I was up around 5:30 this morning and headed over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk before it got too hot outside.  It was about 61º when I got to the preserve, and it got up to 90º by the afternoon.

Because my walk was somewhat abbreviated, I didn’t get very far, even though I walked for about 3 hours.  A lot of time was spent below a tree where a pair of European Starlings had a nest. There were two young fledglings, almost full grown but without their adult coloring, poking their heads out f the hole in the front of their nesting cavity. As I watched, the parents took turns bringing food to the kids: beetles, water bugs and earthworms (from what I could tell).

I only saw a few deer, including what I thought might be a pregnant female.  And there were a lot of Spotted Towhees out, singing from tree tops and the ground.  The brodiaea were in bloom along several stretches of the trail, along with Elegant Clarkia, and it looked like the Soaproot plants are just getting ready to bloom now, too.  Otherwise, I just saw the usual suspects during my walk.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.