Lost, No More

I headed out of town again this weekend. This time the destination was Hummingbird Haven, home to multitudes of hummingbirds, girls’ weekends, wild flowers and puppies. This was more of a working weekend, helping to rejuvenate the 10′ x 25′ porch that has been used for many the card game, dinner party, pie storage and slumber party. First up was removing all the old screening. Some of it was okay, just old, but most of it was weathered to the point of dust. With the screens and trim removed, it was easier to sand the deck. Using a vibrating floor sander, the top layers of paint were scratched. Cleaned with a leaf blower, it was time for the first coat of primer that was tinted to a lovely shade of Pepto Bismol Pink.

Or, as the cabin was briefly known, Barbie’s Hummingbird haven.

Letting that dry over night, I grabbed my camera and headed out to the breakfast slash happy hour patio for some bird watching and whom do I see but my old friend, the Baltimore Oriole!

“No way, Jose!” I say. Fortunately, hanging on the wall in the hallway are two charts depicting the flora and fauna of the region, and right there, in black and white and orange is my little bird. Scanning down, the name is revealed!

It is a Black Headed Grosbeak! Of course! The old Black Headed Grosbeak! Its name was there all along, right on the tip of our tongues!

I snapped a few more pictures, none involving the deck!

Lost?

Sitting in my office yesterday, watching the birds flit around their newly relocated feeding station, a new visitor stopped by. It looked like a Baltimore Oriole! Contacting Goddess Google, I saw that it was near impossible for this visitor to be such a bird, as this particular species of bird seldom visited west of Ohio. I tried looking up birds on different sites, hoping to identify this California visitor. All I could find though was pictures of the Baltimore Oriole.

You make up your mind…

From the US Geological Survey website~

and mine…

The bills are definitely different, but the coloring and the markings are the same!

A Fishy Tale

Like most people across the nation this weekend, I did some spring-cleaning in my yard.

What? It’s February in much of the nation? Also known as mid WINTER? Hmm too bad, as it was a beautiful sunny California day and I spent much of it outside!

Tired of my bird feeding station being a takeout restaurant for Gemma, I moved it to a different location in the yard. One that offered no plants for little cute kitties to lie in ambush, a 360unimpeded elevated view, and no chance of rats coming from the neighbor’s unkempt borderline bushes to share in the festivities. I also reconfigured the arms of the feeding “tree” to better shield the feeders from any four legged terrors down below.

Of course the pond now looked horrible, so I cleaned it, cleared the area around and decided to go another round with the fish rustler. Months back, I attempted to institute the escape route but was foiled when the darn contraption refused to sink. Who knew plastic would float even filled with water? After figuring out a way to weigh it down, I went to the fish store with my email coupon for a 25% off and purchased two new additions to the Menagerie.

I decided to buy the bigger koi, in the event the fish rustler is a bird. After adding the two fish to the pond, they disappeared, into the escape route.

Hopefully, they won’t live in there, and I’ll be able to enjoy them during the morning feeding!