Little hummingbirds like this one like to browse the puffy flowers of the Chinese Lantern Bush at the Botanic Garden. I walked up to within five feet of this one and snapped this photo before it flitted away. Cute little thing – about three inches in length.
Saturday, during our visit to the cliffs at Point Vicente, we saw this flight of California Brown Pelicans soaring along the shoreline in the updrafts.
The four lead pelicans are seen in the image below. You can see the entire flight of ten by clicking on the image. See this article for a close up of a California Brown.
The eleventh bird in the large picture is a seagull who was also soaring the cliffs.
Whenever we take the Catalina Express to or from Catalina, we never fail to see several California Sea Lions basking on the harbor navigation buoys. Damsel took this picture as we passed into the harbor returning to the San Pedro Catalina Terminal.
Pinnipeds are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection act, and organizations such as the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur (we are supporting members) provide rescue, rehab and restoration to the habitat for injured critters.
It’s not uncommon for sea lions to rest on buoys; they will also often gather at marinas and wharves. These man-made environments provide them safety from their natural predators: orcas and white sharks.
You can click on the image for a larger view.
This hard-to-describe beetle perched on a basil leaf in the patio, so I grabbed the camera and got a couple of shots of it. I couldn’t quite describe it to Bob, so creepy or not, a picture was in order. This Halloween-colored critter certainly doesn’t blend in the foliage like other more stealthy bugs.
After reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO – The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.
Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s – click to enlarge
Eventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.
Image left: New Reno sign – click to enlarge
As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.
While in the garden taking pictures, I spotted this little green arachnid crawling about on one of my morning glory flowers – sorta creepy and pretty at the same time. Mostly creepy.
This might be a green lynx spider which are hunting spiders that spend their lives on plants, flowers and shrubs. Nimble runners and jumpers, they rely on their keen eyesight to stalk, chase or ambush prey.
I read the blogs and listen to the news every day. Most of the time, when I see something that pisses me off, my reaction is that of mild disgust. Last night, however, I passed the level of outrage when I saw an article on Planet Gore that tells of the destruction of one of the more intelligent species of hominids in the name of producing biofuels.
The Indonesians are steadily clearing the rainforest habitat of the orangutan to make way for palm oil plantations at the behest of the European Union’s thirst for biofuels, bio-diesel, in particular. The result is that the apes are being slaughtered and displaced.
Where the hell is PETA? Where the hell is Greenpeace? My guess is they’re too busy scheming about their next assault on the ‘evil’ USA.
Read Iain Murray’s Planet Gore article, “Crucifying Apes on a Cross of Green“, for the outrageous details.