Sunday, April 11, 2010

Another New arrival

The weather has cooled a bit and just as last Sunday - we are awaiting a storm. Last Monday we got .12" from what I expected to be the last of our rainy season.
The hummingbirds are getting a little treat from some of the native plants beginning to bloom. Penstemons and Monkeyflowers are really producing blooms and the hummers are checking them out. 
I spotted the first Costa's hummingbird this morning as I filled up some of the feeders. They look a little like Anna's except that their iridescent head feathers are a vibrant purple. That puts the type count to 4 - Anna's (year round), Rufus, Blackchin, and Costa's. There is a chance we may get a few Calliope hummers.
The Orioles are doing well and a few days ago I saw the first immature male - probably one of this years offspring. The immature females look just like the mature females so they would be hard to detect.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

A New Arrival

Today was another sunny clear day in Escondido (storm on the way?) and the hummingbirds and orioles are putting on quite the show. This morning I saw the first blackchinned hummer while filling one of the feeders -  which puts my count to 3 types - Anna's, Rufus, and Blackchin.
While we were coming back from brunch in Oceanside with family, including favorite Uncle,  there was quite an earthquake in northern Mexico that was felt in San Diego county (unless you happened to be driving). Did not seem to bother the birds any and no damage or effects here.