Sierra de San Pedro Martír-Birds and blooms and WOW! Part 1
That’s a welcome back, a lot of yellow birds! I don’t think I’ve seen so many Orioles at the ranch at any given time before like this:) and I thought it was hummingbird heaven;) It has been an amazing few weeks here. Everything is blooming and the birds are wild! Glad we had a store of old oranges to offer up to the Orioles and a jar of cherry jelly! They have been a delight to watch from the kitchen window, cats have been loving it as well. The lawns are mown and the garden weeded, it looks like we’ve been living here all along now.
We sometimes forget just how wonderful this ranch is, and we are torn. We love living and traveling on our 5th wheel “Myrtle” sharing telescope views but it is so freaking amazing here…sigh, can’t have both, so with the ranch for sale again we will be heading off, but in the meantime….how about a few blooms! The wildflowers are crazy, from tiny flowers to Ceanothus (wild lilac) bushes!Those are just what I’ve seen on a walk to the water tank! There are lupines about to bloom in the arroyo further up that’ll I’ll share later as well:) and the other birds, just a few hanging about;)
A flock of 30 or more Lazuli Buntings are in the grass-eating the seeds. The Western Kingbirds are making their normal 5am racket and fighting for territories along with the Brewers Blackbirds, they both seem to arrive at the same time from lower elevations, they don’t stay the winter. Several pairs of Black Headed Grosbeaks are hanging about, being chased off the feeders by the local Mafia-California Scrub Jays. A lone Western Tanager has put in several appearances and the Cliff Swallows have arrived as well, collecting mud for their nests on the Western side of the house. The nests fall off every winter after we have a bit of rain or snow so time to rebuild! The Western Bluebirds are hunting insects in the orchard. There are literally hundreds of California Quail, a sea of quail early every morning, do I have any great shots..NO, they are so flighty! It is a wonderful, noisy, chatty world of birds right now! These are just around the house! Up in the arroyo, well….
That is a whole new crew, Owls hooting, Acorn woodpeckers excavating the old oaks, they are nesting right now. The Northern Flickers and Phainopeplas (that’s a mouthful isn’t it) love the oaks as well. So much life and chatter, so I guess it is not as quiet as we think;) And then there are the regular cast of birds…LBB’s LGB’s little brown birds, little gray birds;) some quite colourful little birds, but the common guys most folks don’t pay much mind to, some of these are my favourites:)
I guess we have a lot of neighbours, the feathered variety anyway:) hahahaha! I’m beginning to think I prefer them over the humanoid species. Not saying they are not violent or trouble making. Just watch the hummingbirds for a bit and you can see some serious craziness there;) Yes, Hummingbirds, lots and lots of them too;)
We’ll save them for next week, before this turns into a novel;) Saludos amigos, here’s hoping Spring has sprung wherever you are:) Hasta pronto!