A sister species of the brown pelican (#311, #115) for another happy bird day.
2022-03-12 Watsonville State Wildlife Area, Watsonville, CA [DSC03027]
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!
- Dixon Lanier Merrit (1910)
Happy Bird Day!
2022-03-09 Leo Carrillio State Beach, Malibu, CA [DSC008100]
A Stellar's jay enjoying the morning in the botanical gardens. There are two Cyanacitta species: Stellar's jay in the west, blue jays in the east, with some hybridization where they overlap. I tried to lookup how long ago they diverged, but as of 2004 there was not enough DNA data.[1] The paper does address a question from #181 and #186: The "Gray-headed" and "Oregon" junco species diverged 0 years ago.
2022-03-13 SF Botanical Gardens, San Francisco, CA [DSC03353]
[1] Johnson, N.K. and Cicero, C., 2004. New mitochondrial DNA data affirm the importance of Pleistocene speciation in North American birds. Evolution, 58(5), pp.1122-1130. DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb00445.x
Not so many blue jays in California, but lots of scrub jays. This one in a small orchard in the mountains. Curious fact: Scrub jays hold funeral rites for fallen brethren,[1] and avoid the area for a day thereafter. The display is similar to predator displays. Brain-to-mass ratio similar to primates and cetaceans.
2022-03-09 Malibu, CA [DSC00766]
[1] Iglesias, T.L., McElreath, R. and Patricelli, G.L., 2012. Western scrub-jay funerals: cacophonous aggregations in response to dead conspecifics. Animal Behaviour, 84(5), pp.1103-1111. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.08.007
The blue jays like our native garden.
2022-04-11 Bethesda, MD [DSC04469]
In a city called "Thousand Oaks" you would figure she could find a tree with acorns. Instead she is on a palm tree looking for insects, or maybe trying to get sap to flow.
2022-03-09 Thousand Oaks, CA [DSC00740]
California's state bird.
2022-03-09 Thousand Oaks, CA [DSC00711]
Aptly named, these tiny plants spread themselves over the landscape turning the field into gold. iNaturalist suggests Lasthenia gracilis, but L. californica is a possibility.
2022-03-08 Mission Creek Preserve, Desert Hot Springs, CA [DSC000001]
Happy Earth Day from Oso Flaco Beach. It's a bit of hike and we are just coming out of winter so there are few people to disturb the natural formations. Each of these tracks is anchored by a piece of giant kelp or similar at the head. Strong steady winds from the water every day push away the fine particles, leaving larger grains at the front of each dune.
2022-03-10 Oso Flaco Beach, Pismo Beach, CA [DSC01639]
Despite its ginormous ears this rabbit still hopped within a meter of me. I was screened by a bush but still it should have heard the camera clicking.
2022-03-07 Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park, CA [DSC09765]
Peak bloom in April so I was a month early.
2022-03-08 Mission Creek Preserve, Desert Hot Springs, CA [DSC09960]
It's a desert. It has cacti. This one was planted in the garden at the Joshua Tree NP headquarters.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09539]
The desert dry wash is a specific biome with plants specialized for flooding. For example, seeds that don't sprout unless they get scraped up by sand and gravel.
2022-03-07 Lost Palms Oasis Trail, Joshua Tree NP, CA [DSC09285]
Even birds with bright colours are camouflaged in the right context.
2022-03-08 Mission Creek Preserve, Desert Hot Springs, CA [DSC00161]
Sitting on the forest waiting for what might appear, I finally began to see what was already there (probably an arroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis).
2022-03-08 Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Morongo Valley, CA [DSC00296]
Lots of little lizards running around but I only see them when they move. The turquoise tiling on its back is very southwest.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09543]
Making a living in a desert environment searching the barren ground for food. A little whistle helps them pass the time, and lets me know to look for them.
2022-03-06 Lost Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park, CA [DSC09141]
Hanging out on a Joshua tree, her main source of food and shelter in this part of the park. Not much water about. She is probably like other desert birds, getting by on whatever water is in her diet.
2022-03-07 Joshua Tree National Park, CA [DSC09618]
... because it smells like creosote, apparently. I didn't notice. The Latin name is Larrea tridentata. It's kind of a bully: it slows the growth of nearby plants so it can get more water.
2022-03-06 Joshua Tree National Park, CA [DSC09306]
Excessive cuteness.
2022-03-07 Live Oak Picnic Area, Joshua Tree, CA [DSC09693]
Mixing it up with some purple. Introduced in the 18th century this old world plant (Erodium cicutarium) really likes it in California. The seeds are interesting: they have a long tail which curls when it dries out. With the daily humidity cycle they drag themselves to across the ground and bury themselves in the soil.
2022-03-07 Joshua Tree National Park, CA [DSC09656]
Some desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata). I like the dried stalks with the white heads.still standing tall.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09538]
California fan palms at the Oasis of Mara in Twentynine Palms, CA. Unfortunately due to over-pumping there hasn't been surface water since the 1940s. Now they pump water into the oasis to keep the trees alive.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09370]
More hummingbird food! This time it's a firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii). We have foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) in Maryland, but it is far less colourful.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09554]
Even though she lacks a gorget this Anna still shows a bit of colour on her throat.
It feels like cheating using the bird feeder. They just sit there waiting to be shot! No flitting from flower to flower and bush to bush.
2022-03-08 Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, Morongo Valley, CA [DSC00433]
This Anna is showing his gorget colors while sipping on a bladderpod spiderflower (Peritoma arborea).
2022-03-08 Mission Creek Preserve, Desert Hot Springs, CA [DSC00125]
A Costa's hummingbird to go with the hummingbird bush. Unfortunately his gorget looks black rather than an iridescent purple when the light catches it just right. Instead there is tail length to distinguish him from Anna's hummingbirds.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09534]
Chuparosa (Justicia californica) is Spanish slang for "hummingbird". Long tubes for long beaks.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09526]
A desert bird flitting through the brush.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09500]
They also come in black.
2022-03-07 Oasis of Mara, Twentynine Palms, CA [DSC09485]