The Wayward Hawaiian

Anna's Hummingbird on Barbed Wire

2012-01-25T22:22:00.000-08:00

Anna's Hummingbird on barbed wire! Nothing stops these fierce little birds. This one was keeping a keen eye on the camera and threatening to fly off.

Backyard Birder: What's in Your Backyard?

2012-01-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

Bushtit -- Coastal Form, Psaltriparus minimus. I wandered down into the canyon in back of the house the other day to snap some bird pictures and take a look at what was living there. There was a flock of bushtits that appeared to be sipping nectar from the profusely blooming bushes. While it is only January, the Winter rains have resulted in all sorts of flowers, sprouts and a profusion of Toyon Berries that are attracting seasonal bird visitors.

Stanhopea nigroviolacea

2012-01-23T20:32:00.001-08:00

Stanhopea nigroviolacea blooming in the back yard under lath.

Reflecting Pool at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

2012-01-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Reflecting Pool at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San Diego, San Diego, California.

Silvered Leaf Monkeys in a Huddle

2012-01-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

Silvered Leaf Monkeys, Trachypitheces cristatus, huddling for warmth at the San Diego Zoo.

White Cheeked Pintail Duck

2012-01-22T00:46:00.000-08:00

White Cheeked Pintail Duck, Anas bahamensis. These cheeky little ducks are native to South America and the Galapagos. The South American population of these ducks migrates South to Argentina to breed each Spring.

Komodo Dragon

2012-01-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis. These large lizards are reputedly one of the last living representatives of large varanid lizards that once lived across Australia and Indonesia. In nature, they opportunistically prey upon/ambush goats, deer and even water buffalo while relying on a diet of mostly carrion. Their bite contains fairly toxic bacteria that will may eventually result in the death of their prey, even where the bite itself may have been relatively minor.

Sanderling

2012-01-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

Sanderling, Calidris alba, Tijuana Estuary Reserve, California. These little guys have a circumpolar distribution and Winter all the way down to the Southern Hemisphere. This one is Wintering in lovely San Diego.

Prarie Falcon

2012-01-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

Prarie Falcon, Falco mexicanus, Mission Trails Park, San Diego (Santee), California. These little birds frequent grasslands, hills and praries and are found from Southwestern Canada to Southern Mexico.

Lion Tailed Macaque Behind Bars

2012-01-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

The Lion-Tailed Macaque, Macaca silenus, is a native of South India. Although this Lion-Tailed Macaque has a huge enclosure and lots of Macaque friends, I couldn't help but think he looked a little sad.

Sighting: Common Yellowthroat (or Holy Warblers Batman!)

2012-01-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Male Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, Mission Trails Park, San Diego, California. This is a first time sighting for me although, given that this bird lives in swamps, marshes and wet thickets which are not widespread in dry coastal Southern California and given that the female is less descript (no batman mask), that is not altogether surprising. This bird Summers throughout the Western United States and Winters in Mexico. Coastal (Central to Southern) California, however, is one of the few areas that maintains a year round presence. This particular bird was not particularly shy, appearing to have a nest in the dense grass; however, taking a picture of him without my trusty 500mm lens proved challenging due to the low light and myriad branches and grass, all eagerly becoming targets for the camera's autofocus.

Rare Sighting of Mountain Bluebird in San Diego

2012-01-15T19:37:00.000-08:00

Mountain Bluebird,Sialia currucoides, eating Toyon Berries. I've seen Mountain Bluebirds up in Julian before; however, it's pretty rare to see them in San Diego (here, in Mission Trails park eating Toyon Berries). I'm thinking the plentiful crop of Toyon Berries was too much to resist!

Western Snowy Plover

2012-01-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

Western Snowy Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus. It's Winter. The beach is cool, windswept and foggy and the birds have the beach all to themselves.

Casa Del Prado by Night

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Casa Del Prado by Night, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Prado is so alive with lights and reflections by night! A picture taker's paradise.

Black Crowned Night Heron

2012-01-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

Black Crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycotidor, fishing for dinner, Kailua Beach, Hawaii.

Saddleback Butterflyfish

2012-01-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Chaetodon ephippium, Saddleback Butterflyfish, at Waio'Opae Marine Preserve, Hawaii. It's always pretty exciting to see one of these beauties! They're large, colorful, a teensie bit skittish and rather rare in Hawaii.

Lava Eel

2012-01-08T22:47:00.000-08:00

Lava Eel at Mele Kohola on the Big Island. Doesn't it look like a prehistoric or perhaps a deep water eel (like mega-mouth), washed up on the rocks, being eaten by crabs? On the other hand, it kind of reminds me of those big sand worms in Dune... I suspect that the red coloration results from a high iron content in that segment of lava.

Marbled Blenny and Helmet Urchins

2012-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Entomacrodus marmoratus or the Marbled Blenny, with Shingle or Helmet urchins (Ha'Uke'Uke), Magic Island, Hawaii. These amazing little Hawaiian blennies come up out of the water as the waves wash over shoreline rocks. They sit on these rocks where they graze on algae, ever keeping a watchful eye for threats such as stray humans or the occasional bird or crab. Their eyesight appears to be quite good, even out of water. When threatened,do a quick snap of their tail, possibly with a bit of a wiggle to get to the edge of the rock, to escape back into the ocean.

The local fishermen will sometimes catch these little blennies to use as live bait for larger fish such as Ulua (Jacks) and Baracuda.

Also shown are a group of Shingle or Helmet urchins, Colobocentrotus atratus. These are called Ha 'uke 'uke in Hawaiian and, while edible,are not commercially harvested. They are usually found out of water in the splash zone clinging to large rocks.

January San Diego American Orchid Society Regional Judging Awards

2012-01-05T01:03:00.000-08:00

(Cyc warscewiczii X Morm andicola) 'Priscilla's Pink Lady' HCC/AOS 78pts

Cymbidium Byaka Pendant 'Ernie' HCC/AOS 78pts

Cyrtochilum trilingue CHM/AOS

Dendrobium tetragonum var carcatua 'Windflower II' HCC/AOS 78pts

Masdevallia ivanii 'Windflower' CBR/AOS

Mormodes elegans 'Sunset Valley Orchids II' AM/AOS 80pts

Mormodes vinacea 'Sunset Valley Orchids' CBR/AOS

Mormodes warscewiczii 'Brent Baker' HCC/AOS 77pts

Mormodes warscewiczii 'Sunset Valley Orchids' HCC/AOS 78pts

Mormodia Leopard Drops 'Sunset Valley Orchids' AM/AOS 85 pts

New Bird: Horned Lark!

2012-01-04T00:29:00.000-08:00

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris, Fiesta Island, San Diego, California. Three of these adorable little birds were foraging for bugs in the sand between the cars at the dog park. This was another first sighting for me!

Add a New Bird to My List: Gadwall Ducks

2012-01-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

Gadwall duck pair, Anas strepera, at the Old Mission Dam, San Diego, CA. Always a nice surprise to see a brand new bird in an old, familiar spot. These ducks breed in Northern N. America and spend their Winters South through Mexico, Africa and India! These are lake and pond ducks. While I've seen Mallards and Coots at this particular pond, these are the first Gadwall Ducks.

Giant Dome off of Waikiki: Sea-based X-Band Radar

2012-01-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sea-based X-Band Radar off of Waikiki Beach. Wow, this radar dome is absolutely huge! It's based on a Norweigian/Russian-built, double-hulled, mobile oil platform that cost over $900M to build. It provides radar tracking for advanced missile defense. It's a pretty amazing sight to see.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T20:21:00.000-08:00

As we reflect back on 2011, some of you no doubt have fond memories; others would rather forget 2011; most of us have both. Regardless, here's to wishing you all a happy, healthy and successful 2012!

Hawaii from the Air!

2011-12-31T01:29:00.000-08:00

On a nice clear day, you can see a long, long ways. While we're still missing Oahu and Kauai, you could see most of the major Hawaiian islands on this nice, mostly clear day.

Foreground, from left to right: the islands of Molokai, Kaho'olawe and Lanai.
Background, from left to right: the islands of Maui and Hawaii.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal Strikes Again

2011-12-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi, on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu. Now what's the chance of running into an endagered Hawaiian Monk seal, not just once in a lifetime, but twice in a week? This time it was a few miles to the East on Waikiki Beach. The seal apparently arrived at 10am and lounged around the beach until around 4:30pm whereupon it waddled slowly into the sea, perhaps to catch a quick meal of fish from within the marine preserve before sunset.

How Much Does a Beachfront Home on Kailua Beach Cost?

2011-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

View of the big houses on Kailua beach from a kayak on Kailua Bay. They're not quite as big as those HUGE houses on Diamond Head but they're still plenty pricey... There were none listed for sale but I'd guess they're upwards of $10M. Not too shabby.

At the Base of the Baobab Tree

2011-12-26T01:50:00.000-08:00

Baobab Tree, Adansonia digitata, Foster Botanical Gardens. The Baobab tree grows in Madagascar where it thrives in wet Summers and dry Winters. Ironically, this Baobab has grown to huge proportions in Hawaii where it likely treats the warm wet year round weather as one extended, unending growing season.

Do Surfers Take Christmas Off?

2011-12-26T00:54:00.000-08:00

Surfer at Sunset Beach, Christmas Day, 2011. Okay, so it wasn't totally packed at Sunset Beach but it did take a while to find parking.

Eating Fish Through A Straw

2011-12-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Coronetfish, Fistularia commersonii, or nunu peke in Hawaiian, live on the shallow reef where they feed upon smaller fish. Their long snout allows them to access small holes and crevices where they use their long snout and vacuum-like suction, caused by rapidly opening their snout, to "suck in" their small prey.

What Did You Do On Christmas Eve?

2011-12-24T20:39:00.000-08:00

School of Weke Ula (Yellowfin Goatfish), Mulloidichthys vanicolensis, off Waikiki Beach. It was a little rainy but the fish were still there. What did you do on Christmas eve?

Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples

2011-12-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

A tranquil moment at the Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

The Ever-Elusive Hawaiian Owl

2011-12-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

The Hawaiian Owl or Pueo, Asio flammeus sandwichensis. These are endangered on Oahu and are becoming sparse throughout the major Hawaiian Islands. As opposed to most owls, the Hawaiian owls are diurnal, preferring to hunt during the day. They nest in open fields and are subject to predation by mongoose, feral cats and wild boar. Note that Hawaii also has a modest population of barn owls that nest in trees and hunt by night.

Star Gazing or Spotting a UFO?

2011-12-22T00:57:00.000-08:00

Black Pond Turtles, Siebenrockiella crassicolis, gazing off into the distance. Exactly what they all spotted remains a mystery! These little turtles are from the Southeast Asian rainforests where they spend their days in the mud, waiting for fish, shrimp, frogs, snails and other tasty prey.

Napping Hawaiian Monk Seal

2011-12-21T01:29:00.000-08:00

Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi, napping on the rocks, on Oahu, Hawaii. Hawaiian Monk Seals are solitary, endagered, earless seals and, due to development and environmental degradation, are largely restricted to the Northern Hawaiian Islands. They are the only native seal in Hawaii and one of only two surviving species of Monk seals in the world. Hawaiian Monk seals are rarely found on the major, inhabited islands. This one, however, was napping on the rocks on Oahu, the most populated of all the Hawaiian islands. Quite a treat indeed!

Hawaiian Monk Seal Plays Peak a Boo

2011-12-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hawaiian Monk Seal Playing Peak-a-boo! Cute, isn't he?

Body Surfing Flip Acrobatics

2011-12-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

Body Surfing Flip at Sandy Beach, Oahu. This surfer did a full flip and landed it perfectly! He was also doing 360s in the waves!

Brown House Gecko

2011-12-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

Brown House Gecko. There used to be a lot of these on the plate glass windows at night catching bugs when I was a kid. Now, there are much fewer. I suspect that it has to do with competition from and predation by other later introduced gecko species such as the Madagascar Day Gecko. There are still a few around although they are albeit a bit camera shy. This one is doing his best to blend in with the wood he's on; unfortunately for him, the wood is long dead and painted white...

Hang gliding over the cliffs of Makapu'u

2011-12-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hang Gliding over the cliffs of Makapu'u

Western Grebe and Reflection

2011-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Western Grebe on glassy water, Mission River, California.

Bufflehead Duck Eating Clam for the Holidays!

2011-12-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

Bufflehead Duck, Bucephala albeola, attempting to scarf a clam that's way too big for his beak! You have to give him credit for effort!

The Ducks are Back!

2011-12-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

American Wigeon, Anas americana and two American Coots, Fulica americana. The wigeons Summer up in Alaska and Canada but come down for the Winter. They've been here since the beginning of December. The coots are here pretty much all year round.

Mormodia Painted Desert 'SVO' HCC/AOS

2011-12-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Mormodia Painted Desert 'SVO' HCC/AOS taken at Fred Clarke's yesterday. These beautiful, long lasting red flowers are blooming just in time for Christmas and are delightfully fragrant. They result from a cross of Clowesia Rebecca Northen and Mormodes sinuata.

Laelia anceps 'White Magic'

2011-12-10T22:22:00.001-08:00

Laelia anceps 'White Magic' blooming at Fred Clarke's greenhouse.

Laelia anceps

2011-12-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Laelia anceps, a native of Mexico with a rambling habit and beautiful flowers on tall arching stems.

Mini-cattleyas

2011-12-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

Slc. (Trick or Treat X Circle of Life) from Billy Baker.

Western Grebe on the Prowl

2011-12-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Western Grebe on the prowl for small fish in the Mission River. As I watched the grebe swim just under the surface of the water, I wondered if ancient pleiosaurs swam like it and if this little grebe was a link back to a magnificent past where the pleiosaurs ruled the seas.

American Orchid Society San Diego Awards - December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T22:35:00.000-08:00

Fdk. Desert Tennor 'Sunset Valley Orchids' FCC/AOS

Cld. Jumbo Freedom 'Sunset Valley Orchids' AM/AOS

Zga Adelaide Oval 'Windflower' HCC/AOS

Morm Jumbo Bacia 'Sunset Valley Orchids' AM/AOS

Lava Arch and Hawaiian Geology

2011-12-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Lava Arch near Mele Kohola on the Big Island of Hawaii. You can tell a lot about the geologic history of a place by looking at its cliffs. Cliffs often cut through multiple strata and the depth, composition, angles, etc. of those strata tell you how an area was formed. For example, whether it was sedimentary ocean bottom thrust up through seismic activity (Coastal California) or whether it was littered with polished stones from glacial activity (parts of Colorado).

One afternoon, we went for a walk down the coast along the steep lava cliffs. We were heading North from Mele Kohola (on the Hawaii Paradise Park coastline), ostensibly looking for the black sand beach (which turned out to be several miles away). Along the way, there were all sorts of lava caves and arches to view and study. This one illustrates the different eruptions very nicely. You can see how layers of lava and ash stack on top of the other like a stack of pancakes. Some layers are harder (lava) than others (ash) and, as the waves erode them at different rates, this results in caves and arches. Other caves result from lava tubes where the lava cooled around a flow and, as the flow emptied into the sea, left an open tube. You will not see the little pancake layers if it was formed by a lava tube.

Note, lava is also composed of different minerals, often each rising or sinking into different layers (within a given flow), depending on the mineral's relative weight, viscosity, etc. Silicon floats to the top, leaving a glossy mirror-like sheen on the top of some lava. As shown here, there are also iron-rich layers that turn reddish brown as they oxidize (think rust or red cinders). If reddish brown is from iron, what is that pink rock composed of? As it turns out, the "pink rock" is actually where the lava is covered by a thin layer of pink coraline algae. While most algae is soft, coraline algae deposits onto the rock in a hard mineral-like layer. As it is a living sea organism, you only see it at and below the water line.

Aneomones

2011-12-05T00:03:00.000-08:00

A wall of anemones at Point Loma National Park at low tide.

Greater White-Fronted Goose

2011-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

Greater White-Fronted Goose, Anser albifrons, Lake Cuyamaca, California. This greater white-fronted goose was happily swimming along with the Canada Geese and what appeared to be a white barnyard/domestic goose with whom it seemed particularly friendly.

Check Out Those Chickens!

2011-11-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

A pair of Belgian Bearded d' Uccle Feather Legged Bantams munching on tomato seeds on a doorstep in Julian, California.

Pacific South American Orchid Society Judging Award Winners

2011-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

There were three awards granted at the American Orchid Society Judging in Long Beach, California on November 28, 2011, including one FCC to Fred Clarke! The flowers are shown below. The pictures were taken by your very own wayward Hawaiian.

Cycnodes Spotted Hornet 'Sunset Valley Orchids' FCC/AOS

Laelia anceps variety veitchiana 'Blue Angel' AM/AOS

Cattleya (Sophronitis) coccinea variety aurea 'Yellow Diamonds' AM/AOS

Tis the Season for...Pie!

2011-11-28T00:24:00.001-08:00

The weather warmed up again. Today it was in the low eighties, albeit with a chilly breeze. Warm enough, however, to head to Julian for some apple pie at the Julian Pie Company. Yummm.

Canada Goose in Southern California

2011-11-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, wintering at Lake Cuyamaca, California. I've never seen them at sea level this far South. However, there's a small flock that apparently Winters up around 4,000 ft. at Lake Cuyamaca.

Least Tern Working for a Living

2011-11-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

Least Tern, Sterna antillarum, in Winter colors, as it emerges from a dive into the water after small fish in the Mission River Preserve.

Turkey On the Go

2011-11-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo variety intermieda (Rio Grande Subspecies), Julian, California. It's Thanksgiving! Needless to say, this turkey was in a bit of a hurry to get away.

Wishing you and your loved ones all a wonderful Thanksgiving, regardless of what graces your table tonight.

Great Blue Heron Having a Bad Hair Day

2011-11-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

Great Blue Heron hanging out on a buoy on a windy day in the Mission Bay Harbor. Bad hair day? ...or perhaps a bad feather day.

Fin Whale Washes Up on the Rocks of Point Loma

2011-11-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

A 65 ft. Female Fin Whale, on the beach at Fiesta Island, San Diego, California. This female fin whale washed up on the rocks of Point Loma, just below the waste treatment plant roughly five days ago. A life guard boat was used to drag it to Fiesta Island, shown above, where it would be dissected to determine its cause of death. A young fetus was also present, ejected as the whale began to decay, at the point loma site; however, it was apparently lost in the process of towing the mother to Fiesta Island.

A large grading tractor was used to attempt to pull it up the beach and out of the water. However, after a large strap and two large chains snapped in a most spectacular fashion in the attempt, it was decided to process the whale where it lay. As the scientists started to cut open the whale, the smell, as you would expect, became rather extreme and this photographer left, generally relieved to not be living down-wind of the carcass. However, a small crowd of onlookers remained to watch the process. Apparently, samples are being brought to the Scripps Institute for further research.

Post script: The scientists reported today (11/24) that the cause of death appeared to be a collision with a boat that fractured several of her vertebrae. As fast as these mammals are, you would think that would never happen, but perhaps curiosity lured her in a little to close...

Osprey, No Not the Bird, the Tilt Rotor!

2011-11-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

Osprey flying outside of Point Loma. I've wanted to take a picture of one of these ever since I saw them in Halo (good job military PR). Really cool if a bit expensive... For those of you not familiar with tilt rotors, these little beauties take off like a helicopter and then tilt the rotors down into a lateral alignment to fly like an airplane, allowing them to land and take off in tight spots but extends their range and flight speed.

Cormorant Colony at Cabrillo National Monument

2011-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Cormorant Colony off of the steep cliffs of Point Loma at the Cabrillo National Monument.

Orange Aggregating Anemone

2011-11-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

An orange aggregating anemone species in shallow water at Cabrillo National Monument. Anemones are animals and can even travel like snails do, when they are dissatisfied with conditions at their current location. However, as with corals, many anemones are capable of multiplying both sexually, by ejecting sperm and eggs into the water, and asexually, by budding (similar to how a plant would generate new sprouts at its base). If you look closely, you will notice smaller anemones budding at the base of the larger parent anemone.

American Kestrel at Cabrillo National Monument

2011-11-20T20:10:00.000-08:00

American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego, California. I drove out to Cabrillo National Monument to see a Fin whale that washed up into a cove just outside the Point Loma Waste Treatment plant. It turns out, however, that the waste treatment plant wasn't having anything to do with lookie-loos and crazy photographers. In fact, they didn't even let their own security guard go down to the cove to see the whale. However, since I was at Cabrillo, I paid the entry fee and made a day of exploring Cabrillo National Park. I started off photographing the tide pools followed by taking pictures of the bird colonies on the cliffs and then by photographing the succulent species growing in the coastal scrub...which is what I was doing when this little guy popped up. He was flying into the stiff, cool breeze, flapping just hard enough to hover over the coastal scrub, looking for lizards, bugs and small animals. Every now and then he would dive down at some prey and then bob right back up into the sky. He (you can ID male American Kestrels by the grey on the top of the wings -- not shown in this photo) continued to hover and swoop for over 15 minutes, providing for some excellent shots including the one above.

Juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron

2011-11-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycotidor. This little heron was perched on the railing of a nearby boat. As I stepped carefully, one foot after the other, closer to get a more detailed photo, he ever so slowly turned away from me to face his body away from me (to allow him to launch into the air towards a nearby tree), his head and eyes remaining ever vigilant on my progress, while his legs stepped slowly, one after the other, along the railing. Still, he remaied on that railing, having been there early in the morning when we arrived for the whale watching trip and remaining there when we returned, several hours later.

At first, I thought this was a green heron or else perhaps some other heron that I had not seen before, his color being so different from the adult black and white plummage of a Black-Crowned Night Heron, and his presence in broad daylight outside of the cover of a tree being somewhat uncharacteristic of the Black-Crowned Night Herons which frequent Mission Bay. Luckily, however, the National Geographic Field guide I was perusing included pictures of juvenile birds. Hence, the hopefully correct ID above.

Fin Whales

2011-11-18T18:08:00.000-08:00

We went out whale watching off Point Loma and Mission Bay. Sometimes you'll go whale watching and seeing very little and at a great distance. However, today there were fin whales everywhere! See for yourself!

Fin Whale blow hole

Another fin whale showing the characteristic tiny fin just in front of their tail.

Fin whale leaning over to take a peak at us.

Fin whale swimming directly towards the boat.

Skate

2011-11-17T00:13:00.000-08:00

Skate caught by a fisherman at the Imperial Beach Pier.

Marbled Godwit

2011-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa, feeding in the sand; Imperial Beach, California. How do they find anything under all that sand? I've been told they have tiny hairs along their beak that sense or perhaps smell the small worms and crustaceans they feed on.

Fiddle Player at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market

2011-11-15T21:14:00.001-08:00

Fiddle Player at the Hillcrest Farmers' Market.

Seagull Gets the Last Laugh

2011-11-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

Gull hanging out on a netted roof what was specifically netted to keep the gulls off of the roof of the bathroom on the Imperial Beach pier. Score: gulls 1: Humans 0.

Winter Guests

2011-11-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

Dunlin, Calidris alpina; Winter plummage. These birds nest in the Summer up on the Alaskan Tundra and Winter along the Pacific coast of North America where they are found in mudflats, pond edges, marshes and along the ocean.

Lava images

2011-11-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

Lava images. Tell us, what do you see? As the molten lava cools, it twists and turns into all sorts of fantastic shapes and forms. I snapped pictures of some of the more suggestive ones.

Cedar Waxwing

2011-11-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

Cedar Waxwing. These migrate through San Diego on their way South. As a pleasant surprise, I found a whole flock of them in the eucalyptus tree this morning!

Green Crested Lizard

2011-11-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Bronchocela christatella or Green Crested Lizard. A very happy and well fed lizard posing for the camera! These beautiful agamid lizards are natives of West Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Southern Thailand, South Myanmar, and the Nicobar Islands. They live up in trees and shrubs where, using their long, slender tail for balancing, they hunt for small invertebrates.

Side note: there are approximately 300 species of Agamid lizards in the family Agamidae. They are also commonly called "dragon lizards," including the bearded dragon and the uromastyx among their ranks. Agramids are distinguished by their teeth, which are borne on the outer rim of the mouth (look close!), rather than on the inner side of the jaws as with most other lizards.

Balboa Park Arboretum Reflecting Pool

2011-11-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

Balboa Park Arboretum by night.

Gemmed Orbweaver

2011-11-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

"Araneus gemma, Family Araneidae. Sometimes it's called a Gemmed Orbweaver. These are pretty common at this time of year and usually make their webs up in trees or around buildings where they can be a pest depending on where they build webs. As almost all spiders they have venom and these are large enough to bite if handled. The bite would be a bit painful but certainly not life threatening. This is the time of year that they mature, mate, lay eggs, and die out. They are usually gone by the end of November." Identification and information complements of Jim Berrian at the San Diego Natural History Museum!

Rattle-free Rattlesnake?

2011-11-06T22:24:00.000-08:00

Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Crotalus catalinensis. The Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake has evolved without rattles, possibly due to the lack of predators on Santa Catalina island or perhaps due to a random genetic mutation which, without survival need, became dominant.

Double Primrose After the Rain

2011-11-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Double Primrose after the recent rains. San Diego has been unnaturally wet and rainy this past year and it looks like, in spite of a second year of La Nina warnings by the weather persons, we are headed into another wet Winter.

Double-Flowered Rhynchostylis Retusa

2011-11-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Double-flowered Rhychostylis retusa. This Rhynchostylis retusa has a fused stem/ovary between two adjacent flowers.

The California Bell Tower in the Setting Sun

2011-11-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

The California Bell Tower, Balboa Park, in the Setting Sun.

Casa Del Prado by Night

2011-11-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park, California. The lights of Casa Del Prado reflecting into the tranquil, dark, nighttime waters of the Balboa Arboretum pool.

Yellow Water Lilly

2011-11-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Yellow water lilly in the setting sun, Balboa Park, California.

Costa's Hummingbird

2011-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

Costa's Hummingbird (Female), Calypte costae. These tiny hummingbirds (about 3.5 inches long) are found throughout the Arid Southwestern U.S. and into the Baja Peninsula. The males have a bright violet mask.

Sparkling Violet-Ear Hummingbird

2011-10-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sparkling Violet-Ear Hummingbird, Colibri coruscans. These beautiful hummingbirds are found from Venezuela and Columbia (the birthplace of hummingbirds) through northwestern Argentina.

Blue Butterfly Bush or Clerodendrum ugandense

2011-10-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

Blue Butterfly Bush, Clerodendrum ugandense. This is a small to medium sized, warmer growing (zone 8) shrub. The flowers apparently attract butterflies as well. Quite the charmer.

Kissing in the Moonlight

2011-10-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

Statue of Sailor and nurse kissing in the moonlight with the USS Midway museum in the background. Taken with ambient lighting.

Paper Wasp

2011-10-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Paper Wasp, Polistes species, in Jimson Weed. There were several Paper wasps prowling around the Jimson Weed flowers. Adult paper wasps are nector feeders, hence their presence in the Jimson week flowers.

However, adult paper wasps will sting soft bodied insects, such as caterpillars, to paralyze them. The wasps then carry the soft bodied insect or caterpillar to their nest for their larvae/grubs to feed on as they are developing.

Anna's Hummingbird

2011-10-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna (juvenile), in the back yard. These are found all up and down the Pacific coast of the United States and down into the Northern Baja Peninsula. You can differentiate them from Costa's Hummingbird based on the eye being below the green patch on the head rather than within the green patch as with Costa's Hummingbird.

AOS Awards, Pac South

2011-10-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

(Catamodes Painted Desert X Catasetum Brent's Black Hawk) AM/AOS. In ambient light, this flower is almost black but if you light it up, it's a glossy deep red. Congratulations Brent!

Great Purple Hairstreak

2011-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Great Purple Hairstreak (male), Atlides halesus, Mission Trails Park, San Diego, California. Note that the males have the blue streaks on the outside of the wing while the females do not. These are found from California across the Southern states to Florida and then down into Mexico. They're hard to spot in a tree or bush but well worth the trouble. The wings are typically kept closed when not in flight. However, if you're lucky enough to see them open, they are an irridescent blue. Also, the wings roll out at the rear exposing wing patterns, which, when viewed from the rear look like eyes and antenna, likely to confuse potential predators.

Prarie Falcon

2011-10-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Prarie Falcon, Falco mexicanus, Mission Trails Park, San Diego, California. I saw this little guy sitting high up in a sycamore tree and, with that big old 500mm lens, here we are.

Classic Automobiles

2011-10-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Old speedster off highway 8.

Dendrochilum cobbianum

2011-10-21T18:21:00.001-07:00

Dendrochilum cobbianum, showing that notable triangular lip.

Pelican Over Water

2011-10-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Pelican Over Water, Mission River Preserve, San Diego, California.

American Avocets, Winter Plumage

2011-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

American Avocets, Recurvirostra americana (so named for it's upturned beak -- aka recurved rostrum), resting on an exposed sand bar in the middle of the Mission River. Yes, the Avocets are back sporting their ever so stylish black and white formal Winter plumage! I had been to the Mission River for years without ever seeing an avocet until I realized that the little guys hang out in the shallows in the MIDDLE of the river, far from feral cats and stray dogs. Now that I know where to look, they're readily visible, albeit with a huge lens or perhaps binoculars.

I also puzzled for quite a while over the funky upturned beaks, wondering how they manage to eat anything at all with such beaks. However, it became fairly obvious upon watching them feed. They sweep those upturned beaks in shallow water over the mud and sand bottom kind of like a scythe cutting through wheat. The beaks scare up small water bugs and crustaceans which, as they are trying to flee the disturbance, become the Avocet's next meal.

Barkeria Lindleyana

2011-10-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Barkeria lindleyana semi-alba. A forgiving Central American orchid species that will grow hanging from a wire with no media whatsoever, given a little humidity and some decent water. These vary from bright lavender to pure white.

Unknown Dendrochilum

2011-10-15T23:56:00.000-07:00

Dendrochilum species, unknown. Fascinating little Dendrochilum species with a compact growth habit and the cutest little dog biscuit shaped lip.

Honey bee on Broom Baccharis

2011-10-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Honey bee (Apis), her back legs full of pollen, on Broom Baccharis (Baccharis sarothroides - Asteraceae). Broom Baccharis is native to a riparian habitat and blooms from June through October. It is in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

Snowy Egret

2011-10-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, Mission River Preserve, San Diego, California. We went to the preserve to see if the ducks had made it this far South yet. They had not. There was not a duck to be seen anywhere. There were, however, lots of terns, egrets, herons and an early flock of avocets.

Rth. Jungle Jumbalaya 'Arnilicious' HCC/AOS

2011-10-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Rth. Jungle Jumbalaya 'Arnilicious' HCC/AOS 77pts, from tonights Pacific South American Orchid Society Judging at Balboa Park, San Diego, California.

AH-1 Huey Cobra Helicopter

2011-10-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

AH-1 Huey Cobra Helicopter, Miramar Air Show, San Diego, California.

Anguloa eburnea

2011-10-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Anguloa eburnea. Anguloa are often called the tulip orchids because of their resemblance, at a distance anyhow, to a tulip. Anguloa eburnea is a native of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru where it is found at around 4500 to 7500 ft. This species is notably distinguished from Anguloa uniflora, which it is often mislabled as, by eburnea's diamond shaped, elongated midlobe (on the lip).