Visitors 85
Modified 21-Dec-23
Created 8-Aug-21
34 photos
The monthly birding transect out of Escobar Gate is a great tradition, carried out for decades. There is a good group of people -- some who are interested in many aspects of the natural world. Even some whose main emphasis is not the birds. I count myself in this latter group, though I do love birds too. It was great to be back with the birders for the first time since February 2020.
For me, the highlight of the day was the juvenile White-tailed Kites, trying out their wings. See nearby for these photos. I noticed no major changes in the overall landscape -- but it does seem much drier than in previous years, perhaps by a month or more. This is proving to be a long hot dry summer!
Today I photographed some cryptic insects on Hayfields Tarweed -- and didn't notice them until I was checking my photos, back home. A serpentine rock with veins of semi-precious (?) minerals. Industrious Harvester Ants, gathering their grassland harvest before the day became too hot -- today, lovely five-petaled seeds. (Leave a comment if you know the ID!) Soap Plant, seeds ready to fall. Several Hairstreak Butterflies (?) -- do they have horns? (Check out the second butterfly photo.) And of course, Hayfields Tarweed everywhere in the grasslands, its heady fragrance filling the air, its sticky tar ready to coat any boots venturing off trail.
