Today's walk report: Singing Winds, Crying Beasts

 Singing? More like howling. Let's just say it was really windy. A gorgeous late Saturday morning nonetheless. The walk was only 1.5 miles but I've been walking everyday this week, up to 2.76 miles and to be perfectly honest some of the terrain became my reluctant dance partner. Every uneven step, every loose stone, every gust of wind was a challenge, a test of my balance and resolve, a testament to my will. Special thanks to Docken for joining me (and putting up with my grievances) over the phone and assisting with my decisions to push myself and when to take it easy. I'd like to get back to 3 mile+ walks and doing so with relative comfort. There's an old Swedish proverb, att bli gammal suger. Getting old sucks.

Onto today's photos.

Some decent pictures of the male Calypte anna hummingbird known as Dusty. He was perched at the top of a dead California bay tree. These thin branches were swaying about 2' back and forth in the wind but he kept hanging on. Docken commented that perhaps he was having fun.

On the lower campus loop I saw this red-tailed hawk being taunted by a pair of common ravens up near the top of the hill. I was hoping to see all three once I got up there. Sorry, they were moving really fast and were far away to begin with. The couple of shots I got of the ravens were way out of focus.

Top of the hill. No sign of the hawk but the ravens were still around. I'm positive this is the same pair of common ravens I've been catching on top of the hill for some time now. Here's the deal on raven pairs, breeding pairs must have a territory of their own before they begin nest-building and reproduction, and thus they aggressively defend a territory and its food resources. Nesting territories vary in size according to the density of food resources in the area. (Wikipedia) They will also typically maintain this territory for life.

This is the male, vocalizing from the same lamppost I've seen him perched upon before.

 His mate was across the road, he was pointed in her direction and she was squawking too.

She moved across the road and onto the next lamppost downhill.

 I proceeded up hill and watched them follow and move down near where I began my walk on the lower campus. As the raven flies that was about 530 yards. I continued my loop around the hill. 

These are apparently Ceiba pentandra fruit, the Kapok tree. I've mis-ID'd this tree before. For some time I thought I'd like to get some seeds from it and see if I could propagate them. After reading up on the size potential of this tree I've changed my mind. I'm pretty sure this one is not in ample space either. I've seen the tree for years, this is the first year I've seen fruit.

The wind literally pushed me back to my car for the last 25 yards of the upper campus walk.

This was the first album I bought with my own money, September 1970.

 

Today's walk report: And the day is dark and dreary

 Actually today wasn't so bad. Yesterday was dark and dreary. I had told myself yesterday to get out and at least do a short walk in between rainfall but it was so gloomy looking out my bedroom window that I convinced myself to instead hang out on the bed and watch Corvid videos on YouTube with Lucy the Cat. When I felt guilty, I had something to eat. Ultimately, I transcended shame. I think they call that suburban nirvana. 

First, this is the only picture from last Sunday I liked and since the turkey buzzards (Cathartes aura) were circling overhead again today (I hate it when they do that), I thought I'd include it here. Besides photo subjects have been few and far between.

Today, Sunday, January 21, there were no excuses. I ventured out, camera in hand, with Docken on the phone. Thank you, Docky.

The weather. It got much bluer on the journey home.

I only saw a tiny amount of sprinkles when I took the car up the hill after a lower campus walk. The combined walks, lower and upper campus, amounted to 2.11 miles, dodging people, people with dogs, squirrels, and existential dread along the way. I successfully navigated the treacherous terrain of mostly sidewalk. There were some stairs involved. 

A common raven. I grow fonder of ravens all the time.

I visited the garden twice because I was hoping to see the male Calypte anna hummingbird known as Dusty. I spotted him on my second stopover. You'll have to trust me that this is Dusty atop the dead California Bay tree. I cranked up the shadows and midtones quite a bit in another photo to be sure. That wasn't a presentable image.

There's always a mockingbird.

From down below I had seen a red-tailed hawk land in one of the larger pine trees near the top of the hill but for the life of me I couldn't spot one once I got up there. In fact the only pictures I got were of another mockingbird...

 and this sparrow which had just obviously found its way out of a puddle nearby.

That's all I got but the point was my getting out and walking. I believe I had walked every other day this past week and it was a welcomed change of space after yesterday's intermission.

Yesterday's precipitation, .60".

The Rainy Day

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

A Walk Report Anthology

 Or something... 

I tried to get something posted on December 31, the "just because" was because it was the end of the year. Honestly, there was simply too much stuff going on and I wasn't especially excited about walks or pictures taken during walks. I have, however, walked most days and on weekend walks I took some pictures so, here we go.

But first: The most important, super, excellent event for the new year. Docken retrieved her lost kitty, Clark, in the late evening on January 1. Happy New Year! Clark was lost, to no fault on Docken's part, on December 2nd and through a ton of courage, conviction and really hard work Docken got him back. 

Back and friends again with his sister from another mother, Annie.

Now for some pictures. I'll admit, I've been having trouble on the photo taking front. Oh! And additional thanks to Docken today for fixing my "camera" issue. 

December 30th was a lousy day for taking pictures.

 A female Calypte anna hummingbird resting on a Senna bicapsularis shrub.

This could be a Cooper's hawk but I'm pretty sure it's a prairie falcon.

 

Aphelocoma californica, AKA, a scrub jay.

That was it for 12/30/23.

January 6th, 2024. 

I was pleased with photos of Psaltriparus minimus birds hurdling through the garden. They are so incredibly animated and tiny too, plus, it gets confusing because they move rapidly form shrub to shrub in flocks of 10-40 birds. My advice is to pick one and stick with it.

This is a Say's phoebe (Sayornis saya). I don't think I've ever seen one before. I commented to Docken that it looked like a black phoebe. different coloration and slightly larger. 

And that was all I got on 010624.

January 7th, 2024.

One of those walks I just wanted to get some distance in and be done with it. 

One of my old donkey friends. I think I first met the donkeys in 2010 or perhaps it was 2011. Donkeys can live up to 40 years.

 This is Tony.

And this is Regina.

Red tailed hawk.

I met this raven on the way back to my car. It had three shriveled up olives in its mouth. I know it looks like just two but trust me. 

Onto today, January 13, 2024.

Special thanks to Docken again for joining me over the phone and for solving my "camera" issue. Long time, pain in the ass problem and I'm supposed to be the techie dude. Always eliminate the possibilities before you come to conclusions!

I was looking for male Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty and this female was hanging out in his territory.

A very talkative common raven.

There's always a mockingbird.

A red-tailed hawk under difficult lighting conditions.

That was it for today but speaking of cats... Our good buddy feral Stan has been finding his house and heated bed early on winter mornings. 

And after many weeks of not hanging out with her dad, Lucy has been especially fond of his lap both day and night. 

Prokofiev: Cinderella, Op. 87 - 16. Winter Fairy.