Stopping by the Pacific Grove, CA Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary on November 9, we arrived with anticipation. On previous visits in the early 2000’s, I had seen the thousands of butterflies clinging to and wafting on the eucalyptus’ columnar branches in this park, located between Monterey and Carmel. This year, we passed numerous trees with no visibleContinue reading “Monarch Butterflies”
Author Archives: Mashabu
White-crowned Sparrows
Winter residents in the southern two-thirds of the United States, white-crowned sparrows are easy to spot with distinct black and white stripes on the heads of the males.Here’s a male demonstrating “double-scratch” foraging as described by John P. Dunning in The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior 2001 edition (page 524).They’re spotted on theContinue reading “White-crowned Sparrows”
Spotted Towhees
A very sporty looking member of the bird world, the Spotted Towhee is easy to notice with its colorful plumage. Click here to watch a singing member of this species: https://youtu.be/tupEPvqkmGo In The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, “New World Sparrows” author John B. Dunning Jr. advises that they are seed eaters and insectContinue reading “Spotted Towhees”
Meet a Jumping Spider
Attached to the front door trim, this inch-long spider was hard to miss with its orange coloring. The rest of the body appears striped gray and black. Why are we seeing these spiders now?Phidippus adumbratus is found primarily in southern California, with a few appearances as far north as San Francisco, according to iNaturalist. ActiveContinue reading “Meet a Jumping Spider”
Marbled Godwits
Marbled Godwits are among the birds that autumn’s migration has brought to Zuma Beach. Having spent the summer breeding in shortgrass prairies and eating insects, earthworms and freshwater fare, they now forage for small fish and seaside invertebrates. All About Birds indicates that the bills of Marbled Godwits change color depending on the season; just now theyContinue reading “Marbled Godwits”
Raccoon appearance
The genesis for this project was an attempt to document, literarily and pictorially, some of the species in our Southern California neighborhood. A coyote yipping outside our window one evening resolved the question of whether the 2018 Woolsey Fire drove animals into Point Dume in greater numbers. Having heard from neighbors that raccoons were inContinue reading “Raccoon appearance”
American Crows Eat Prickly Pears
To our astonishment, spines of the prickly pear do not deter our neighborhood American Crows from eating the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Who knew this was a source of sustenance for them? Moreover, might the crows’ digestion of the fruit disperse the seeds to start new plantings? We marveled at how they couldContinue reading “American Crows Eat Prickly Pears”
California Scrub Jay
A frequent birdbath visitor is the California Scrub Jay. In the corvid family, this species appears fond of emitting calls while bathing. Slightly smaller than the American Robin, these western Los Angeles County California Scrub Jays enjoy multiple visits to the bath over several minutes. If you have bird observations from your garden which you’dContinue reading “California Scrub Jay”
California Towhee sightings
Almost every day since putting out our birdbath, California Towhees have visited. We rarely see them drink the water. Bathing is their top priority and we enjoy their antics. After splashing, they fly to the soil for dust bathing. The California chapter of the National Audubon Society published a profile on bird behaviors. Dust bathingContinue reading “California Towhee sightings”
Mashabu 