Who would have thought that in August the temperature would be so pleasant and the air so clear here in Redding, CA that one could actually sit outside (in the shade, of course) enjoying it? Last year at this time the fire season was in full swing. Anyone going outside needed to wear a smoke mask. Smoke from fires both near and far filled the air. With a fire that jumped the Sacramento River and I-5, as well as the…..
When the vernal pool is a field of grass, no water in sight (but maybe somewhere), things are different. I have set up a little bird feeding station where I watch birds that come for the “morning rush hour.” Refer to earlier post: What is a Vernal Pool? Have I told you about this critter who has been eating my bird seed? I’ve seen him, standing like a groundhog just come out of his hole, sniffing the air around…..
As you read the Bible, whether you’ve read it a hundred times or never before, you’ll find that just like when watching birds, questions begin to mount. Here you were expecting it to answer all your questions! Read just a little bit a day. Eventually you’ll want more. But not all at once. Not at first. As with watching birds, the questions start coming as you read (or watch). Why does this bird fly this way and that bird fly…..
Vernal pools are wetlands covered by shallow water from winter to spring, but completely dry for most of summer and fall. The pools are characteristic of Mediterranean climates and distributed throughout California as well as some northeastern and Midwestern states. They provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. Vernal pools vary in size from small puddles to shallow lakes found in a sloping plain of grassland. All pools dry up periodically. In the wet season, water birds thrive at this…..
Back on December 28 the wet season was in full swing at the vernal pool. I’d spent enough time in the cold wind beside the vernal pool to be satisfied I’d seen all I was going to see that morning. Eleven species in an hour. Also confirmed my identification of the Gadwall. From the shed beside the pool I was close enough to clearly see the Gadwalls, even the dark eye line on the dark head. And the Mallards! I…..
Here I sit again puzzling about the mysteries of the birds. Yesterday there was not one Canada goose (that I saw) at the vernal pool. There were ten Mallards (that I counted), two pigeons on the Ed. Building roof, and only one starling. Why so few? Today I got ten species in 50 minutes. A hawk has been stationed at the top of a Pine across Hartnell Ave., which would give it a good “bird’s eye view” of the vernal…..
Welcome. My name is Virginia Reynolds Williams, author of Consider the Raven. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my new book. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here. I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about Consider the Raven, expanding on some of the topics in it and blogging on some of the ideas related to my book……
