Not much on the photo front today. It has been quite blustery all weekend with the famous Santa Ana winds rolling in and wreaking havoc. I mostly walked and talked with Docken on the phone.
However... there's always a mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).
Red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were generally illusive and on at least one occasion, I wasn't paying attention.
It is my understanding that the only bird of prey local to me which will sometimes capture prey in flight are prairie falcons (Falco mexicanus). However, my overall impression of these seagulls flying amongst a pair of red-tailed hawks was... the seagulls seemed to scatter a bit in the hawks presence and why is the one red-tailed exposing its talons like that? There were at least 10 more seagulls than depicted here. This was the best grouping I could manage.
As I walked around the hillside I noticed smoke coming from the nearby neighborhood of Northridge. It wasn't until I saw this image that I was able to see the source location of the smoke, left side.
On a brighter note, before I left, I had some time with scrub jays, Bowie and Mr. B. No pictures of Mr. B today but here are two of Bowie.
Yesterday I dove into another Once Upon a Walk Report project. It's a folder of images from November 27, 2016 up through April 1, 2017. It's a big one starting off with 9,285 images. Here's a headline I just saw from 11/27/16... you can't make this shit up... Clinton campaign to participate in Wisconsin recount, Trump team says recount is a 'scam' run by 'sore losers,' and more. Anyway, I look forward to finishing the folder and making the post, perhaps mid-week.
... like mockingbirds, there's always a Walk Report; and another lovely one, at that. The hawks and their tussle with the seagulls is a really cool shot. Bowie, beautiful as always. The mockingbird?... wouldn't be the same without him. Thanks a bunch for the pretty pictures. I hope Northridge survived.
ReplyDeleteThose gulls are no fools. I think talons out means business ! How big do you estimate those hawks are? We have some big ones in my area that live in the top of very tall cypress trees and seem to fancy squirrels. Because of our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and brackish Lake Pontchartrain we have a lot of inland gull activity here mostly around malls and restaurants. Bowie is so unique I imagine she is easy to spot. Immensely enjoyed the report as always!
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