Rain Reined In

 

Great Horned Owl, Golden Gate Park

There's still a 90 percent chance of rain in today's forecast, but the early stuff got reined in, allowing the sun to reign all morning. (It's still dry at 2 p.m.)

You've probably heard of microbes that produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, but have you heard about the microbes that eat it? An article in the March issue of Science News is about such microbes being discovered in the tree bark of an Australian species (Melaleuca quinquenervia), but the microbes might live in other tree species as well. (Earlier news of the discovery here.)

And speaking of microbes, I've gotta share another passage from The Secret Language of Cells: "While inside the cell, Ebola uses various evasion techniques. One viral protein that covers Ebola RNA helps evasion in multiple ways. Cell sensors recognize viral RNA and trigger attacks. Ebola's protein places phosphate tags to alter production of the cell's attack molecules. The same protein disrupts the cell's attempt to place tags on the virus. At the same time, the protein also prevents viral RNA attachment to cell recognition receptors. It is hard to understand how one protein call do all of this." [Emphasis added.]

I mention this only because it hints at the complexity of the whole universe of cells and microbes interacting within our own bodies. Eight percent of all human DNA comes from viruses that have placed their DNA into human genomes. One viral protein found in the human placenta allowed us to receive nutrients from our mothers while we were in her womb; without it, we'd have died. Are microbes our lifelong companions, or are they as much of who we are as all the other cells that comprise our bodies?

"With a hundred trillion microbes in the gut," Dr. Lieff continues, "and another thousand trillion viruses hovering over them, the sum of gut microbes has been called an additional human organ.... Collectively, microbes (mostly bacteria) in the gut have three million genes compared to twenty-four thousand in human cells. With these genes, microbes produce diverse molecules and signals, many of which are needed by humans for survival.... In many ways, humans have become completely dependent on the effects of friendly microbes in the gut." 

There was an artice in the New York Times today about the evolution of our eyeballs that discussed how Darwin himself was perplexed by the evolutionary means of producing such a complex organ. In Darwin's day, microbes were only just being discovered and were called "animalcules." He had no idea of their import to human life, but I'm sure he'd have been fascinated the coevolution of animalcules and such big creatures owls, hawks, and people.

I spotted this red-shouldered hawk yesterday as it relaxed on a former cypress limb that probably overhung Lincoln Avenue.

I stood in Lincoln Avenue's narrow median to get the shots without the hawk becoming disturbed by my presence. I guess if it can deal with all the motor vehicle traffic, a mere human on foot is nothing to worry about.

Because of the rain forecast I did my Tuesday walk on Sunday, my Monday walk on Monday, and my Wednesday walk (through West Portal and Forest Hill) today. The nesting hummer was off her nest, getting some needed preening done.

It didn't take long to get the job done.

It must have been nice to have a warm and sunny morning to get the preening chores done before getting back to incubation duties.

I stopped to check up on the barn-owl tree and found the owl was not there, but this red-shouldered hawk squawked behind me. This time, the hawk was disturbed by my presence, as you can see by the reappearance of its tucked-in foot.

A moment later....

A little farther along I spotted these red-tailed hawks between the archery range and the golf course. They were screeching and copulating, but it was all over by the time I got off my bike and pulled the camera out. The female, on the right, soon put some distance between her and the male.

She used her beak to pick at some thin branches, as if to gather nesting material, but the branches were stuck to the tree. Red-tailed hawk pairs often mate for life, but if these two had a nest nearby, I didn't see it.

Tulips are coming up in the Wilhelmina Garden at the Dutch Windmill.

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Tree Climber

 

Raccoon Climbing Monterey Cypress, Golden Gate Park

I've been re-reading The Secret Language of Cells by Jon Lieff, M.D. (and it's still information overload the second time around). In "The World of Neurons" chapter, Lieff writes, "Despite a tremendous amount of research, there are many challenges in understanding neuronal networks. No one knows yet how a unified subjective mental experience arises from these vast neuronal connections.... Thus far, a center for unified subjective experience has not been found."

When I read that, my first thought was, "Maybe it doesn't exist." I mean, we obviously have an ego that gives us a unified subjective experience, but that ego isn't a material "thing" the way our bodies are. Like the Buddhists say, our subjective experience is mostly habits of thought which we treat as if they had actual substance, when in fact thoughts are more like diaphanous specters which we can dispassionately observe, alter, clarify, judge, and so on. 

Electromagnetic photons pinging cells in our eyes and zapping signals to cells in the brain -- heck, it sort of sounds like a pinball machine. And really, all the trillions of cells in our bodies do their thing on their own, instinctually, keeping our digestion going, our heart pumping, our immune system functioning, and so on. It's all completely materialistic biochemistry. Yet somehow a dance of molecules has turned itself into plants and butterflies and birds and raccoons and Olympic athletes. Is consciousness a result of biochemistry, or is it the other way around?

Anyway, let me know if you figure it out.

Meanwhile, three days after my recent Sun Dog post, which referred to a coyote, we saw an actual sundog (parhelion) out our back window, a fairly rare sight for San Francisco since ice crystals are required for the sun to pull one off.

Sutro & Sundog

The resting raccoon could have just stayed put and I'd have mosied along after snapping a photo, but it got spooked after a couple passed by with a dog (which seemed not to notice the raccoon).

Problem Solved

Tree-climbing Raccoon

Cabbage White Butterfly Among Sourgrass Flowers

California Towhee

The towhee flew into the tree as I approached on the trail, then soon flew back down to continue eating what I assume to be flour spilled to mark a walking or running route.

This was a first for me at Mallard Lake.

Golden-crowned Sparrow in Red-flowering Currant

I stopped by the big Salvia gesnerifolia (which apparently has no common name) near Elk Glen Lake. The Anna's and Allen's hummingbirds had staked out opposite sides of the bushes and spent more time chasing each other than feeding on the tubular scarlet flowers.

Stern Hummer

Meanwhile, an orange-crowned warbler feasted unmolested. I wonder why it was nibbling at the base of the flowers. Maybe that's where the bugs hang out? Could they extract nectar from the outside?

Although they do eat nectar and fruit at times, insects make up more than 90 percent of their diet.

There were actually two Allen's hummingbirds using the Salvia bush (and nearby red-flowering currant). This one took a break from the action to get its feathers sorted out.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Yosemite High Country Yesterday

Cloud Drama at Mt. Shasta Yesterday

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Hairy's Spider

 

Hairy Woodpecker Nabs A Spider, Golden Gate Park

Well, it was 41 degrees when I began my walk this morning. A light breeze likely put the wind chill at around 39. Definitely one of the coldest mornings I've experienced here. Nevertheless, it felt great to be out and about after enduring a week of frequent rain and howling winds. 

I'd left the house on Thursday only to greatly shorten my route when I saw a dark band of rain clouds that stretched across the whole horizon. I knew there would be no escape from that thing, and I was glad to have at least gotten in a short walk while making it home with five minutes to spare.

I'd briefly flirted with the idea of going up to Yosemite to be in the snow, but it's just as well that I nixed the idea. Rangers closed the gates on Thursday afternoon and required visitors who were still there today to leave.

It was great to get out and do my usual thing today anyway. Encounters that made my day were a singing house sparrow in the Haight, a mating pair of red-shouldered hawks near the Fuchsia Dell, the return of the Bison Paddock's Allen's hummingbird, and encounters with a flock of feasting robins (with no cedar waxwings joining them), a Hutton's vireo, and both a hairy and a downy woodpecker.

House Sparrow Goes Full Urban Jungle, Haight Ashbury

At first I ignored the red-shouldered hawk squawking in a nearby tree, but when I finally looked up I saw that there were two of them and they had just copulated. The female is on the right.

Tiny Yellow Papaya Flower, Lily Lake

Head-scratching Hummer

This Anna's hummingbird dive-bombed the Allen's a few times but never scared it off its branch.

It looked up when the hummer dove from above, but never really flinched. (Here it's just fluffing its feathers, not responding to the other hummer.)

It's in the same pokeberry bush as last year, but so far the bush remains just a skeleton. Maybe its taproot is waiting for warmer weather to send up a new season's shoots.

Hutton's Vireo Near Murphy Windmill

Vireo Snags A Caterpillar

Pose in Repose

Dozens of robins had descended on this large patch of Persian ivy along MLK Jr. Drive west of Chain of Lakes.

I watched and listened for the sound of cedar waxwings (small flocks of which I've seen around my neighborhood lately), but the robins had the place all to themselves.

Spider Goes Down The Hatch

The pied-billed grebes were back at the nest, adding a few leaves and twigs, and sitting pretty. No eggs yet.

The downy woodpecker was back in the willows near the grebe nest, and this time it gave me a much nicer pose.

Couldn't resist stopping for another look at the buffleheads. The Northern shovelers and ruddy ducks are also still around.

I ride past this loquat tree on 10th Avenue pretty much every day, but today was the first time I'd heard our neighborhood red-masked parakeets in it.

A couple of crows were keeping them company.

This was the view toward Carrizo Plain this morning.

Shasta This Morning

Yosemite Valley This Morning

And three shots from the High Country this morning.

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