San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Rare and familiar birds outside window are welcome distractions
I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the world lately through raindrops on my office window.
It’s not that I have nothing better to do, but the large window right next to my computer desk is a constant distraction.
When I’m writing, I have a garden view that includes a hummingbird feeder right at the window and a seed basket about 15 feet away above a butterfly-friendly lantana hedge. I must give my wife credit for insisting that we include oversized windows when we built our home here on Mt. Hoo.
On the ground below the hedge is a shallow saucer that I keep filled with water through a thin irrigation drip line.
There are no fences here on Mt. Hoo, so our native wildlife neighbors are free to come and go as they please.
Depending on their nocturnal or diurnal schedules they slip out of the cover of nearby chaparral to drink from the ground saucer, sip from nectar feeders, or peck at the seed offerings.
Something is always happening day and night, but it’s the birds who draw my attention most often.
It’s also why people will often ask me what I’m looking at during a Zoom meeting, or the reason it sometimes takes me a couple of days to finish one of my columns. So much nature going on just outside the window.
In a way, my big window offers an extended sit-andsee adventure, and the hours spent gazing outside the past few weeks have allowed me to meet some new friends.
There are always the usual suspects. The Anna’s hummingbirds, house finches, dove and quail coming by for water, nectar or seed during the day.
At night, my trail camera often sees raccoons, opossums, coyotes or the occasional bobcat passing through or stopping for a drink.
Despite the rainy days, the real enjoyment from my big-window view of nature has been the arrival of the occasional or even the rare visitor.
Two of those rare visitors showed up in the past week.
Much has been written about the unusual number of American robins that have come here for the winter. Maybe it’s the availability of food, or the bitter winters to the north, but they have come south to local gardens.
As I looked out between the raindrops, a beautiful male robin landed on a stake. I marveled at the bright red breast, black head, yellow beak and distinctive white eye rings. He was happy on his perch, and
I captured several pictures.
Earlier, my attention was drawn to the seed basket as I noticed a slightly different visitor among the gathered flock of regulars. Picking up my always-ready telephoto, I spotted a scaly-breasted munia, a native of southern Asia, also known as a spice finch or nutmeg mannikin.
These are popular caged songbirds, but either escaped or were released and have adapted well with established breeding populations in our native grasslands and urban gardens throughout the United States.
A few minutes later, the f lock of munia vanished in an explosion of feathers and seed but were quickly replaced by a colorful spotted towhee with jet black head and cape, white breast and rusty flanks.
These are one our most common chaparral birds, but not frequent visitors to the seed feeder. I guess even birds enjoy a luxury day at Mt. Hoo Wildlife Resort and Spa. He posed beautifully for pictures.
The bird seed mix I use includes sunf lower seeds, and next to nuts, the scrub jays are passionate about them. When this pugnacious bird shows up, everyone else scatters.
Mr. Jay would dash in quickly, snatch a beak full of seeds and f ly away, his radiant blue colors f lashing brilliantly, even in the dull light of a rainy day.
Our resident roadrunner also made a cameo appearance, wandering up the garden walkway with an eye out for lizards, snakes, insects, snails and small birds. This member of the cuckoo family is not a seed eater, but often hangs out near my hummingbird feeders in hopes of snatching one out of the air.
I have made it more difficult for him to do this by hanging the nectar feeders a bit higher.
He may have also been looking for a mate as he wandered through the garden, since he was all decked out in patriotic red, white and blue breeding colors on the bare skin patch behind the eyes.
I think the roadrunner considers me a staff member here at the Mt. Hoo Wildlife Resort, now allowing me to get quite close after many encounters.
OK, I really need to get this column finished. I’m going to pull the shade but just for a bit.
I’ve traveled the world to photograph wildlife, but some of my most exciting encounters have been sitting right here gazing out the big window.
Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email ernie@packtrain.com or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.