the suburbs consume way too much water for this region. That doesn't stop everybody from having one. But if the consequence of everybody having a lawn is everybody getting to drink toilet water, well, maybe it's time to go native and start replacing our lawns with native plants. You know, the plants that evolved to thrive in San Diego's low water ecology. Don't buy that argument? Then how about this one: the plants that God in his infinite wisdom perfectly created to grow here.

So, here's the home in the suburbs the week after moving in last February. And here's the same home today, two days after putting in all native plants. And here's a side angle shot.

Not too lush or green just now. (Clicking the photos to enlarge them helps.) But the picture doesn't capture the slight fragrance of sage, either. And the plants just went in. There are close to 100 new plants in the yard and each one produces either flowers or berries. Once the yard is established there will be an abundance of reds, and greens, and blues, and yellows, along with butterflies, hummingbirds, and other seed eating birds.

The best part is, once the yard is established, it won't need watering, except for the occasional sprinkle with the hose using the beer can method. The beer can method, for those not in the know, is this: grab a hose, grab a beer, and water the yard until you're done drinking the beer. Sounds like the perfect Southern California lifestyle to me.

-tdr

PS: Props to Clayton Tschudy of Tschudy Ecological Designs for the design and the plant selection of the yard. He's got the right vision. The plants came from Las Pilitas Nursery, a native plants nursery, north of Escondido. Here are the names and links to the nursery's website for the plants in the yard. (You're going to have to cut and paste to see the pictures of the plants fully grown and descriptions.)

Galvezia "Firecracker"--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/321.htm
Viguiera laciniata--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/1426.htm
Eriogonum umbellatum polyanthum--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/527.htm
Eriogonum arborescens--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/277.htm
Eriogonum grande rubescens--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/288.htm
Mahonia nevenii--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/422.htm
Salvia "Pozo Blue"--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/607.htm
Iris douglasiana--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/352.htm
Muhlenbergia rigens--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/446.htm
Ribes viburnifolium--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/586.htm
Diplacus puniceus--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/247.htm
Zauschneria californica--http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/3365.htm

Labels: Aesthetics, Birds, California, Environment, Nature, San Diego