Please sit down with a mug of tea and have a relax. After three years of hearing but never seeing Great Horned Owls that were calling from the pine stand on neighbor Bob Dylan’s property in Malibu, we were delighted to hear these crepuscular (active at twilight) birds hooting in our new home in theContinue reading “Great Horned Owls”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Autumn in the Canyon
Summer cobwebs are catching dust now, their architect/owner’s duties complete. Here are recent neighborhood sightings which deserve to be shared. After a summer of nocturnal harmonies, calls of the Baja California tree frogs are making way for the crickets’ jingling bell calls. It was glorious when they were performing together. Great Horned owls’ calls areContinue reading “Autumn in the Canyon”
Acorn Woodpecker
In nature, never say never. Just because we haven’t seen something doesn’t mean it cannot occur. Case in point: an Acorn Woodpecker visit to our birdbath. During the first visit observed and filmed by Bob, this Acorn Woodpecker landed, perched, plumbed the depth of the water, and promptly took a bath. Click here to watchContinue reading “Acorn Woodpecker”
Winter in the Canyon
On a recent morning in the Santa Ynez Canyon, as I was looking toward Topanga State Park, two native trees stood out. A ribbon-like stand of California Sycamores in the creek bed contrasted with the lush greenery of the upland Coast Live Oaks. The sycamores, like some oaks of the savannah in the Midwest, keepContinue reading “Winter in the Canyon”
Baja California Treefrog
This agile amphibian climbed onto the glass of our patio door overnight. It’s a Baja California Treefrog, and thanks to the rainstorm yesterday, came out of estivation for a walkabout and some snacks. This treefrog is distinctive for its black eye stripe. In springtime, these native frogs’ calls are easily heard in the Santa YnezContinue reading “Baja California Treefrog”
It Never Rains in California
Hurricane Hillary is now a tropical storm, but she has a lot of water to disperse before retiring to the north. Check out EarthSchool for a current snap of the potency and location (zoom in for best results). For a majority of SoCal residents, this is the first major tropical storm of their lifetimes. TheContinue reading “It Never Rains in California”
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”
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”
Sea Stars
King Tides arrived this weekend in Southern California, and with them, a rare opportunity to see marine life that’s typically underwater. On Broad Beach, in western LA County, this constellation of five sea stars was spotted at low tide on a large boulder. Considered a keystone species in intertidal zones, sea stars keep mussels inContinue reading “Sea Stars”
Mashabu 