Today's walk report: 060422

 A Saturday walk, how about that!

I was testing the waters. I was testing my courage and sanity, walking on a college campus during what I thought might be the start of summer session with too many young adults scurrying about. I just looked that up, it doesn't start until June 13th. Nevertheless, as I was departing the school, around 9:00 AM, there were more than enough students flowing onto campus. My timing seemed perfect as I puttered about unhindered taking pictures. Docken joined me on the phone. It's fun talking to Dockie, she has a good sense of visualization. I can describe where I am and I can tell she's picturing the scene with clarity. We've spent a good deal of time together in this garden.

A little too much June gloom in the sky but the temperature was perfect for me, about 62º F for the duration. Here are some pictures from today's journey.

Lots of desert cottontail, also known as Audubon's cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii).

 I'm pretty sure this is a female Selasphorus rufus (rufous hummingbird) this time collecting cactus fuzz for a nest. It could be a female Selasphorus sasin. It's hard to tell at times, I'm just playing the odds since rufous are still here during migration and there's quite a few.

One of the Echinopsis flowering with palo verde tree flowers accenting.

This is probably a female Selasphorus sasin (Allen's hummingbird).

This is a new ID for me. I spoke to Docken about this delightful chripping which was becoming more and more pronounced as I walked the width of the garden. I kept looking and looking and then suddenly I realized he was right in front of me. This is a male Bewick's wren (Thryomanes bewickii). It's a delightful little singer and it seemed to be following me. Although now that I've read up a little it's more likely it was asking me to kindly move along. Only the male sings and they defend their nesting territory by singing. Can you imagine, what if we humans did something so reverential? A small library of Bewick's wren vocalizations can be found here on The Cornell Lab of Orithology's, All About Birds. 

 
Mr. Reliable, Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty.

The purple flowers in the background of that last image? Why those are from the beautiful Vitex agnus-castus, or "chaste tree." A shrub native to the Mediterranean and Asia. The fruit has been historically used for reducing sexual desire. No kidding? Why?

The Century plant (Agave americana) from the last few posts is still working on flowering.

Over to the Australian section of the garden... It seems to me this area is consistently, historically headquarters for at least one male Selasphorus sasin (Allen's hummingbird). This was the main hangout for the famous sasin, Rusty some years back. 

It was fun wandering around taking pictures today although there was a certain amount of melancholy involved with the location, especially as I began to see students arrive. I kept flashing on how different it might be to be in school in times like these. I grew up never having to think being shot at school, my life ending because of gun worship and Republican greed. The Vast Majority of Americans Support Universal Background Checks. Why Doesn’t Congress?