Wednesday, February 26, 2003

February 26, 2003

February 26, 2003
Antelope Community Park
3:40 p.m.
cloudy, looks like rain: clouds thickening and getting darker, wind is picking up, feels chilly

Walking up the path we startled a group of birds - meadowlarks, I think - they were hiding in the long blowing green grasses and glew up in arcs, landing back down farther away - brown bodies with yellow bellies - biker startled them and they flew up into one of the grand oaks.



A little farther along a red-tailed hawk flew overhead - big strong bird - little flapping, silent.



Found another fallen log/branch under another valley oak, stopping to make observations (out with Phil today) Phil is facinated with holes and the creatures they might contain...

ground observations: tall green grass, wide round leaved plant with tiny white flowers



eye level: branches of the oak tree budding out in green before its neighbors - why? first buds look like fuzzy green worms, then open into familiar oak shape

overhead: puffy white clouds now breaking up a little - looks like it might NOT rain on us - seagull soaring, wind quickly carries him away



now a pair of red-tails soar overhead - heading into the wind, they have to work a little, could see the feathers of the wingtips clearly

Found several scattered feathers not far from another big oak - flight feathers and soft downy clumps from a body - looked like somebody was lunch - maybe for one of our red-tailed friends?

Sunday, February 23, 2003

February 23, 2003

February 23, 2003
Antelope Community Park, CA
4 p.m.
sunny, high clouds, light breeze, about 60 degrees

meadowlark singing, little bird chirps in nearby trees, jays or magpies chattering in distance - yellow billed magpie flew overhead - Dee screams "Eeww! Get it off!" It's an ant on her hand...

We're sitting on a fallen log near the base of a valley oak, I can see the scar of where it left the main trunk. Dee spots a little blue belly with a piece of his tail missing - I don't think he'll grow it back. (But what do I know?)

Woodpecker in the branches overhead - could see him better as we moved away - saw another fly overhead that flapped his wings in spurts, flew like a rocket Dee said. Shot photo of the tree & branches.

Walked around to Dee's "favorite tree." Chattering birds are magpies, magpie in a neighbor tree cha-cha-chas at us now. Can also hear and see a smallish flock of blackbirds who sometimes come down to bathe in a vernal pool.

ground level: many many fallen leaves from the now naked oak - also twigs and debris from human visitors - all with bits of grass poking through

eye level: low branches of the sheltering oak, budding out

overhead: more branches and the remains of what must have once been a rope swing

photo note: 665 negs can be stored only a short while in baggies... clear them when returning home! (I trashed the neg to the image I made this day.)