Today's walk report: I got what I wanted!

 Two different events, two photo ops today, fulfilling recent desires. First, on my way into the local college campus where I typically engage in weekend walks, there was a red-tailed hawk high up on the rusty old fencing that runs along the first base side foul line and right field. On June 23rd I took a very distant photo of a bird so I could get a better idea of what it was. I had been longing for some bird of prey photo opportunities and just had not been seeing any. I made that photo part of "Win a fabulous No-Prize by identifying this bird!" Well, that bird was a red-tailed hawk.

Here's the Buteo jamaicensis that was patiently waiting for a baseball game or, more likely, for some rodent to run out into center field. Please don't mind a certain level of redundancy. I took a lot of pictures today (1,073) and I didn't want to be overly choosy.

I moved inside, right long the first base line.

Are you looking at me?

Right about this moment a mockingbird flew in and perched itself about 6' feet from the hawk. I tried to zoom out to get them together in a shot but the mockingbird decided it best be on it's way. I've seen mockingbirds taunt red-tailed hawks on multiple occasions. They go after ravens too.

The hawk only seemed a bit quizzical.

I decided to go across the street and visit the horticulture area of the campus which includes the mostly defunct "braille trail."

The sunflowers were being picked for seeds by a small group of very young lesser goldfinches (Spinus psaltria).

 Coreopsis.

Some type of Echinacea hybrid.

Gaillardia x grandiflora. It was really this vivid.

Scabiosa atropurpurea or pincushion flower.

Heliotropium arborescens.

Acanthus mollis, commonly known as bear's breeches, sea dock, bear's foot plant, sea holly, gator plant or oyster plant.

Dianthus, Jolt Pink Magic.

Lagerstroemia indica 'Amethyst King'. Crepe myrtle.

I wandered around the braille trail quite a bit but didn't see anything particularly new or exciting so I thought I'd provide a better idea of how the trail was originally designed in the early 1970s. Ropes led visitors to these informational plaques which were in both English and braille.

This "cork" oak tree was cut just a few feet above the plaque.

I don't want to know who or why someone had been walking around barefoot and with what appears to have been a rather large dog.

 

Monarch butterfly on Vinca major, common names are bigleaf periwinkle, large periwinkle, greater periwinkle and blue periwinkle 

On my way back out I noticed several of these trees had recently been planted. I have no ID. This is a reminder for me to go back and check those fruits once they have opened. Any guesses?

I went back to my car and decided to move it to the other side of the parking lot, closer to the botanical garden. Normally I'd simply walk but there was a baseball game scheduled and I thought it best not to take up any of their parking space.

Onto the garden.

I've mentioned this before. There are so many rabbits this year. I also see them approaching closer to my own neighborhood. I'm not very excited about bunnies in my backyard, as cute as they may be. The  desert cottontail, also known as Audubon's cottontail.

Is this mom? She was nearby and she seemed to be watching.

The big excitement and what I meant by getting what I wanted. Bumblebees! I mentioned this just yesterday that I had wanted to "get a hover shot" the other day. And also wrote, "Next time." Well next time was today and it's the first time ever, I saw more than one bumblebee in one spot. There were at least three but perhaps four. I generally follow one bee for as long as I can so I don't go nuts. These are Bombus californicus, the California bumble bee. The plant is Salvia uliginosa, the bog sage. I stayed with them for a long time and I'm gonna post a bunch of images because I can.

Right when I turned to leave I spotted this dude. The flame skimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata) is a common dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to western North America.

Bee Sting and despite my polite yet long term intrusion, I didn't even. This is the entire album but it should start at Bee Sting.