This is a juvenile Harris’s Hawk who stopped by last week. The spotted chest and leggings are why I know it’s a juvie. Adults are solid brown in those places.
On the smaller side of birds are these two House Sparrows.
A Mourning Dove enjoyed the bird bath too and got fluffed up.
A quail couple feasted on the birdseed block.
A Roadrunner took over a bench in the backyard.
Another look at the Harris’s Hawk.
Which birds are your favorites out of this batch of photos?
My favorite Al Pastor tacos at Kim’s Liquor Store during our recent beach vacation. This was my “go to” meal.
One of the things I like during our beach vacation is Mexican food in California. It tastes so much better than what we have in Arizona. After living in California for more than 30 years, it’s what I’m used to. California Mexican food is Baja style while Arizona is Sonoran. They are different.
I wrote about our favorite liquor store Mexican food being torn down on an earlier trip HERE. In that post, I pointed out changes in what once was a quaint sleepy beach town. Nothing stays the same.
Since our favorite Mexican take out spot no longer exists, we had to find a new one. And we did last summer. It’s called Kim’s and it’s off the beaten path next to orchid farms between our summer rental and our favorite beach.
This is the outside of Kim’s. It has a wide variety of items, from frying pans to Mexican spices, cereal, milk, automotive needs, fresh produce and liquor. In the back is a clean little kitchen run by chef Beto and his wife. We became regulars last summer and did take out even more this summer. That’s because it was unusually hot in the 90s and I didn’t feel like cooking. Our son and DIL loved it too. We ate a few take out dinners watching the sunset at the beach.
The first day we ordered at Kim’s during this year’s trip, Beto waved from the kitchen, gave us a big smile and shook our hands welcoming us back.
This was the best Chile Relleno I’ve had in my life with Beto’s homemade pico salsa on top plus rice and beans.
The Chicken Enchiladas with tons of avocado were pretty, pretty good, too!
We told the owner of Kim’s that we’d be leaving town. Then the next day we came back in for our last meal. Beto and his wife waved good bye. They thanked us. Then the owner gave us a bottle of Pinot Grigio and thanked us for all our business. Like my daughter said, “It feels good to be a regular and appreciated.”
What favorite restaurant or coffee shop do you where everyone knows your name?
What types of ethnic foods do you like in your area?
This is a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird in our backyard. I first noticed him hanging out with our male Northern Cardinal, which I found odd. Then I learned that Cowbirds are famous for laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species instead of building their own. This is known as a brood parasite. Cowbirds do not raise their own chicks, but the unsuspecting birds who incubate the Cowbird’s eggs raise them instead.
Brown-headed Cowbird — Molothrus ater
SIZE:
LOCATION:
FOOD:
Cowbirds eat seeds from weeds and grasses and some grains. They live near cattle and bison and feed on Insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, that the large mammals stir into into motion.
This is our male Northern Cardinal named “Red” who is feeding the juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird.
Eventually, the juvenile Cowbirds leave their adoptive families and find other Cowbirds. Scientists are studying this phenomenon to figure out how they recognize their own species. Some think it’s through their sounds that they recognize other Cowbirds.
SOUNDS:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/sounds
I’m not on Facebook that often. I used to be on it every day while my kids were growing up. But now I don’t think of it that often. I post my wildlife photos on Instagram and they automatically get posted to FB.
Anywho. I was surprised when my daughter texted me and asked why I had posted something about her pug Waffles on FB. I told her I didn’t. She said the post was getting comments including from my sister-in-law, moms from my kids’ grade school that I haven’t talked to since then. It was getting likes, hearts and hugs.
Next I got a phone call from my dad asking what in the heck was going on with Waffles.
“Nothing,” I said. “He turned 10 years old in August.”
My dad explained that he had seen a Facebook post and that Waffles was having emergency surgery.
Somehow this memory from 2021 was showing up in people’s feeds. I looked at my Facebook page and it wasn’t there.
Five years ago, Waffles had eaten a chunk of wood from a planter and it lodged in his small intestine. He had to have emergency surgery but is fine now except for getting older.
When Waffles was a pup.
Are you on Facebook and have you had an old memory pop up that people thought was current and commented on? If so, what was the post about?
How often do you use Facebook compared to years ago?
This was one of many U.S. flags at our favorite beach. Many of the homes fly them daily.
Remembering 9/11:
I was getting my kids ready for school. Our son was in third grade and our daughter in kindergarten. They were in their Catholic school uniforms of khaki shorts and a white polo for our son and a forest green plaid skirt and polo for our daughter. I was glancing at the TV in our bedroom, waiting for them to brush their teeth when I saw the first plane crash into a tower. I had no idea what was going on. I thought it was an accident.
Then the second tower was hit. I didn’t know if I should keep my kids home from school that day. I was scared to drop them off. But in the end I decided to try to keep the day “normal” as possible for them and not interrupt their routines.
My husband worked for Merrill Lynch in Palm Springs at the time. We had a close friend, who was his former boss, who worked in an office next door to the Twin Towers when it was bombed in 1993. My husband knew many people that he talked with daily who worked on Wall Street and in the Twin Towers. September 11 was a scary day while he tried to account for people he knew.
We soon learned a parish member from our church was aboard the plane from Boston.
I see a divide in my life before and after 9/11. Our world would never be the same. My heart goes out to everyone who lost family members on that tragic day or from the results of health issues caused by the terrorist attack.
Red Update:
Before we left for our beach vacation, I noticed a few changes in Red’s appearance. I wrote about the black spot on his head HERE.
We got back from vacation and Red was in the back yard singing to me. I was thrilled of course, but you can imagine my surprise when I saw Red looking like this:
It’s called molting. Red is losing his feathers and growing new ones. He needs a high protein diet so I’m feeding him his favorite peanuts and sunflower mix.
Another strange thing I noticed was Red hanging out with a juvenile bird. I used my zoom lens and saw that it was NOT one of his fledglings. It was a Bronzed Cowbird! Why was he feeding a species of bird that was not his?
I read that Cowbirds are “parasitic breeders” and they don’t build their own nests, but lay eggs in other birds’ nests including Cardinals. A brood parasite is an animal or bird that tricks a host parent into incubating and raising its young. The Cowbird lays it’s eggs in a Cardinal’s nest because they are similar in size and color.
Red’s juvenile Cowbird. Not only is Red a delight to listen to and see, he’s a generous adoptive dad. I remember an odd looking baby cardinal. At first Red and Mrs. had two babies, then a third one appeared that didn’t match the others.
What are your memories of September 11, 2001?
Western Gull – Larus occidentalis
Gulls are a common sight at the beach. I discovered our California beaches have a species called Western Gull. They are scavengers. Picnics or snacks will be raided by these plucky birds if you’re not on guard.
They can be found at ocean beaches and marinas, especially near fish cleaning stations or harbor restaurants. Western Gulls’ average lifespan is 15 years. They often mate for life and their offspring mature at four years. Their clutch each breeding season is one to three eggs. The male and female share incubating duties and feeding their chicks.
SIZE:
Length: 22.1-26.0 in (56-66 cm)
Weight: 28.2-44.1 oz (800-1250 g)
Wingspan: 47.2-56.7 in (120-144 cm)
This fellow survived losing a leg.
APPEARANCE:
Mature adults have a white body, dark gray or black backs and upper wings. They have a red spot on their beak which means they are of breeding age. The spot gets brighter during breeding season. Also, chicks peck the red spot to be fed and the adult regurgitates food for them.
These gulls were hanging out at surf camp for kids. They probably learned that snacks might be left or dropped.
FOOD:
The gull has been known to eats birds, eggs, nestlings, fish, invertebrates and decomposing carcasses. If food is not readily available at the sea, they may visit dumps and eat trash. They catch their food while flying, swimming or walking along the shore.
LOCATION:
Map from All About Birds
NESTING:
Both male and female will scrape out a nest near a windbreak like a rock or driftwood. Or they may nest in rocky shores where their nest will be hidden from predators. Their nests are about 12 inches across with the inside bowl six inches across. The Western Gulls line their nest with grasses, seaweed, weeds and feathers.
SOUNDS:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Gull/sounds
We’ve returned to our home sweet home. It feels wonderful to be back in my own home. One of the surprises was Red was waiting for me singing for my return. This vacation he didn’t hide and avoid me for weeks on end. I’m sure that had something to do with my neighbor making sure the birdseed was out every day. But Red did not look like himself. I’ll post photos later this week.
My trip highlights besides beach walks with my husband enjoying the ocean breeze would be spending time with our friends we don’t see often enough. Plus having my son and daughter-in-law with us for part of our vacation.
Here are some photos I took with my Nikon and 105mm lens on the beach. I was worried about getting sand in the camera or on the lens, but finally decided I could do it!
A man sitting and reading on the beach. I figured out to make photos black and white.
I found a piece of sea glass which is rare at this beach.
In the evenings, the misty fog comes ashore.
A sunbather enjoying a beautiful day at the beach.
Sunlight reflections on sand and water.
A Long-billed Curlew foraging in the sea.
View of where we walk looking south.
Almost sunset and time to go home.
Beach vacation has ended until next summer. It reminded me of a Madonna song “Holiday.”
Are you ready for fall? Or do you miss summertime?
What are your goals for fall?
