A New Season

Spring has sprung, a new season has begun. We started the season with what was supposed to be a big storm. It brought wind and rain, and was cold for southern California. I would say it was short lived unless we are in for more of the storm. The sun is out at this time.

I was enjoying the sweet sounds of a favorite bird in our yard this morning. The cheery little house finch was singing his favorite tune to rid our day of any gloom. This little bird is partly colored in red, especially the male bird. In the bird kingdom the males are the most colorful. This time of year there are several birds sporting yellow. One of them is the yellow rumped warbler.

For a number of years we had a yellow rumped warbler that visited us each time it passed through our neighborhood. It would tap on our kitchen window. We couldn't figure out if it saw its own reflection or if there was something else that he saw and wanted. This was an annual event which greatly entertained us. I don't know how long these birds live and if this was really the same one each year. This ritual has ceased for now. We also have different windows now.

Mockingbirds are quite entertaining too. If you hear a bird singing at all hours of the day and night it could be a mockingbird. They have a variety of songs. They are called mockingbirds because they do mock sounds they hear. They are sassy little guys too.

If you have ever been attacked by a bird it could be a blackbird protecting its nest. They are very protective of their nests. Mockingbirds could also do the same.

Crows are in abundance now days. They can be mean to the other birds. They kill the young of other birds. I don't mind hearing the caw caw caw of crows, but I don't like them bothering the smaller birds. We also see ravens sometimes. They are similar to crows and hard to tell apart if you aren't into birding. Ravens are larger than crows and there are other small differences. Crows are in larger groups.

To learn more about any birds mentioned here you can look them up on Google or purchase a good bird book. San Diego is a good place to be to enjoy many varieties of birds.

Spring started on March 20th, but the first full day of spring is on the 21st. That bit of information was in the news. In the spring we have warmer days to look forward to as well as many lovely flowers in bloom. Laura has many flowers in her garden in our front yard. There aren't really any for picking for bouquets, but we can enjoy the color as we walk towards the house. There are succulents and bulbs as well as lavender and many others. I guess green is the dominant color though.

I love pretty blue skies with fluffy clouds for the background on my pictures. Many people like just the pretty blue sky, but I think it is prettier with big fluffy clouds right after a storm. Looking east and seeing snow covered mountains in the winter is a treat too. It was supposed to snow in our mountains during our recent storm. I don't know if it did or not. We got to see snow when we went to the mountains with Bill when he was here.

Where else can you go to the mountains and desert as well as the beach all in one day? San Diego is the place to be.

image credits: wjklos; Noël Zia Lee; pheαnix