Sunday's Walk Report: Love is in the Air, er, Love is in a Shrub

 In the air, in a shrub, yes there was hummingbird love today. Even if the act of mating only lasted a moment, the ritual leading up to it gave me a 15 minute photo op. It certainly went on longer but I decided to leave the two little love birds alone.

This is the male Calype anna hummingbird I photographed last Sunday. This is not Dusty. I first went to look for Dusty just south of this spot but decided to hang out here and sit and talk with Docken for a change (thank you, Doc). Lately walks have been anxious and rushed for the most part. I need to balance the task of walking with carpe diem. I need to get back to engaging my senses, sight, sound, smell and touch and be grateful for the present. Take a moment to appreciate the simple joys of my walks - the sunshine, the fresh air, or the company of a loved one--even if it's over the phone. 

The anna's hummingbird mating ritual... I've described this before but I don't have the patience to find an appropriate post. So I'm swiping this from Wikipedia. Unlike most northern temperate hummingbirds, the male Anna's hummingbird sings during courtship. The song is thin and squeaky, interspersed with buzzes and chirps, and is drawn to over 10 seconds in duration. During the breeding season, males can be observed performing an aerial display dive over their territories. When a female flies onto a male's territory, the male rises up about 130 ft (40 m) before diving over the female. As the male approaches the bottom of the dive, it reaches an average speed of 27 m/s (89 ft/s), which is 385 body lengths per second. At the bottom of the dive, the male travels 23 m/s (51 mph), and produces an audible sound produced by the tail feathers, described by some as an "explosive squeak".

Here are today's photos. This is the female. She was looking right at me when I sat down on the bench.

And here's the male...

Back to the little girl...

And back to the boy...

On my way to walk, I always marvel at the little caves the ground squirrels make in this ground cover. The second one looks like a secret hideout. I'm glad it's not in my yard.

The rest of the walk was uneventful on the photographic front. Up on the hill I did spot one of my raven friends and I heard the other one croaking off in the distance but I wasn't able to catch up to either for a photo op.

To add some variety, this morning my feral cat buddy Stan was a no show but on one occasion checking for him I spotted this young kitty on my west side fence. I'm not inclined to entertain any more outdoor cats and as I approached it took off under its own volition.

 Mating Drive (whatever that means)

Weekend Walk Report: “Do or do not, there is no try.”

 You know what? Screw you Yoda. This weekend, Saturday, February 17th and Sunday (today) the 18th, I tried. I tried to both get decent walks in and I tried to find some subject matter to take pictures of. Ya see, legendary Jedi Master Yoda, effort is not irrelevant. "Do or do not," Yoda croaks, implying success boils down to a binary switch. Forget pesky factors like practice, determination, or external circumstances. Then Yoda throws in a confusing "try not!" just to keep us on our toes. So, trying is bad, but not trying is somehow Jedi-approved? "Do or do not!" Sounds terrifying, doesn't it? Suddenly, the pressure is on for every action, turning every stumble into a personal Jedi failure. Talk about anxiety fuel.

Here are some photos I did take this weekend. I won't show you the pictures I tried to take. Special thanks to Docken once again for putting up with me over the phone and keeping me company.

Saturday. February 17th.

Speaking of external circumstances and this was my bad, I went out into 49º, damp, foggy weather dressed inadequately. Sure, that might not be cold wherever you live but I would assume dressing appropriately is also relative. I was cold and I walked rapidly trying to warm up but it wasn't enjoyable and the excursion was cut short. Sum total for the weekend mileage-wise was a mere 3.15 miles. 

This is a male Calypte anna hummingbird, not dusty. This bird seems to be establishing a territory only 40 yards north of Dusty's main hang. This little fellow was obviously fresh from a bath.

From there I went looking for Dusty but only briefly because I needed to get moving and try to warm up. Dusty wasn’t around his usual digs. This white crowned sparrow is the only other picture I care to show from Saturday.

Sunday, February 18th.

I left a little later, dressed more sensibly and it was also 7º warmer today at departure time. However, I just happened to feel a general malaise. What about that Master Yoda? Maybe Luke simply felt a tad crappy that day. Give the lad some credit for not completely blowing it and at least successfully landing his X-wing in the Dagobah swamp. The entire planet is a swamp. It could have been much worse. Sometimes, a good old-fashioned "try" is exactly what the Force needs.

Today I got a few quick shots of male Calypte anna, Dusty. He was mostly elusive though and the weather was once again not conducive for picture taking.

Another white crowned sparrow. 

This tree squirrel was also out on a limb.

The weather. Storms are about to move in. Honestly, I've had about enough for awhile and this week I have to go out in it.

Love it all and hold it in your hands.

Weekend Walk Report: How's Your Bird?

 Walks for Saturday, February 10th and Sunday, February 11th.

Saturday, it was dangerously windy so the walk was short and the photo ops were few. Here's what I got. Special thanks to Docken for joining me over the phone both days.

I was especially impressed by a pair of red-tailed hawks and their ability to navigate the blustery currents. Check out the "rudder" action on this one. They moved out of my view quite rapidly.

 Onto today, Sunday... Superbowl Sunday even. 

It was barely breezy today and for this I was thankful. Male Calypte anna hummingbird, Dusty was hanging out.

So was this mockingbird. There's always a mockingbird and there's usually one in this tree.

I misID'd this bird twice today but this time I have it right. This is a Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans).

Canada geese. This was basically a blind shot with the sun glaring into my face.

Heading back to the car to drive up the hill I spotted this common raven in the parking lot. I'm reasonably sure this is the raven seen in this post from January 7th. Since its beak wasn't full of olives this time I picked up some dry cat food from the car and tossed a couple handfuls so it would notice. It wasn't until I started driving away that the bird flew down and started munching. I did a slight u-turn in the parking lot and caught a few images. 

Up to the hilltop.

This is an American kestrel, also known as a sparrow hawk. It's the smallest and most common falcon in North America. In my effort to get closer to this tree I lost track of the bird. However, I'm pretty sure that the kestrel on the tree that follows was the same one.

Kestrels are identified as a species of concern in 21 State Wildlife Action Plans, and they are included in several regional lists of Birds of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The causes of kestrel decline remain unknown. My best guess would be to look at stupid stuff humans are doing. 

A pair of juvenile white-crowned sparrows were hanging out in front of the kestrel.

That's all folks! Have a nice day!