More Lubbock Wildlife 4-25-20

Spring is definitely here. My birdhouse architect/builder and friend - otherwise known as Lyle - advised me to keep an eye on Clapp Park this month to see a great variety of birds migrating through town. It was very good advice.

A yellow (maybe a pine) warbler - my first of two birds I'd never seen in person (or is that in bird?)

A mockingbird shopping for hardware

Yesterday I grabbed a bike, a camera, and a powerful desire to see some natural beauty and took off pedaling.

Amphibian Break

Bullfrogs, represent! (two)

A trio of white-wing dove

Mallard

Let's Break for Flora

(I wasn't the only one there with crazy hair yesterday)

Back to the Birds

A male redwing blackbird talking

A female blackbird...

...takes flight

A lovely shorebird

Mammal Break

Squirrels being squirrels

And the other bird I'd never seen in person/bird

The official coolest sighting of the day - an osprey

This is a bird I've wanted to see for at least forty years - and to see one less than a mile from home was downright blissful. I'm still stoked and excited to share it here.

The rear view

This bird was pretty unconcerned about me, so I took about 100 photos. I was able to hear its surprisingly delicate vocalizations and able to watch it dining on a carp.

The eating-a-carp view

It was a great day out!

This post was brought you by...

Canon, Huffy,

my  talented friends at Yellowhouse Coffee, Lyle, and Lubbock Parks!

May you find wonders nearby, may you be well and healthy, and may you be thankful for all you have.

Earth Day at 50: Have you met...Project Drawdown?

Find it here

Not long ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a local CCL event that highlighted Project Drawdown - and I have been much more excited about our future since then.

Project Drawdown is a very comprehensive plan to slow down, stop, and reverse carbon release levels in the next 30 years. Essentially, they started looking at all of the top 100ish sources of earth-choking carbon release and looked at the best approach(es) to each. They list them in order in the Table of Solutions and they also divide them out into sectors in case you want to narrow it down a bit. (If you click only one link in this post, please make it the Table of Solutions!)

Find the sectors here too! (same link as the first)

Find Food, Agriculture, and Land Use here

Find Electricity here

Find Transportation here (Woohoo! Bicycles top the list!)

One of the most eye-opening is Health and Education

Find all Drawdown events - including these three Earth Day events - here

This Friday, check out Lubbock's own Dr. Katharine Hayhoe here

(At The Smithsonian Earth Optimism Summit)

If you're a person who sees good stewardship of every blessing as a core value and goal for life, the Drawdown list is a spotlight letting each of us know how and where we can get involved and make a difference. If you're looking for some hope and direction in saving the earth for future generations, Project Drawdown is a great place to start.

Find Last year's Mesquite Hugger Earth Day Post here

( I was looking for an excuse to get the 1970 Earth Day poster in.)

As always, thank you for reading, friends! May you be well, healthy, and striving for better.

A Few More Bits of Spring Backyard Phenology! (plants and birds)

Two backyard plants popped out leaves the week.

The pomegranate

I never noticed how similar in color the two plants are. The pomegranate generally produces very little fruit. This year I need to look into caring for it a little better. If anyone has any advice, let me know.

The pomegranate is an unruly beast. My wife is not fond of it, but the flowers are amazing and the sparrows think it the greatest place around.

The crepe myrtle

We have three crepe myrtle on the north facing wall. They are outside the bedroom and bathroom windows and they are my favorite weather vane. They let me know if we've had moisture overnight and they let me know how hard the wind is blowing - the wind is always blowing. I am thankful the previous homeowner chose them.

Easter lily on the kitchen table this week. Thanks, Granny!

Not pictured are the 4 O'clocks that have just started popping up. More of them to come!

Redwing Blackbird at Clapp Park

Not a lot of bird photos this week, but I've seen a lot more house finches and the town seems to be covered in mockingbirds. There's a male grackle who perches each day on top of the tallest tree around and chatters all day. The reeds at the park have thrived this year and they're covered in redwing blackbirds. I started to say that they are some of my faves, but they all are. The older I get the more I love birds.

The baby squirrels are growing fast. Their tails are now bushy and they are venturing wildly all over the two big elms.

Yes, I've been lonely for family, friends, and my work family, but all the creatures and plants have been amazing. I'm very thankful to have them.

May you be blessed, well, healthy, joyful, and thankful.

Thanks for stopping by!

Squirrelitos!

In my office at work, there is no window. It once was a closet, but it's been converted into a pretty nice office with two doors, two desks, and zero windows. As spring has approached, it's been a little tough staring at walls and doors and desks.

During this time of social distancing, however, I am working at home. At home I have a window facing the backyard. In the backyard is an old elm with a cavity that usually holds nesting birds, but this year the squirrels moved in first.

Ever been mooned by a squirrel?

Initially, I noticed a little face and thought it was an owl, so I grabbed the camera, zoomed in a bit, and then realized it was a squirrel face. A few minutes later, another face appeared. So my wife and I set up camp and came to realize there were four. By the next day, they were venturing out a bit and we realized there were six.

My wife took these pics - she's a much better photog than I.

For those of you who just can't get enough, here is a video of the little rascals venturing out onto the branch for (what we think was) the first time.

 

 Six little squirrels for six minutes

Yep, that's it. I just wanted to share a little fun, natural beauty.  May you know health, wellness and a little peace in these unsettling times.

Thanks for stopping by!

The First Lizard of Spring 2020, Random Pics, and a Covid 19 Message

The first lizard of spring - Mediterranean gecko we disturbed when dismantling the front-yard planter

The last pic of the Food is Free planter (with wildflowers!)

Follow the link above to see how and why we built the planter. It has yielded 5 years of great veggies and flowers with very little maintenance and very little water. We will still be using this type of irrigation on our front-porch planters. (More on that later.)

Hail a week ago

Sunrise

The bike commutes have been peaceful and enjoyable. For the month, I'm over 100 miles with no one-way trips exceeding 5 miles. Even better, we've had time for some family bike trips

Sunrise another day

Huge cactus flower (spotted on a dog walk)

Three cardinals came by

Our daily squirrel

My mockingbuddy

The adventure of Jeep Wheel and Robin!

The robin explains social distancing

The dogs have been pretty stressed

Life has been good in our little bit of isolation, but it in no way makes light of our current viral pandemic. We keep looking for more and better ways to serve and take care of the people around us, especially our neighbors who are more vulnerable and those brave souls in the medical profession. If you are fortunate enough to ride this out comfortably, please remember those in your community who are struggling to keep food on the table and struggling to care for families not accustomed to being home around the clock.

In hard times like these, people have the potential to be their best and their worst. Please choose well, be well, and be healthy.

Pray hard and work hard friends.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Coronavirus/Covid 19 PS.

For those looking for a no-nonsense explanation of coronavirus questions, our family has found this interview with Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, very helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A3jiM2FNR8

Wednesday Ride to Work

May you be healthy and well, friends!

A New Word for Spring

I just finished The Urban Bestiary again. I think it's my fourth reading.

The first time, I fell in love with possums. The second time it was a huge appreciation for corvids. Truth be told, I was already fond of ravens and grackles, but the book brought them closer. The third time it was starlings, which had only recently arrived in Lubbock. I still marvel that I had to research quite a bit to find that the most common bird in North America was nesting in my backyard elm.

I'm no stranger to new revelations from re-reading. I read Romeo and Juliet five times per year for eight years and I found something new each time. I read Cannery Row every other year and find new joy in the aubades each time. I read the Bible almost daily and I constantly find new nuances and applications buried in familiar verses.

With this reading of The Urban Bestiary, it wasn't a new animal. It was a new word - phenology.

I've been trying it out on friends, but none have known it. They've been guessing it's a complicated psychological term, but it's something much simpler. It's the observation of natural signs of seasonal change.

It's something I've practiced for years without knowing it. Each year I look forward to sharing "The First Lizard of Spring" photo on Mesquite Hugger. (Spoiler alert: it's always a Mediterranean gecko.)

Lately I've noticed the elms budding, the Canadian geese have left town, and the egrets, cormorants, and wigeons are scarce. The blue jays and starlings are back. The days are noticeably warmer.

Lord, how I revel in these things (even though I miss the egrets.) The weather is a little warmer and I;m commuting on the bike more. Being outside is a giving me chance to see more phenological signs.

Through the winter, I've struggled with my commute - mostly in a car; with my job - in a windowless office; and even with my home that I rarely see in daylight.

But spring approaches and I'm armed with a new word. It's time again to live (and watch) more deliberately, to drink in these natural delights. Joy comes in the morning.

May you find your own new word and awaken from whatever slumber has held you. May you enjoy the season deliberately.