this young hen was unsettled by squirrels and took to a limb on a tree.

Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

Immature Red-tailed Hawk hanging around the area...must be some good eats!

Happy Thanksgiving to my flock of friends on flickr!

Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Thank you for taking the time to visit!

after bathing in the creek below, these little beauties shine up real well!

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration

early wakeup call

a wild turkey hen on a gray snowy day

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

a black bear showing his face on the eve of spring

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

pale first spring lesser goldfinch in an olive tree

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

I have not seen any chipmunks since last fall so another positive sign!

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

direct eye contact with a Spotted Towhee - usually a Spotted Towhee does not look at you long enough to get a face to face shot..at least I don't have that experience... so this was really a cherished moment for me

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

beautiful Cooper's Hawk checking out our yard

what better place to land than in the morning sun...

beautiful rufous hummingbird at the just-blooming echium

Allen's Hummingbird enjoying the echium

Male quail watching out as the female is foraging nearby

"Kerfuffle is a word of Scottish origin meaning a mess or an argument. (Suspicion: onomatopoeia for the sound of a flustered chicken fluffing its feathers.) Kerfuffle is applied more broadly than wank and may mean any kind of argument, including some very serious ones."

You gotta love words!! and wild turkeys!!

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

Coexisting with wildlife

A statement from Project Coyote

"...The keys to coexistence are education, communication, science, and behavior modification. We work in collaboration with municipalities, wildlife agencies, humane societies, wildlife rehabilitation facilities, research institutions, and schools. Project Coyote’s Coyote Friendly Community™ program, adopted by many jurisdictions, emphasizes consistent messaging, agency collaboration, and community empowerment.

www.projectcoyote.org/programs/coyote-friendly-communities/

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos

male woodpecker in the late afternoon light

He was doing a great imitation of a nuthatch as he moved vertically down the tree trunk foraging head first which I've come to find out in the world of warblers is a characteristic that only the Black and White holds, though my guess is there might be others....

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

This hawk seemed to have more brown on his head whereas the California Red-shouldered hawks that I've seen are lighter and more colorful. If I've got the id wrong, please let me know

Thank you for your visits and inspiration!

early morning in Sonoma

young California quail making his way down the steps...in style!

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

taking over the frame with a little closer view of these fascinating birds

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

I really liked the fragility but hopefulness of this shot and how that speaks to our stewardship in the natural world...

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

Porthos loves the table by the window especially in the winter when warmth is harder to come by

she is one of a flock of two hens and three poults that forages on the hillside and outer woodland meadow

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

Allen's hummingbird at the salvia chiapensis

beautiful coyote at the ocean's edge

Acorn Woodpecker male

Many thanks to those that take the time to visit and/or comment and fav...it is sincerely appreciated!

Anna's taking a moment's pause under an olive tree

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

"... the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence."

thank you so much for your visits and inspiration!

A beautiful wild turkey enjoying the recent snow fall

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa

Bluejay at the fountain

many thanks for stopping by to visit and share....risa

I'm always struck by the early feather patterning of the juvenile birds - in this case a quail - and how effectively they blend in with the environment

Thank you for your visits, thoughts and inspiration!!

California Quail on the fence

young female California Quail stretching her wings

thanks always for stopping by to visit and share....risa