I got up around 6:00 this morning, and was out the door by 6:30 to go over to the WPA Rock Garden and William Land Park.  There was an odd overcast for most of the day which helped to save off some of the heat we’ve been experiencing lately, so it was about 61°F all the while I was out walking and only got up to about 77° by the end of the day.  Nice!

There were a few other people in the park and garden, but they all respected the social distancing thing, which I appreciated.  The WPA Rock Garden was pretty much showing off with a variety of cultivated and native plants and flowers.  Lots of sages, roses, irises, lilies, and one of my favorites: Tower of Jewels.  I’m sure I located over 70 different species there.

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CLICK HERE for the album of flowers.
CLICK HERE for the album of other photos from today. [There were so many, I had to split the images up.]

I was surprised that I didn’t see as many birds and insects as I expected to this time of year.

I then walked around the middle-sized pond in the park.  It’s getting overrun with Sacred Lotus again. Once more, I didn’t see a whole lot of wild birds, but there were plenty of resident geese and domestic ducks around, as well as a few pairs of Wood Ducks.  I did see a pair of Western Bluebirds when they landed near the edge of the pond to get a drink and bathe a little bit.  Oh, and I saw a couple of Double-Crested Cormorants.

There were also quite a few Douglas Squirrels and Eastern Fox Squirrels running around, and several Red-Eared Slider Turtles in the water and sunning themselves on the banks.

When I walked around the amphitheater near the pond, I was happy to come across the nest of a Black Phoebe. Mom periodically sat on the eggs/babies while dad kept guard.  I was able to get a few photos of them.

When I was done at the garden, I drove over to the larger pond in the park and walked around that one, too.  The first thing I notice there was a pair of Wood Ducks in a tree.  The female was checking out one of the manmade duck boxes set up for them, but she didn’t seem all that comfortable with it.  She flew up against the opening, but didn’t go in. I wonder if there was already a bird in there.

I saw Mallard ducklings in a variety of stages from fuzzy newborns to young fledglings.  There was a one tight group of ducklings (which I think were Wood Ducks) that were without their parents.  They were swimming around the pond all the while I was there, peeping and crying.  No one answered their calls and it made me wonder if the parents had abandoned them or had been killed (or stolen). 

There was a pair of dark Muscovy Ducks mating in the water, and I thought it was interesting how the male kept making sure his mate could breathe (by putting in bill under her chin and lifting it up).  I’ve seen Mallards mate in the water and sometimes the females get pushed down so far they can’t get their head up and drown.

When I was taking photos of a couple of groups of goslings, one of the white Chinese Goose (AKA Swan Goose) decided she didn’t like me around there and started to rush me, head down, ready to bite.  I told her “no” a few times, but that didn’t deter her.  So, I took my hat off and held it in front of my thigh figuring that if she struck at me, she’d get the straw hat and not my skin.  The lowering of the hat discouraged her and she finally walked off. Phew!

While I was dealing with her, though, I could hear a very odd, exceedingly loud honking sound coming from the edge of the pond. When I went over to investigate I realized it was a hybrid goose, probably part Canada Goose and part Chinese Goose.  It’s call was so weird though, sounding like a mix between a scream and a honk, CREE-onk! CREE-onk! CREE-onk!  It was like its voice cracked mid-sound.  I tried to get video of its sound, but every time I turned the camera on it, the goose went quiet.

I walked for about 5 hours (!) and then headed back home.

Species List:

1. African Blue Sage, Salvia africana
2. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
3. Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii [deep red]
4. Balloon Flower, Platycodon grandifloras [deep purple]
5. Bearded Iris, Iris × germanica
6. Bear’s Breeches, Acanthus mollis
7. Beauty Bush, Linnaea amabilis [pink flowers, look similar to Catalpa]
8. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
9. Black Sage, Salvia mellifera [kind of looks like horehound]
10. Blue Agave, Tequilla Agave, Agave tequilana
11. Blue Statice, Limonium sinuatum
12. Borage, Borago officinalis
13. Brass Buttons, Cotula coronopifolia
14. Brazil Raintree, Brunfelsia pauciflora
15. Bronze Fennel, Florence Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare dulce
16. Buff Orpington Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Orpington
17. Buffelgrass, Fountain Grass, Cenchrus ciliaris
18. Bush Katydid, Scudderia furcata [nymph]
19. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
20. California Goldenbanner, Thermopsis californica [kind of looks like broom]
21. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
22. California Sycamore, Platanus racemose
23. Calla Lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica
24. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
25. Cape Honey Flower, Melianthus major
26. Cardoon, Artichoke, Cynara cardunculus
27. Cayuga Duck, Pekin Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Cayuga
28. Chinese Weeping Cypress, Cupressus pendula
29. Common Columbine, Aquilegia vulgaris
30. Common Greenbottle Fly, Lucilia sericata
31. Common Poppy, Red Poppy of Flanders, Papaver rhoeas
32. Common Stretch Spider, Long-Jawed Orb Weaver, Tetragnatha extensa
33. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
34. Crested Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Crested
35. Crevice Alumroot, Heuchera micrantha [tiny pink flowers]
36. Dame’s Rocket, Hesperis matronalis
37. Domestic Swan Goose, Chinese Goose, Anser cygnoides domesticus [white or gray, knob on forehead]
38. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus
39. Douglas’ Squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii [small brown squirrel, white belly]
40. Dutch Iris, Flag Iris, Iris × hollandica
41. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
42. Fern, Japanese Netvein Hollyfern, Cyrtomium falcatum
43. Field Penny-Cress, Thlaspi arvense [“silver dollar”]
44. Garden Snail, Cornu aspersum
45. Giant Fennel, Ferula communis
46. Giant Herb-Robert Geranium, Geranium maderense
47. Giant Mullein, Broussa Mullein, Verbascum bombyciferum
48. Golden Columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha
49. Grass Sharpshooter, Draeculacephala Minerva
50. Graylag Goose, Anser anser
51. Hairy Matilija Poppy, Romneya trichocalyx
52. Hedgehog Holly, Ilex aquifolium
53. Hellebore, Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus
54. Hoary Rock-Rose, Cistus criticus [bright pink, crinkly petals]
55. Honeywort, Blue Shrimp Plant, Cerinthe major ssp. purpurascens [purple]
56. Honeywort, Cerinthe major [yellow]
57. Hoverfly, Common Flower Fly, Syrphus ribesii
58. Japanese Yellow Woodland Sage, Salvia koyamae [yellow]
59. Jerusalem Sage, Phlomis sp.
60. Juniper Leaved Grevillea, Grevillea juniperina [spidery,orange]
61. Leatherleaf Mahonia, Leatherleaf Barberry, Berberis bealei
62. Lords and Ladies, Wild Arum, Arum maculatum
63. Love-in-a-Mist, Nigella damascena
64. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
65. Mexican Sage, Salvia Mexicana [deep purple]
66. Moss Verbena, Verbena pulchella
67. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
68. Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora
69. Muscovy Duck, Cairina moschata domestica
70. Naples Garlic, Allium neapolitanum [white with green seed center]
71. Northern Catalpa, Indian Bean Tree, Catalpa speciosa
72. Pacific Bleeding Heart, Dicentra formosa
73. Pacific Forktail Damselfly, Ischnura cervula
74. Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Empidonax difficilis
75. Pekin Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Pekin
76. Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria aurea
77. Pinkladies, Oenothera speciosa
78. Red Hot Poker, Kniphofia uvaria
79. Red Valerian, Centranthus ruber
80. Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans
81. Rose, Rosa sp.
82. Rosemary Grevillea, Grevillea rosmarinifolia [spidery, red]
83. Sacred Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera
84. Scarlet Kammetjie, Freesia laxa
85. Sea Mallow, Malva subovata [kind of looks like hibiscus]
86. Seaside Daisy, Erigeron glaucus [like fleabane]
87. Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa
88. Small Honey Ant, Prenolepis imparis
89. Smokebush, Smoke Tree, Cotinus coggygria
90. Soap Aloe, Aloe maculata
91. Society Garlic, Tulbaghia violacea
92. Spice Bush, California Sweetshrub, Calycanthus occidentalis
93. Spurge, Mediterranean Spurge, Euphorbia characias
94. Spurge, Sun Spurge, Euphorbia helioscopia
95. Swedish Blue Duck, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus var. Swedish Blue
96. Sweet-William, Dianthus barbatus
97. Tasmanian Flax-Lily, Dianella tasmanica [develops bright blue seeds]
98. Tobacco, Coyote Tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata
99. Tower-of-Jewels, Giant Viper’s-Bugloss, Echium pininana
100. Valley Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa varipuncta
101. Western Bluebird, Sialia Mexicana
102. Wild Beardstyle, Stalked Bulbine, Bulbine frutescens [spray of orange or yellow flowers]
103. Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
104. Yellow Iris, Iris pseudacorus
105. ellow-faced Bumble Bee, Bombus vosnesenskii