Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Males on the Prowl


Every day I surprised in a new way by the lovely landscapes that surround me. Our side yard contains part of a hedgerow; two rows of closely-planted trees. Depending on the time of day, light falls through these big trees in the most dramatic ways. Other times it's more a subtle and dappled effect. Oh, how I  missed big trees while living in San Diego.

It was a marvelously clear day today on the north coast; big blue skies, strong sun and gentle ocean breezes. All that sunshine has woken up the boys of the various species around here. Driving home from the post office I saw a flock of wild turkeys. There is a flock that makes their way through the neighborhood on a regular basis, I see them every week or so. There were at least a dozen ladies and one male, following behind. His presence today appeared to be more of an annoyance than anything. His beautiful tail feathers open and fanned, strutting, trying to make a scene. The ladies really couldn’t be bothered, as they pecked along and stayed a good 10 feet out in front of him.

The young bucks are also testing the waters these days. Small groups of does with their growing spring babies roam the area. The lone males are starting to hang around these groups, testing the waters. The mamas seem annoyed, keeping themselves near their babies and out of reach.

Today on my lunchtime walk, I had my own little admirer. Not Bob, who was away for work in San Francisco. Rather, a curious scrub jay followed me along one or the riparian corridors. Hopping along the branches, playing hide and seek. He was a cute little fella.

No comments: