Water Off A Duck's Back

 

Ring-necked Duck at the Lily Pond

As the early morning rain let up I was able to begin my walk at close to the usual time, but I hadn't gone very far when the rain decided it wasn't ready to let up after all. My camera was in a water-resistant knapsack, and I was wearing a hooded rain jacket, so I didn't think too much of the light drizzle until my pants started getting noticeably damp. 

I briefly took refuge beneath a thick honeysuckle arbor inside the Garden for the Environment, then continued on my way, only to have the drizzle intensify into a light rain that convinced me to take shelter again, this time for quite a bit longer.

Eventually I continued up over Parnassus Heights into Cole Valley and the Haight, where the light drizzle finally dissipated. Among the street people in the Haight, there was a guy sitting in the open and wrapped with a wet blanket, a few folks curled up beneath a tarp, some others looking damp in a doorway, and an older couple who seemed happy and comfortable in the dry entryway of Ben & Jerry's.

A patch of blue opened up by the time I crossed Stanyan Street to enter the park, marking the end of the day's rain, at least up until 3 p.m. Meanwhile a quick check of the bald eagles nesting in Big Bear shows continued cold and windy conditions for those beautiful birds.

Busy Branch, Garden for the Environment

Apple Blossoms, Garden for the Environment

The Boss of Sharon Meadow

I already photographed these not too long ago, but I couldn't resist hitting them again while they're juiced up with all the recent rains.

Oak Woodlands, Golden Gate Park

Interesting mushrooms with very long stipes, growing in sandy soil beneath some of the oaks.

Off the Beaten Path

Oaks in a Miner's Lettuce Meadow

Northern Flicker & Lichen Tassles

At Eye Level With A California Towhee

This red-tailed hawk sailed over the Oak Woodlands and landed gracefully in a treetop on the edge of the Fuchsia Dell.

Banded Red-tail in the Redwood

The hawk wasn't looking for prey, but a beak-full of nesting material.

The Steller's jays were energized and vocalized by the red-tail's appearance.

A couple of flickers unaccountably allowed me to photograph them at fairly close range.

I'd seen them fly to the woodland's edge, so I ambled over there to wait and see if they'd come back out. They obliged quite soon.

"Did you see that red-tail?"
"Aw, he wasn't so tough."
"Yeah, that's what you say now that he's gone."
"Wait a minute, where did we stash those acorns?"
"Hey, Stinky, that dog over there is giving you the evil eye."
"Dude, I'm outta here."

Clivia Blooming in a Field of Green

Unfurling Cycad Fronds

Calla Lilies & Cycads

Mr. Green was in his usual spot this morning. I watched him for quite a while, and he stalked a little bit but never struck at any prey. I might have waited more patiently, but I'd been out for close to three hours by then and was ready to get home and eat some lunch.

This double-crested cormorant had been hunting underwater right next to the green heron without the heron so much as twitching a muscle in response. I was surprised when the cormorant hopped up on this discarded traffic cone to dry off a little.

Love that eye color.

The male ring-necked duck was close by the female, mostly snoozing next to the same small patch of lily pads.

A Steller's jay sounding off, a northern flicker foraging, and a green heron stalking in the Lily Pond.

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Patience of Job

 

Female Hummer on Karo Tree

I'm still using the best guess from Plant Net to identify these Pittosporum species, and this one comes up P. crassifolium, its common name being karo, not kohuhu.

My first title for the above photo was going to be "Mama Hummer on Karo Tree," but my reference to the Biblical character Job in the title of the post is about the loss of her babies. Unfortunately, she is a mama no more.

After such a windy storm, I didn't want to wait until next week to walk past the nest to check it out, so I biked over there today. The nest was easy to find again, but sadly it appeared to be empty. I looked for the babies on the ground below but didn't find them, and although it's possible that at least one of the two is dead in the nest, the nest is too high for me to get a look. While I was peering up at the nest, the hummer swooped down as if to feed her babies, but no beak came up to meet her own. Later I photographed her perched high in the karo tree, facing the gusty winds.

As for Job, the story goes that his neighbors say he must have angered God to lose his children and his wealth, but Job knew he had done nothing offensive, and eventually he built up a new family and new wealth, which is probably what the hummingbird will do. Job, like hummingbirds, was realistic, resilient, and resourceful, as well as patient.

As I type these words I'm listening to the Big Bear Eagle Cam in another window. Sleet has been pelting the eagle, making a sound against its feathers like a small fire of burning sticks. Thunder peeled, twice. Talk about patience, stoicism, resilience, and resourcefulness. I read that only one in ten eagle chicks survives into adulthood (i.e., five years of age), but the eagles persist even against those heavy odds.

Check out that little "dust spot" to the right of the tower.

The "dust spot" was these three guys hauling up in an open-air elevator.

Today's walk took me through West Portal, where I finally gave in and bought some of George's Donuts & Merriment, but I'm waiting until my wife gets home  (and after dinner) before I try them. I was glad to see the nesting band-tailed pigeon was still in good shape after the stormy weather. I couldn't see any babies for sure, but it did look like she was sitting on more than just the nest.

Annie of Forest Hill, Basking in the Sun Between Rain Squalls
(With A Coast Redwood In The Background)

I beat that squall line home, but I was just heading out the gate with my bike when it arrived. Not wanting to get wet right out of the gate, I waited about half an hour for it to pass, then headed out.

It's nesting season again for the great blue herons. This one appeared to be hunting gophers but was having no luck. I stopped to photograph it with the forget-me-nots.

While I was watching the heron, this Townsend's warbler showed up in a nearby oak tree. Here it's taking a brief break to catch up on some preening.



Preening Townie & GBH On A Mission

After preening, it got back to business, catching a freaky looking caterpillar.

Golden-crowned Sparrow in Pokeberry Bush

"Sunny Allen" at the Bison Paddock

Although Sunny was back in his usual spot, there was no sign of the tree swallows swooping around the neighborhood.

View Toward Mt. Tamalpais From Cliff House

The Sunset Parkway Hummingbird Wanting To Feed Her Babies

Orange-crowned Warbler in the Karo Tree

The mama eagle was well-covered with snow when I checked this morning.

She decided to get up and shake it off a little while later.

It didn't take long to get covered again.

Papa returned to the nest this afternoon, with a dead coot in its left talon.

Mama didn't want to eat some old coot, so she took off.

When she returned with a partly eaten fish, she immediately tried to take over the sitting duties again, but papa (with an icicle on his beak) wasn't too keen on giving up his spot.

Mama won out, though, and papa launched back into the storm.

This is where it stands as I post this afternoon.

* * *

Arriving Storm

Cloudscape Around 10:30 This Morning

All warm and dry in here, and I'm feeling a bit of awe toward those hummingbird nestlings I photographed yesterday, as well as all the other wild creatures out there. 

Stormy Timelapse

(with thanks to Eric Clapton)

Eagle Family This Morning

Dad came in to give mom a chance to go out and spread her wings.

* * *

Kohuhu on Sunset

 

Anna's Hummingbird Nest in Kohuhu Tree, Sunset Parkway

As I was walking along the Sunset Parkway toward Golden Gate Park I noticed some kohuhu bushes that were growing on their own, rather than being mingled with my neighbor's red trumpet vine. I took some pictures, then continued my walk, only to discover one more kohuhu or related Pittosporum sp., and each one a little bigger than the last, until I came to an actual kohuhu tree.

The tree was being visited by a Townsend's warbler, a singing ruby-crowned kinglet, some house finches, and a few bumblebees. In addition to the visitors, there was a resident Anna's hummingbird with two large offspring in her nest. 

The Townie appeared to be feeding on the flowers' nectar and/or pollen. I tend to think of Townies as insectivores, so that was new to me. The finches appeared to be eating the small flowers whole.

As I continued my walk I noticed kohuhu bushes on pretty much every block. Given the many times I've passed by them without giving them a thought, it was interesting to suddenly "see" this plant just a day after learning what it's called. The local birds and insects certainly knew all about it, although the smaller bushes didn't seem nearly as attractive to them as the tree.

Shortly after I headed up the trail in Golden Gate Park I spotted an odd object in the grass a ways off the trail and was able to identify it only after I zoomed in with my camera. It was a dead animal for sure, but I couldn't tell it was a raccoon until I walked over to it. The grass around the carcass had been pressed down, no doubt during its struggle for survival with what I would guess to be a coyote (and would hope not to be an off-leash dog). I was surprised by the amount of decomposition, given that the kill must have occurred since I passed by last week.

Kohuhu growing all by itself.

Townsend's Warbler in Kohuhu Tree

Mama Visits the Nest

Baby hummers probably gave sword-swallowers the idea that it could be done.

The finches appeared to be using their heavy seed-eating beaks to pull off a whole blossom to consume at once.

I'm always glad to see flowers that our native bumblebees can take advantage of.

Townie Probes a Kohuhu Blossom

Townie with Pollen on Its Beak Prepares to Reach for a Taste

Raccoon Carcass & Area of Struggle

The carcass is no more than a week old.

Someone (probably a gardener) set up this little tripod of sticks to make a lost pair of eyeglasses a little easier to find.

Fish Convention at Mallard Lake

Allen's Hummingbird at Mallard Lake

When the hummer went to bathe in a relatively dark nook, I tried out the FZ80D's built-in flash. I wasn't sure what the sync speed was, so I tried 1/100th sec. here...

...and 1/250th here. Turns out the FZ80D can sync at 1/250th sec., which is slightly better than the FZ80's 1/200th.

A few days ago I spotted a mourning dove as it ducked into the very small crown of a tree in someone's front yard on Ortega Street. I took a picture today from the sidewalk, even though the view looks more open on the other side. To view it from the other side I would have to walk up the entrance stairs right under the residents' window, and I don't want to risk tipping them off about the nest just yet.

This California towhee was hanging out beneath a tree swallow nest box in the Bison Paddock. The swallows might have settled who gets the rights to what box, as they have not been especially active around them lately.

The Murphy Twins atop The Murphy Windmill in Golden Gate Park

Just before there was enough light to get a color image from the trail cam this morning, the eagle rested over its chicks, covered in new snow.

About 15 minutes later, it was wakey-wakey, time to feed the chicks.

I checked the cam again just before posting, and mama was feeding the three chicks while papa fed himself. A couple of minutes later, mama settled back over the chicks and papa flew away. Although the big storm is set to arrive in the Bay Area tonight and tomorrow, it looks like Thursday is the big day for Big Bear. I can't even imagine being exposed to the kind of harsh weather they just take in stride, day after day.

* * *