Today's walk report: 070121

 Cat food, cat food, crow food...

About a week ago I was thinking about how best to deal with dry cat food waste created by an array of sloppy birds on my patio. Some days are worse than others and yesterday was ridiculous. I'm not inclined to bend over, pick up the mess and put it back in Stan's dish because... I'm not inclined to bend over. Sweeping it into a pile and putting it back in the cat dish introduces too much foreign matter and I don't care to do that to Stan. So, what to do?

This was the situation yesterday. I swept up that pile thinking I'd leave it there for the birds and they would prefer that over Stan's bowl. A couple of hours later it was a mess again.

Long ago Google figured out my interest in birds and I'm constantly reminded of this on YouTube. For several months now they have assisted in turning my attention toward Corvidae, corvids, more specifically, ravens and crows. I am particularly fascinated by the intelligence of these two families of birds.

Since post vaccination my renewed vigor for walks has had me out and about just around the crack of dawn. It's mostly quiet, other than some light traffic along one avenue for the first 1/4 mile there is little human activity for the bulk of the walk. I like that. However, there are a few spots where I frequently encounter crows. One place in particular almost always has a murder of crows. A murder of crows is the collective noun for a group of crows. This is especially true on garbage collection day. That day is today. I decided to offer a healthy option for the crows diet rather than them picking at the overflow of trash cans. Purina Cat Chow Naturals.

As I approached I tried two methods to summon the crows to my intentions. I wanted them to know it was me delivering a meal and that my act was friendly. One, as I approached I held up and gently shook the zip lock bag containing the cat food. Two, I let out a low decibel very human sounding, caw, caw, caw. They were watching from a tree and also some utility lines above and across the street.

I didn't stop walking, went up to the next house, turned around and watched them close in on the cat food.

Corvus brachyrhynchos – American crow

Here's a not too related song about cat food. I love this song.

Today's walk report: 012614

Take my word for it...

'Cause I didn't get pictures. It was exciting. Just as I was crossing the street to enter the campus I see a red-tailed hawk going after two crows and I mean REALLY going after them. I started to point the camera upwards while only 2/3 across but I also noticed the "walk sign" counting down and traffic waiting for a green so I thought better. Actually, there was two rounds of attacks and if it wasn't so darn exciting to watch I might have been able to get a shot or two off but all I ended up with during the aggression was one of the crows.

I'll make an assumption that the red-tailed were protecting a nest. That's the other thing. I didn't realize until the battling red-tailed hawk's "return to base" that a mate was also in that tree.

 As soon as I walked across the street on campus toward the birds the lower one took off. Once I got square with the front of the tree the upper bird, the aggressor in warding off the crows, followed.

I walked around a bit trying to see where they went and if indeed there was a nest in the area but I lost them.

Looping back to my regular course I spotted my 1st woodpecker with camera in hand. As soon as I got close enough to get a modestly decent photo the little pecker took off. This was the best I could tweak out of Photoshop so I could get an idea of what the bird looked like. This is about 45 meters from that tree. I always take the 1st shot I can get and then start moving in. At least that way I can get an idea of what to look for the next time.

As you can see it was another gray dismal day for the most part. Except the difference today was it actually rained a little. It didn't even get the ground wet but perhaps it's a precursor of more to come this week. Friday reads, 60% chance of rain at the moment. However we've seen that sort of prediction fizzle several times already this winter.

Here's male Anna's hummingbird #1 once again but what I wanted to show was we're seeing some foilage on the Caesalpinia gilliesii bush now. While the flowers on that bush are really wild bees are much more attracted to them than hummingbirds are, in fact I don't believe I have any photos of hummingbirds going for the Caesalpinia flowers.

Here's what those flowers look like. This photo was taken last April. In fact it may have been taken for the 1st walk report on this blog, 041913.

There's several plants showing blooms now that are attractive to the hummingbirds. Scarlet bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius) and Grevillea olivacea are both coming in nicely. So is this Chandelier plant (Kalanchoe delagoensis.)

New signs in the garden... Austrailian Natives (north end) and California Natives as you enter from the south side. I'm a California native myself.

Despite it being mostly gray we got a nice sunset. I was far away from my usual sunset vantage points by this time having cut the walk a little short (7.39 km) wanting to get home. This is a 4 image stitch from the front of my house.

Today's walk report: 011314

Flying.

Yesterday I mentioned my marveling at birds of prey, specifically a turkey vulture and a prairie falcon, navigating the sky in these strong Santa Ana winds were currently experiencing (again). I left a couple of birds out but since I watched in awe again today I'll mention them.

Crows seem to take delight in the winds more than most of the birds I see. Maybe it's because they are usually in groups or at least pairs that it appears as though they are playing. I think they are having fun.

Then there are the Canadian geese in for their seasonal visit. It's not so special seeing them fly in the wind, they seem to take on that task the same as they would otherwise, usually flying head-on in formation. But watching them land in the wind something else. When they put their large wings up braking against the wind it's a special sight to behold. There is a moment when they appear motionless in time.

That's all. I had a good walk although I was somewhat troubled by something that happened today. I had one on my cars in the driveway from the garage to clean this morning. I hosed it down down first and was waiting for the driveway to dry some before bringing out the vacuum cleaner. My front door was open and I was back and forth doing stuff inside the house. The car's only 5 meters from the front screen door. I noticed something in the driveway just behind the car and went out to investigate. It was a cassette tape. Not mine. I haven't used cassettes in 25+ years. So that was odd. Who dropped this tape in my driveway? Then I started vacuuming the car and noticed my car stereo had been tampered with. Right there in my driveway? Somebody tried to steal my car stereo?? REALLY?!? That's messed up. It's mostly that, I feel violated feeling which becomes pervasive. That and what ran through my head had I caught the asshole. The fantasy bust the guy and kick his ass thing. Anyway, that kind of screwed up my day and the walk was cut short, just 6.59 km. I talked to my neighbor across the street and we exchanged a little "I'll watch your house you watch mine" sort of buddy program. I do that anyway.

Today's walk report: 010414

What happens next is amazing!

Inside joke. That line came to mind after sitting here for 30 seconds going, duh..., for an opening line.

Nothing special today but I did catch a nice sunset tonight toward the end of a long walk. It was easily 11 km. Some people will see that and think it's nothing. Other's might not walk that in a week. For me that's a pretty decent trek and today it felt really great until... about the last 1 km. That's when a aggravating pain in my left ankle suddenly arose. It didn't really slow me down but it was a bitch for the home stretch. I think I've probably mentioned here before but I'll mention again that I suffer from what is known as chronic ankle instability or even more simplistically, weak ankles. I was told as a kid this is genetic and that my father also suffered from weak ankles. I'll probably wrap that ankle tomorrow if it's still pestering me.

Here's a few pics then I'm hitting the shower, having some soup and flopping the couch with my cat for a movie.

I was trying to get a shot off before they moved this close into the sun but tracking and focus was a tad slow.

My two crow friends again. These birds are inseparable. Did you know that crows mate for life? Well apparently they do.

The sunset did ultimately go pink but by the time I left this hill I had already been out for two hours and I didn't feel like waiting it out to see.

Today's walk report: 122813

From my front door and beyond.

It was another one of those walks where I felt had I left earlier I could have spent a lot more time walking. I felt GREAT! Initially my plan was to leave about 2:30 but I didn't get out until 3:13. I woke up this morning with an eyestrain headache and by 1:30 it was nagging at me so much I decided to lie down on the couch, close my eyes and listen to music. Same thing that happened on 121613 but for different reasons, as soon as the stereo lost wireless I was out. I don't know if this is a bandwidth issue or Pandora just likes to cut you off sometimes to see if you're still there. Whatever the case, once the music was gone me and the cat on top of me were both sound asleep. I figure there was 40 minutes of music and 30 of nap time. As my mom would always say, well, you must've needed it.

2/3 a cup of coffee, 1/2 a liter of water and a rare ibuprofen later, I grabbed iPod and camera and was out the door. The headache was still haunting me but it would disappear about 1 km into the walk.

I'm starting to see some activity already from some of the wildflower seed I laid down in October and why not? The seedlings probably think spring is already here, we had a high of 84º yesterday and it topped out at 76º today. Hardly what most people would call winter weather.

Outside my door...

Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

and I believe this is Alyssum Purple Royal Carpet (Lobularia maritima). Those seeds went down late last year and I never saw anything.

Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), it seems odd to me that this is only manifesting in one small area so far but I know little about the secret life of plants.

Onto the campus...

Merely an exercise in manually focusing.

Cooper's hawk having delusions of grandeur?

I continue to find it challenging to get a nice close-up of an American Kestral. My camera data here says I was 10.9 meters away which actually would be the closest I've gotten BUT I don't want to be looking so directly up, I'd like a nicer pose, I want better lighting and I'd like to capture the bird on something more "natural" than a lamppost.

These are the two crows I've mentioned before. These birds have known me for 3 years now. Crows in the wild can easily live into their 20s. This was where I'd almost always find them at the top of the hill close to sunset but lately there have been birds of prey hanging out in this same location. From this spot I walk a circle on the top of the hill. It's about 800 meters.

When I came back to the crow's spot look who I found. I now believe this is a Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) but as always I welcome corrections, anyway, the crows were nowhere to be seen. Although I will also point out crows do not seem to be especially intimidated by hawks. See one challenge I probably diverted here.

Today's walk report: 111513

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday we had a high here of 92.2º, today's high was 68º. Tomorrow we have a 20% chance of rain. I preferred walking in the cooler clime.

Aloe flower... I forgot to get the name.

Sharp, sharper, sharpest.

Green lynx spider #1, eggs remain unhatched. Green lynx spider #2's eggs hatched on or about Oct. 19th.

More sharpness.

This shrub is pretty full now. It's about 4' tall and 8' in diameter. ID from my botanically minded sister,  Tagetes lemmonii, (aka Copper Canyon daisy).

This crow knows me. Its partner is directly across the street atop a pine tree. I've known these two crows for about 3 years now.

Almost sunset and I'm on my way home.

Just entering my street I noticed the hawk way up in the palm tree.

Today's walk report: 091313

Friday the 13th.

This morning I needed to call the IRS. The phone lines open at 7 AM. I was dialing at 7 AM. In the queue I'm told by the recorded message I have a 30 minute hold time. I thought OK, not so bad... It wasn't until I was heading into one hour on hold I realized it was Friday the 13th. Not something I really put credence into but after 2 hours, a brief conversation with one agent and a transfer to another "department" with an additional 2 hour hold you start to see how these myths get created. There wasn't any resolution to the issue either.

Onto the walk. Day one of what's being predicted as another week long heat wave and I tried to stretch out the exit time due to that once again. The biggest issue being photos. Waiting for cooler temps means losing light. When I lived in Los Angeles and experienced 15º lower average temps I went out around 4 PM this time of year. Here it's 6 PM+. Sunset here was 7:04 PM today.

This was an odd pair to see so close to one another. A red-tailed hawk and a crow. I've seen crows go after hawks before in what appears to be a territorial dispute. However this hawk was quite a bit larger than that crow. The one which ultimately got spooked by my presence was the hawk. For the most part crows don't give a shit about people around here.

The horses are back in the equestrian unit so that's nice. I like talking to the horses and have been known to bring in an apple of two. I don't believe the campus owns horses anymore but rather "rents" them for the school's riding classes.

Lamb Chops here would not stop Baaaaa-ing at me. So I Baaaaa'd back and then I said byyyeee.

She might have been upset about the pair of coyotes which weren't too far away when I arrived.

Time to relax a bit, it's been a long week. As always, thanks for joining me on my walk.

Today's walk report: 080913

The scavenger hunt.

I often feel that's what weekend walks are. My Friday-Sunday walks being focused on taking pictures as much as taking a walk. It's usually the same territory and I scavenge the area trying to find something new or different enough to be interesting. There's often disappointment in that approach. Although one really nice photo out of 100s of attempts is all it takes to make the rest worthwhile.

This is just disgusting. I took this picture because it should embarrass smokers with how disgusting they can be. I used to smoke so don't give me your shit. It's a vile, filthy habit and it kills. This is on the sidewalk, in front of someone's home. How can anyone think this is an okay thing to leave around?

Three crows on a lamppost. Well, you can see that, right? Crows have an interesting social comportment. They're smart birds. They're also really annoying for the most part.

A dead green fruit beetle. I wrote about fruit beetles here. I believe this will be a trend, I don't think their life cycle lasts more than a few months once they become beetles.

I might want to say that this was planned and inspired by the beauty of nature around me, life energy or some other nonsense but I can't. What's going on here is I'm reaching up into a tree with my left arm and pulling down a branch that's over my head. I'm holding the camera in my right hand. I have a closeup attachment on my 70-300mm lens set at about 220mm. That will give me very little DOF and focuses at about 30 cm (11.8"). There's a live green fruit beetle on the branch I'm holding but it was exceptionally difficult to get the beetle in frame and in focus and hold onto this branch which was initially about 1 meter above my head. This is one of my attempts to get a photo. That said, I think it's rather nice, especially the full frame shot that you don't get to see.

Here's another picture I missed focus on. I was walking toward the squirrel on the trash can and was talking to him. I don't remember what I was saying but I realized all of a sudden that he was sticking his tongue out at me so I rushed this shot.

I posted a couple of night shoots of these San Pedro cactus blooming in this post. They bloom at night. This one was getting an early start and the bees were loving it. I'll mention that San Pedro cactus are a decent source of mescaline which is a psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class. I don't need to look this up. This is part of what I studied in college believe it or not. I wouldn't recommend going through the process of extracting mescaline from this plant and ingesting it. It's a pretty nasty way to get high and I can promise you you'll be sick before you experience any sort of cosmic getaway.

Today's walk report: 062613

This is so hot...

As summer settles in my walk time becomes more and more dependent on outside temperature than hour of the day. I prefer to walk when the thermometer reads 85º F (29.4º C) or less. I would much rather walk in a torrential downpour than in 100º + weather. I live in the San Fernando Valley (you know like, Encino, the Galleria, it's so bitchen) and it gets really hot here. I'm actually a few miles north west of Encino--but we pretty much share the same heat. It's not like Phoenix, Arizona hot but it can be pretty miserable. Triple digits will be common. 115º+ is not unheard of.

The only really positive thing I can say about this kind of weather and how it effects my walks is, waiting for cooler climes gets me out at the right time to catch some nice sunsets. Temps can stay way up there well into October and as we progress into fall the setting sun is often quite spectacular.

Today I walked out the door about 7:15 PM or 89.6º F. I turned the A/C on before I left and really appreciated it when I got home. Sunset today was no more than an orange glow behind the Santa Susana Mountains so no pics but I thought I'd post some from last year instead.

This is kind of random, I'm really just hoping to get this done rather quickly tonight.

That's a peregrine falcon in the tree there.  That's a rare bird in these parts.

Usually it's a pair of crows in this location. Trust me, the other one was nearby. I would see these same two crows everyday at sunset.

See? Would I lie to you?

Sometimes I'm already heading home. I often have 2nd thoughts about not having waited out the sunset from up on the hill but then I had special responsibilities at home which took precedence last year. Tonight I had a vivid recollection of my mother passing away the last km of my walk--almost a tunnel vision movie playing out in front of me. I'm coming up on 4 months since she left, some of the memory could fade a bit faster if it would. This is very close to where I was when that happened today.

 If the sunset is lighting up the sky in a big way I often shoot the other direction for shots I call, the other side of sunset (in other words, east.)

Panorama shot silhouetting the Santa Susana Mountains.

The Warner Center, Woodland Hills, CA.

Many times there have been wonderful sunsets and I don't have the best choice of lenses. This shot 70mm and was a 16:9 crop from 3:2.

That "texture" you see in the clouds remains consistent across multiple image over the course of about 15 minutes. I have to assume it was winds, or perhaps some crazy virga effect. I saw it too so it wasn't my camera. This shot was taken 100613.

 
 Want a closer look? Here you go...

Now let's look north, 8 minutes later...

A week earlier... I wonder what the bird on the barbed wire is thinking. I see a lot of animals watching the sunset and just have to believe there's something going on. Some magic.