It was 13C today which would have been perfect except for a chilly north wind. It's always windy on the island but when it comes from the north, it makes everything feel cool. It was grey and overcast yesterday so it was nice to see virtually cloudless, blue sky.
The huisache (wee-sa-chay) trees are in bloom with their golden yellow globule flowers. The fragrance is lovely. I believe the scent is used in Chanel No. 5.
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| Photo - Texas A & M System |
Today we visited a wooded lot on the island in the middle of a residential area. We call it Sheepshead because it's on the corner of Sheepshead St. and Laguna Blvd. but its official name is Valley Land Fund lots (LTC 036). Volunteers do a great job of weeding it, clearing out invasive plants, maintaining water features, and planting native plants.
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| Skip poses with a huisache tree at Sheepshead. |
The cactus is in bloom. The red flowers are the blooms, They then fall off and the fruit grows. The fruit is sweet and succulent but one needs to be careful peeling it as it has cactus spines all over it.
After lunch and a nap we ventured out again; this time to the Convention Centre which is adjacent to the Birding Centre. The Convention Centre boardwalk was damaged last fall so it was closed when we visited the are last November but it has been rebuilt and repaired.
I have seen quite a few Red Admiral butterflies. Today at Sheepshead I saw another monarch.
The great kiskadee flew into the water feature and didn't seem too bothered we were close by.
The redheads are here. Many more will make an appearance before they head north.
They look a bit like a canvasback duck but have a rounder head. A little pied-billed grebe was snoozing nearby.
The adult male's blue bill has a black strip across the tip. The female's bill is grey-blue.
Pied-billed grebes tend to be solitary swimmers.
In the fresh water pond, pintail ducks were swimming and eating. On the right is a male blue-winged teal.
The great egret did not seem to bother the three snoozing roseate spoonbills at the fresh water pond,
In the trees along the west side of the convention centre was a ruby-crowned kinglet.
Over by the western platform was a northern mockingbird that didn't seem bothered by our presence.
Out on the bay a couple of hundred yards away were hundreds of black skimmers. None came close enough for me to get a shot though.
We did some more shopping today for a couple of household things and got the car washed.
After our birding this afternoon, Skip suggested we visit one of our favourite places for happy hour drinks ($2 PBRs - Pabst Blue Ribbon beer - and $3 margaritas) and deep fried mozzarella sticks.
It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.
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