Littoral Learning

At the foot of Temescal Canyon, within earshot of the roaring traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway, a littoral ecosystem emerges with the twice daily tides. In the intertidal zone, on a boulder-strewn jetty constructed perpendicular to the shore to slow the beach erosion, limpets are busy growing alongside two species of barnacles and mussels.Continue reading “Littoral Learning”

Oddments

~ 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 theirContinue reading “Oddments”

Flying with Ed Ruscha

On a recent flight east, I saw this amazing earthly production. Leaving the Los Angeles basin around one p.m., housing quickly cedes to the desert. Mountains erupt, giving way to valleys, some fertile. Then Mother Nature pulls out all her geologic parlor tricks.  Majestic escarpments, hued russet, pink, apricot, salmon and wheat, all undulating inContinue reading “Flying with Ed Ruscha”

Lesser Goldfinches

California sycamore trees are frequently seen in gardens and on public property around Southern California. The seed pods of the trees that dangle in winter are brown orbs, about one inch in diameter. But to lesser goldfinches, these seeds are lunch! Malibu Lagoon has sycamores growing between the Pacific Coast Highway and the estuary. OnContinue reading “Lesser Goldfinches”

Red-Tailed Hawk

A noticeable decline in birdseed consumption in our back yard has us wondering: what’s changed? There’s a new cat prowling the neighborhood, and we’ve had a couple of Santa Ana wind events. The birdseed didn’t smell rancid. Why the downturn in our feeder traffic? This juvenile red-tailed hawk might be a key.  Notice that itContinue reading “Red-Tailed Hawk”

Western Snowy Plover

Malibu Lagoon is the only place in the Santa Monica Mountains where freshwater drains to the Pacific. Malibu Creek’s watershed is a valuable source of water for much wildlife and feeds the lagoon.  The estuary’s water level fluctuates, depending on rainfall and the tides’ impact on Surfrider Beach. Water morphs from freshwater at the Creek,Continue reading “Western Snowy Plover”

Sharp-Shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk?

We have two bird feeders in the pergola and enjoy the daily chittering and alarm calls of lesser goldfinches, juncos, house and purple finches, and the dedicated mourning doves who pick up any spillage. But in the last few months, we’ve noticed these birds are being eaten by neighborhood hawks. Just last week, the hawkContinue reading “Sharp-Shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk?”