~ The American robins have found the seeps in Santa Ynez Canyon and are flocking to drink, en route north. Larger than their European counterparts which are house sparrow-sized, they are reliable visitors to birdbaths and often found around hackberry trees in winter. In spring and summer, they’re easily spotted with earthworms and insects in their yellow bills.
~ With recent rains, the frogs are courting in the creek. (Click here and turn your volume up for a sample of Baja California tree frogs calling). What do they make of all this moisture after several years of drought?
~ Seeds from the California sycamores, relying on their caramel-colored tufts to be carried aloft, are landing on our patio. Some lucky seed-eating birds might find them, or maybe the neighborhood mice, voles and moles will consider them to be snack-worthy.

~ The quality of light now shifts from hazy, tepid wintery sunshine toward a piercing, coastal 34.0356° N, 118.5156° W summer shine. On days when the Santa Ana winds arrive from the north, Catalina Island and all three islands in the Anacapa chain are easily spotted.
~ High up on the treetops, the ravens’ calls waft across the canyon, their hackle (throat) feathers pulsing outward with each song.
Blink and we could miss it.
Our local flock of winter robins will be having a tough time as the snow flies yet again back in Minnesota. But the woodpeckers are still happy at the suet feeder. And the idiot cardinals are singing their territorial songs because in their opinion, it is the angle of light that counts, not all that white stuff on the ground.
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