Went to Pinnacles National Park on Friday and we were treated to soaring and resting California Condors. Amazing to watch these birds, not long ago nearly completely extinct, thriving here.

A California Condor showing it’s brown body, the underside of its half brown, half white wings, and it’s naked neck and head. The background is a blur of vegetation.

American Gold Finch digging for sunflower seeds the other day. #AmericanGoldFinch #Birds #Fujifilm

The American Gold Finch, peering into a bird feeder hole, has a black cap and, besides it’s wings, an all light yellow body. Only the front edge of its right wing is visible and it is mostly black with some white patches. The bird is partially obscured by a vertical transparent bird feeder with a blurry (bokeh) green vegetation background.

We’ve been monitoring a nest over the last two months. We saw nothing but the tip of tail feathers until today. We thought it was a Hawk or an Eagle. We were delighted to find two juvenile Great Horned Owls and an adult! High up on a high stumped tree are two juvenile great horned owl heads staring at the photographer. One eye of each is obscured by a branch. The adult owl head is behind the two younglings, and the adult is also gazing at the photographer, its horns seemingly laid back like a cautious cat. One of its eyes is also obscured by a branch.

Our native plant garden in the front yard. It looks unmaintained but I swear it is! Nearly everything is flowering including sage, Ceanothus, globe gilia, & manzanita (nearly done flowering). Our Clarkias will be blooming soon. Bees (native & European) and ladybug larva are insane this year.

A blue house with golden poppies amidst bushy green plants including Ceanothus with blue flowers, flowering sage, light pink Manzanita flowers, and in the middle a very happy blue oak.

And now a female Bullock’s Oriole has shown up in our backyard. What luck. #BullocksOriole #Birds

A female Bullock’s Oriole is perched at the edge of a bird bath that’s in front of an elderberry bush. The bird has a fully gray back with white bars on its exposed right wing. Its upper chest is yellow-orange. Her head is orange from the eyes down to the chest though there’s a strip of black below it’s chin. The bird has black around its eyes and has a gray cap.

Here’s yesterday’s Bullock’s Oriole looking right at the camera. #BullocksOriole #Birds A Bullock’s Oriole sits in a violet flowering Ceanothus bush, looking straight ahead. It has an orange chest and orange cheeks. Its head is mostly orange, but it has black on top. The cute bird has black eyeliner and a black chin, creating a cool triangular pattern that nearly looks angry. You can just barely see its right wing. Its wing is black with white on the bottom.

Bullock’s Oriole in our backyard Ceanothus. This is our first backyard Oriole! Wow. #BullocksOriole #Birds #Fujifilm

A medium Bullock’s Oriole bird with a bright orange chest, a reddish throat, and a black chin. It has a black back with whitish wings. Its orange head has a black stripe on top and a black stripe going from the rear corner of its eye to its back. The bird is perched in a Ceanothus shrub that’s loaded with tiny violet flowers and dark green leaves in between.

Ladybug larvas were later than normal this year but geez do they have a feast now!

Several ladybug larvae, kind of a rectangular bug with mostly black with orange stripes, are gorging on aphids on a sage.

We planted our vegetable and herb seedlings today. Our home compost has turned out real nice. Took several years to build up enough for use. The worms do most of the work since we can’t get the compost hot enough for long. 🌱 Two planted crop rows with drip tape. In the background are stunningly violet flowers of Ceanothus bushes. To the right of the crop rows is patio with grapes leafing out below the awning. Gravel makes up paths between crop rows.A wheel burrow full of worm laden compost. It’s sunrise and the shadows are long.

Present me is very thankful that past me connected all the commons in our newer irrigation box. So I didn’t have to undo the common “water proof” wire nut but only connect up the green wire to move from an older, now broken valve in an older box.

A irrigation valve box with wires tied together by wire nuts including the green wire. The small box sits atop some gravel and has a stainless steel braided hose providing input water. There are 20-25 GPH pressure regulators and adapters to drip irrigation hoses.

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