The Odd Sock: Today's walk report: 100921

Not much of a walk and pretty weak on the photo front too but here goes...

The campus was getting set up for filming once again and this time there were way too many people milling about. Some of them seemingly walking around rather aimlessly and since I seemed to be spending much of my effort on the lookout, wanting to avoid people, I left rather quickly. Docken and I were on the phone together and most of my side of the conversation was me bitching about people, so that wasn't good either.

Before arriving my much grander plan was to schlep up the hill looking for birds of prey and in retrospect perhaps I should have just driven up there and poked around... oh well. Last complaint, I swear... I wasn't paying too much attention to the camera ISO and I should have changed the mode dial to afford me more creative control. Pictures were pretty grainy.

Crews were setting up much closer to the garden this round. The entrance to the garden is less than 50 yards from where this truck was parked and people were venturing as far as midway inside the garden.

It appeared they were going to focus filming in a small building used primarily for assemblies. Sign of the times, they needed to augment the air circulation/filtration to the building. The device is marked, "Cinema Air". How refreshing.

I entered the garden a little north of where I would've normally. Covid or no, I would generally avoid people either way. I wandered around quite a bit looking for some activity. It was colder than usual, about 47º so not a lot was stirring. I followed one female Selasphorus sasin hummingbird through a good portion of the garden for awhile but wasn't able to get a decent shot off. The garden is approximately one acre in size. This flock of 14 mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) was unusual, at least I don't typically see that many milling about together.

Yes, I said 14, this one was a few feet in front, as if standing guard.

Back to the usual hangout for male Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty, I first spotted this young male Anna's hummingbird which Dusty seemed to be unusually tolerant of.

Then there was Dusty...

And that, dear reader, was about it. I went sort of roundabout to see if walking the stairs looked approachable without running into the ubiquitous film crews but it didn't appear likely so Docken and I chatted back to the car and as I returned home.

Meanwhile, while writing this drivel and gazing out my office window, this lovely giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) was fluttering around the bougainvillea and plumbago plants in the backyard. You know, if I sit here long enough a bird of prey will eventually show up.

In parting and somewhat in theme with the television crew and where we seem to be heading, here's the song which was in my head upon rising this morning. Specifically the line, the species has amused itself to death.