Hot new band, Dusty and the Crows...
I showed up in the garden shortly after 7:00 AM. Overcast skies and the sun low in the east made for some pretty lousy lighting. I ended up popping my flash a couple of times on male Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty. But first, there was the phone call. I needed to call Docken, disturb her sleep and make sure she was okay. Wake up, wake up, wake up!! Hey... are you okay? We spoke throughout the rest of the journey, even up the stairs, onto the car parked in the not too distant distance, proceeding to a gas station (only my second fill up since covid) and we wrapped it up back home. It was nice. Sorry to wake her but glad for the company.
Again, Dusty.
From there it was mostly walking around and talking on the phone. There was this one talkative California towhee (AKA, grumpy bird, or, if you prefer, Melozone crissalis). I don't typically see towhees in trees. They're usually pecking around on the ground or in short shrubbery. They generally nest no more than a foot (30 cm) off the ground.
Next it was onto the ninja stairs challenge, around the hill and back to the car. The only encounters were with crows. Lovely but noisy crows. These are American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos).
Once off the phone and after what for me was a late breakfast, I once again spotted a Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) enjoying the Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia roundafolia) though my office windows in the backyard.
For a brief moment he (yes, this is a male) also visited a Salvia clevelandii plant whose flowers were spent months ago.
But it's my key
To survive
If we don't stop now there won't be a second chance
Again, my thanks to Docken for the wonderful company and thank you for visiting.
Very nice pics as always. Especially like the butterfly pics and of course Dusty is always a show stopper. Tell Docken I said howdy !
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