Sky blue

  

Walking over to the farmers market this morning, I caught a glimpse of a dragonfly exploring the sun-exposed branches of a willow tree.  It disappeared, but when I turned the corner I started scanning up high, looking for potential sites where it could have landed.  I was about to give up, when my eyes caught the blue of the darner's eyes.

Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) in Sebastopol on 17 May 2026. 

Rosemary for breakfast?

  

While doing some errands in Sebastopol this morning, I noticed some movement in a rosemary bush at the edge of a parking lot.  Turned out to be a small flock of Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) along with a few Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus).  They appeared to be eating the rosemary flowers.  

Siskins are often perched up high in trees, so it was fun to see them below eye level.  Above, two Pine Siskins.  (Note the nice yellow feather edges.)

Below, a bright male Lesser Goldfinch.

 

 

Sipping nectar on a hot day

  

I made a quick stop at Harmony Farm Supply & Nursery in Sebastopol this morning.  There was a lot of butterfly activity at the flowers.

Above is a female Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus).  Male Fiery Skippers look quite different:

 

And there were several duskywings zipping around.  Not a great shot, but here's a Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis):

 

How far?

I had to do a quick errand in downtown Sebastopol this morning (30 September 2020).  As I walked, I started noticing burnt leaves scattered on the ground.  I'm guessing they drifted to Sebastopol a couple of days ago when the Glass Fire started, but perhaps folks who live there know more about the timing?  For the record, here's one example:

 

 

How far did this oak leaf travel?  What did the tree look like?  I'm so sorry, old friend.  Thank you for your gifts.

 

Soon

 

Juvenile Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) on 6 June 2015, soon to leave their nest outside of Andy's Market in Sebastopol.

  

Shopping for fruit

Sometimes I like grocery shopping, but other times it can feel a bit like a chore, something I have to do rather than want to do.  But it helps when there are interesting things to look at outside of the stores.  At this time of year, many of the trees in the parking lots have fruits that attract birds.

Recently, the trees near the Fiesta Market in Sebastopol have been very active.  It's been fun to look up and see these species in between errands:

 

Female Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana).  Do you think she's perched in a crabapple?  

There were male bluebirds nearby, too (see next image).

 

Then I followed a very high-pitched call and found these birds sitting high in a bare-branched tree:

 

Here's a closer view of a Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum):

 

And one from behind that highlights the lemon yellow tail band and the crimson red tips on the wing feathers for which the species is named.

 

Although I had to dodge some cars in the parking lot to get these bird pictures, it was nice to have a little natural history mixed into my chores last weekend.  And in this case, we were all "shopping" for fruit!