Today's walk report: Great, great, great, grandson of Tim?

 Or something like that... This was Tim. Gophers typically live for 1 to 3 years in the wild, although some can live up to 5 to 7 years in the wild depending on the species and environment. Their short lifespan is largely due to their many predators, which include owls, hawks, weasels, coyotes, foxes, and snakes. Today I ran into another pocket gopher reminiscent of Tim, approximately 400 yards from where Docken and I used to see Tim back in 2015. It will be interesting to see if this little fellow shows up again. But first...

The little dude needs to watch out. This pair of red-tailed hawks coincidentally (or not) were hanging out right above the area where Docken and I would be visited by Tim. Speaking of Docken, my thanks to her for coming along over the phone for my walks both yesterday and today. Yesterday's walk provided no photo ops and with AM gloomy weather both days I was hard pressed in finding photo worthy material again today.

The red-tailed hawks were present both coming and going today. I only captured one of them on the way in but I saw and certainly heard them both. A red-tailed hawk's call is a harsh, raspy scream, often transcribed as "kree-eee-ar" or "kee-eeeee-arr". This sound, which lasts about 2–3 seconds, is a high-pitched cry that descends in pitch and is frequently used in movies to represent any hawk or eagle. 

 Onto the local botanical garden. At first glimpse this looked quite mysterious. The camera lens took my eye considerably closer. This pocket gopher spent about 15 minutes with me nearby, turning around a full 360º in its hole more than once. Gophers have poor eyesight, which is not well-suited for long-distance or detailed vision, and they rely more on their other senses to navigate. Their eyes can detect light, but their primary adaptations for a subterranean life include highly sensitive whiskers and tails, which help them feel and navigate their environment in the dark. They also have poor hearing and are not well-equipped to see above ground, preferring to stay underground in their burrows. This little fellow was certainly curious about something. Did it sense my footsteps and think, ah... human. Humans often carry food... 

 While speaking with Doc, I sat on a bench for awhile and watched.

 Suddenly, it was gone. I went to look and sure enough, the little critter had closed up shop.

 It was a relatively short walk and I returned to where I parked my car off campus. The car was about .70 miles from the gopher's hole. The total walk was just a little over 1.5 miles. On the way back the red-tailed hawks were much closer. It was overcast and a tad foggy so the lighting was less than optimal. The two hawks were only about 50 yards apart here. The one in the tree is the one that was in flight in the first images.

 Thanks for taking a look.

Intelligent life is all around us...
 

Today's walk report: Let me be brief

 It's about time for golden slumbers pour moi, so briefly, here are some pictures from today's walk. This was going to be a weekend walk report, but yesterday's photos left a lot to be desired. 

Thanks to Docken for joining me over the phone both Saturday and Sunday. 

Today, Sunday, October 19th

Even through my camera at 300 mm I wasn't quite sure what sort of flying contraption this was. Turns out it's a one man UGottaBInsane.

 Let's zoom in and crop. 

There's a bee in there and I was waiting for it to come out but lost my patience. Maybe he's still in there?

 A different bee, there were lots of options.

The only cooperating butterfly for the day.

Man diving.

That's it! I'm heading for the Land of Nod.

 

Guess the bird, win a fabulous no-prize!

 Today's walk report. Another post summer walk with a serious lack of photo opportunities. So I came up with this. If you can correctly identify the feathers shown below and note your answers in the comments section you may win a fabulous no-prize to be awarded at no time in no place. 

Two feathers coincidentally landing pointed end down. This is the calamus, or quill--the hollow, basal part of a bird's feather shaft that anchors the feather in the bird's skin. The quill is unseen in the first picture since it's obviously buried inside the cracked asphalt road in front of me. What you can see is the rachis, the stiff, central shaft of a feather, from which the barbs (the vane) extend.

I am 100% positive I have accurately identified the first feather. Google image searches are NOT permitted. Besides. I checked to see what Google AI might have to say on this first feather and I got... "The feather's distinct pattern of chocolate-brown on one side and white on the other is characteristic of a Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)." Google AI needs to be checked out for color blindness.

 This second feather, I'm 92% confident that I have correctly identified the bird species belonging to this  image. It's the first bird I thought of when I saw it but then an another bird came to mind that I've since eliminated. The softer feathers toward the quill are called afterfeathers. Afterfeathers and down feathers are both types of downy feathers that provide insulation, but they differ in their structure and location. An afterfeather is a second, smaller feather attached to the base of a larger, outer contour or flight feather, while down feathers are soft, fluffy, and grow independently from the skin.

 There you have it. There is no time limit on this not a contest, participants may respond at any time and still win a wonderful no-prize. However, I will be providing the answers in my next post, or two or three. Maybe I'll even spill the beans in the comment section. Good luck! And remember, nobody cares!

Special thanks to Docken for joining me over the phone on my walk again today.  

One more thing: Brown Boobies can be found in Channel Islands National Park and Sutil Island, specifically off the coast of Santa Barbara Island, where they have established a breeding colony. The birds have been expanding their range northward from Mexico, and are now seen in increasing numbers in Southern California. However, you will not find any Brown Boobies in my neck of SoCal suburbia. I am struggling to avoid jokes about boobies. 

The fate of all mankind, I see 
Is in the hands of fools