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)