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| Pygmy Nuthatch & Redflower Gum, Strybing Arboretum |
The redflower gum tree just past the entrance kiosk was busy with birdlife when I arrived around 9:30 this morning. I'd never seen nuthatches working eucalyptus flowers before. There were also yellow warblers and downy woodpeckers enjoying the brightly colored bounty.
Heading toward the California Garden I stopped near the small lily pond when I heard splashing in the water. I half-expected to see a raccoon pass by, but the culprit soon emerged -- a red-shouldered hawk that had been having a bath.
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| Nuthatch In Profile |
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| Nuthatch Stretch |
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| Yellow Warbler |
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| Yellow Warbler in Profile |
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| Downy Woodpecker Feeding on Gum Flowers |
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| Downy About to Fly Away |
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| California Towhee |
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| Song Sparrow |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Freshly Bathed Red Shouldered Hawk |
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| The hawk flew into some tree branches to preen... |
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| ...and had to keep moving to lose a pesky photographer. |
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| The monarch butterfly was tantalizingly close to a patch of milkweed plants in the California Garden. I searched the plants for caterpillars as I always do, and as always I didn't find any. |
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| Numerous hummingbirds were probably the most vocal and active birds in the whole garden. All I saw were Anna's. |
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| Black Phoebe in Shade |
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| Black Phoebe in Sunshine |
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| Western Flycatcher |
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| Chestnut-backed Chickadee |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Now that I'm reminded of scrub jays, I take back what I said about the hummers being the most vocal. Let's call it a tie. |
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