Day 294: October 20th – Mission Viejo

Overcast and cool mid 60s, calm

     

        A much different day today re the weather as it has become cloudy and cool.  Even the hummingbirds have gotten a late start at the feeders.  Still, once the first hummers showed up, they onslaught began and it was not uncommon for the rest of the day to find a dozen birds at the two feeders all at once.  Again the two common species were the Allen’s and the Anna’s.

Anna's hummingbird 

       I retraced my steps of yesterday, reversing direction and following the local trail behind our hosts home.  The trail follows the ridge of a canyon and has plenty of good habitat for birds such as the California towhee.  This bird was a “lifer” for me and I was thrilled to find it foraging along the edge of the trail.  Not the most spectacular bird as far as color, but it certainly serve the purpose of blending in with the surroundings.  The bird stayed close to the edge of the trail and was able to dart back into cover.  Noting the sightings of the Cooper’s hawk yesterday, it was probably a good idea that Mother Nature worked out this color scheme for the towhee.

       By far the most dominant bird of the day was the American crow.  They were in constant motion moving up and down the canyon and calling to one another non-stop.  Another bird of note which unfortunately was not very cooperative about showing up for an image capture while I had the camera close at hand was the Black phoebe.  The Phoebe showed up on several occasions, perching on the fence surrounding the pool.  The first time, we were in the water and obviously could not get to the Nikon in time.  Later, he showed up for a shot by our host, but was gone by the time I got outside.  I watched all day in the hopes of capturing a shot for the blog, but it just wasn’t in the cards. 

       Tomorrow, I’ll be reporting to you from Melbourne, Australia.  Hopefully, we’ll get to the Botanical Gardens and have some new birds to introduce to you at that time.  For now, it’s off to board the plane and fly for 16 hours.  Not looking forward to that, but…….