Still Between Seasons, 07-12-21

Yesterday it was 102°. Today, it’s only supposed to get up to 95°. I headed over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk, and it was 59° at the river when I got there. Such a relief!

Today’s walk was more about getting some exercise today than anything else, so I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. When I drove down the road toward the preserve, I saw several female Wild Turkeys with their poults; it looked like one or to babies per mother. I wanted to stop to take photos of them, but there was a car tailgating me…

When I got to the turnout for the preserve, there was a Western Bluebird sitting on top of the sign, but again, I couldn’t stop to get a photo because of the tailgater… Sometimes, I wish I were less careful; just let the tailgaters hit me. But people are insane these days, and you never know what little thing my escalate into road rage.

Inside the preserve, the Red-Shouldered Hawks were talking to each other, very loudly, again. I think one of the youngsters isn’t able to fly like it should. It’s still jumping from branch to branch and not getting far when it does try to fly. It was crying when its sibling found something to eat and was on a branch it couldn’t reach. I couldn’t tell what the other one was eating, but it look like it might have been a bird of some sort.

A juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

I was hoping, again, to see some fawns, but only saw a few lone does and a couple of bucks in their velvet. The moms must still be off somewhere with the young ones.

Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, buck in his velvet.

I couldn’t find any galls on the Valley Oaks there, yet, but some galls are staring to emerge on the Blue Oaks — even the Frankenstein tree (a Blue/Valley cross). I found Saucer galls, a Hair Stalk galls, and some Crystalline galls.

I walked for about 3 hours and then headed home. By then it was 76° outside. This was hike #61 of my annual hike challenge. And all the fresh air and exercise made me sleepy. When I got home all I wanted to do was have some breakfast and take a nap.