Wednesday Vignette: The birds are still here

One of my biggest concerns about taking down the dying mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) was that its removal would impact the bird activity in my back garden.  The mimosa was bare for a good portion of the year but it was nonetheless the favorite perch for every avian visitor.  Situated in between the feeders and the fountain, it provided a handy way-station.  I shifted the backyard feeders a few feet after the mimosa came out, hoping that the small birds would seek cover in either the nearby strawberry tree (Arbutus 'Marina') or the tree-like Leucadendron 'Pisa' just outside my home office window.  As it turned out, bird activity is, if anything, greater than it was before.  The small birds appear perfectly happy to use both the strawberry tree and the Leucadendron to provide safe perches.

Leucadendron 'Pisa' is on the left and Arbutus 'Marina' is on the right, several feet behind the feeders.  There's a second, larger Arbutus behind the first tree.

Last week we had white-crowned sparrows too but this week it's mainly house finches and lesser goldfinches.  In less than a week, they manage to empty all three of these feeders and most of the three feeders in the front garden.

The mimosa's removal hasn't seemed to have affected the birds' use of the fountain for baths either.

Again, the visitors this week were mainly finches

The seashells in the fountain's top tier give them a place to perch as they splash about

The raccoons rearrange the shells every few days during their nightly visits

The tree removal may have impacted the larger birds like the scrub jays and hawks somewhat more than the small birds.  The jays still visit the feeders occasionally, scattering the smaller birds when they arrive, but their visits have been less frequent since the mimosa's removal.  I've yet to see jays, crows or hawks perching in the smaller Arbutus or Leucadendron as they formerly did in the mimosa either.  The hawks haven't entirely disappeared, however.

The hawks that regularly visited the mimosa tree now must content themselves with the tall pine tree in the neighbor's garden behind us

Last week I saw one hawk swoop through our garden just over the roof line but generally they're sticking to the pine tree

I caught this one taking flight after scanning the horizon for a good 15 minutes

I can't state definitively whether this is a Cooper's hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk but the rounded tail shape visible in this photo suggests the former

It's been a very tough year on a lot of fronts and there are more challenges on the horizon before this dreadful year comes to a close.  However, on the cusp of our unusual Thanksgiving holiday this year, I can still say I'm thankful for things both big and small, like the company of birds in my garden.  I hope you have things to be thankful for as well.  Have a happy - and safe - Thanksgiving.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: That stare!

Yesterday afternoon, after a few sweaty hours working in the garden, I was headed inside for a cool drink when I caught sight of a hawk sitting at the top of the tallest pine tree in my neighbor's garden, surveying his domain and trying his best to ignore two smaller birds who persistently dive-bombed him.  For perhaps only the second time since I've had my current camera, I added the telephoto lens to take photos.

The hawk's steely-eyed focus seems complete here

But he looked discomforted at times when one or both of the scrub jays took wing to swoop at him on his perch

In between attacks, the scrub jays posted themselves just below him. I speculated that they may have a nest in that tree.

In most cases, one scrub jay remained on watch below while the second mounted an attack

Then, for some unknown reason, a crow swooped in, scattering the two scrub jays to perch on the same branch, facing the hawk.  A different kind of territorial dispute perhaps?

The hawk still didn't seem rattled but then he suddenly released an impressive spray of bird poop (which I didn't manage to capture in a photo)

And he suddenly took off, trailed by the two scrub jays

My first guess was that this was an immature Cooper's hawk but the partial view of his tail in flight suggests that it could be a mature red-tailed hawk.  My inability to accurately identify the bird had me thinking of my mother-in-law, who could have made the identification at a glance.  I miss her.

The hawk was actually the second avian visitor of note yesterday.  The male peacock that has apparently decided to make our neighborhood his home stopped by to gobble up the few remaining blueberries left on the three shrubs in pots by my back door.  He's very brazen but, as he's becoming a regular, I didn't even bother to take his photo this time.  I chased him around the garden until he elected to go elsewhere.  We seem to have had something of a critter explosion this year.  Whether that's due to two years in a row of good rain, or more people planting vegetable gardens, or simply a fluke, I can't say.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: In their natural elements

Yesterday morning, I interrupted my husband as he was ready to go out the back door when I noticed an unexpected visitor, just hanging out in the mimosa tree, staring at the harbor.  I went out through the front door, my camera in hand, and crept up on him very slowly.  He paid me no mind until I got a little too close, when he abruptly took off.

I can't be sure as I couldn't see all his plumage but this is probably a red-tailed hawk, the most common variety in our area

He gave me a good hard look before moving to another branch and subsequently took off

Meanwhile, my cat Pipig (the name is Swedish for "squeaky") is enjoying her own natural surroundings.

Pipig loves the Christmas tree and now spends the majority of her time sleeping under it or in the chair next to it

After two unusually warm, dry, and windy weeks, it's deliciously cool this morning with the return of the marine layer.  (I'd say it was cold but those of you in more wintry climates would laugh at what I consider cold.)  There's even a small chance of a trace of rain this afternoon.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up, especially as another Santa Ana wind event is expected to start this evening and the Thomas Fire is still burning in the Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, now classified as the second largest fire in California's history and on its way to the #1 slot.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party