Once again with Docken as my telephone companion. On the way into the campus we started discussing an area which was dedicated in 1970 (I remember this) and rededicated in 1995 as a Braille Trail, An All Access Sensory Trail. Doc and I were clued in that the general area was going to undergo some revitalization. We were told this by the curator of the botanical garden back in 2017. At that time most of this hunk of property, the school's horticulture department, was fenced off because some alleged nut-job was taking it upon himself to go in and allegedly plant trees. Quite frankly, at least to some degree, I can understand his motivation. Anyway, during our discussion I made note that it appeared to be "all clear" now and I decided to venture in. Without getting into specifics, I'll just say it doesn't seem as though a whole lot has been done to improve "Horticulture, 4900."
I took some pictures...
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Low-hanging fruit.
Chrysanthemum x-morifolium
Polygala, either P. fruticosa or P. myrtifolia. (thanks Sis!)
Black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
This is the same red-tailed hawk as above, on my way back out from the horticulture property.
Two turkey vultures overhead. Perhaps the two from last week?
A pair of crows too. (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Osteospermum. I have 12 Osteospermum plants growing from seed in my office closet right now. I'm just waiting to make sure there's no longer a threat of frost before they go outside.
This northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) came in fast from near ground level. Unlike other woodpeckers they forage a lot on the ground. I had to fight the sun a bit to get a few shots off once it landed in this pine tree.
There was quite a bit more walking and while I mosied over to the botanical garden, I didn't find much else to take pictures of. I did happen to see the male Calypte anna hummingbird known as Dusty but I guess he wasn't in the mood for photos today. Here are two from the backyard at home, last day or two. First a female Calype anna and then a male Selasphorus sasin.
Nice photos as always. The noID shrub is a Polygala, either P. fruticosa or P. myrtifolia.
ReplyDeleteWow! It's a veritable bird bonanza! They're all exceptionally beautiful although I especially love the little black phoebe on a stick. And the low-hanging fruit... sad that it always gets such a bad rap. As per usual, Eric, gorgeous and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteWhat a smorgasbord of great pics ! I especially enjoyed the hawk pics. Spectacular ! Did I mention that I like to show your pics to my mom when I visit? She's a fan :)
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