Since I was in Calico Basin the other day, I of course must photograph my cute little friends called Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels! Those little hands and feet are tiny, this time I was armed with proper seeds for the squirrels instead of tossing peanuts. The squirrels prefer the larger black seeds which are sunflower seeds, not sure, and the rest of the seeds are perfect for the many birds that live there. Learn more about this squirrel.
These birds are very attractive and have the sweetest call and sound as they scurry about. They seem to cluster together under the thick scrub brush too, all the while making those cute sounds. The tuft feathers on the head are attractive too. This link takes you to a page with lots of information about these very cute birds.
I would like to have better photos than these, they aren’t as close or sharp as I would like…
I’ve been out most of the day and decided to head back to Calico Basin this afternoon. I have several photos of this cutie and several photos of California Quail too which I will upload next. It’s a beautiful day today but very windy again. Big surprise… Yeah, I tossed the peanuts, at least it’s not bread! I need a bag of seeds.
Here is the next photo set from this morning, the bike in the foreground was extremely loud which I absolutely love! The bird is called a Mountain Bluebird if I recall correctly. Its call is like three screeches in a row, there were three of them flitting from bush to bush as the Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels scurried about below. People were tossing bits of bread for them which made me cringe a bit inside. As with birds, bread has zero nutritional value for them.
I awoke this morning and saw that Wilson was almost to the top of the fence so I ran out there and put him back on the grass! Naughty tortoise… I made this delicious pot of chili late yesterday, it’s a bit spicier than I thought it would be but then I recalled adding two cans of Rotel with Habaneros!
As chance would have it, just after waking up and making the bed (a sign of a sick mind), I opened my plantation shutter to the backyard and saw this new stray walking along the fence. The usual stray cat I see around here is a ginger and white cat, I don’t know where either of these cats actually lives but I hope that they catch and kill any Rodentia in the area. And maybe some scorpions too!
Today will see 72F in the valley, the last warmer day for a few days before rising to a forecasted 76F next week. I have seen this pattern every year and I love how the temperature begins to get into the seventies in the winter months! It’s currently 27F in my Michigan hometown this morning with a high of 43F today, that’s a heatwave compared to what they’ve had up there in recent days with highs in the teens. Happy Sunday!
Here is the next set of photos from this very windy and chilly day. Have you ever noticed how odd a Coot foot looks? They are strange birds and seem to have a very difficult time achieving liftoff. They run across the surface of the water a long way before finally leaving the runway! Up to liftoff speed, rotate!
Scenes from yesterday along my path. Today promises 72 degrees and plenty of vitamin D coming from above.
All I see are very happy ducks in the video, dancing around and seemingly greeting each other! Humanity can learn from these beautiful creatures. The photo was taken with the iPhone, not too bad but it’s just not a Nikon photo!
Those boulders are far larger than they appear in the photo, just hope that an earthquake doesn’t send them rolling down on you! Talk about getting The Crunch… 😂
I decided to head out of town to try the new telephoto lens on the Nikon Z50 and found out well after I left home that I had forgotten to put the damn SD card back in the Nikon. What a pisser! So, the entire set of seventy or so photos came from the iPhone 12 today. On the way home, I stopped at a store that has SD cards and purchased one to keep in the glovebox so that this won’t happen again. Dammit! I hope you enjoy this one-minute video and photos.
On yesterday’s ride, I came across this poor duck that just didn’t look right at all. He or she looks so disheveled and sickly and I feel so bad for the little critter. I didn’t notice it until I put these photos on the MacBook, but one photo captured the duck taking a dump! Yuck! Then, the poor thing decided to cross the road which concerned me as I heard a car coming behind me. Gladly, the car slowed down and allowed the duck to finish its very slow waddle to the other side. Perhaps the duck is nearing the end of its days. Live long and prosper, my little friend.
These are the last photos from yesterday’s ride. Good morning from a slightly rainy Las Vegas. Occasional sprinkles and 57F are on tap for the city today but at least it’s not snow. Snow is a bad word…
