And then there's you

Hawks, July 24/L Herlevi 2014

Cooper's Hawks, I think, hanging out in the trees.  (Picture is a little dark, bit gloomy out.)  Could hear them chirping off-and-on all day, even with the window closed.  I believe they are juveniles, eyes are still yellow, no buff color, although the bigger one is starting to change color. Basing my identification on that one, it was walking on the ground; definitely had the rounded edges on the tail feathers.

Hawks

Waking up late, I hear a single bird call, unique to my morning: "Cooper's hawk," I think to myself and then get up and promptly forget about it.  Walking out the back door a half hour later, the bird in question is now sitting on the neighbor's fence, its back to me.  Sparrows flit about in the bushes behind it, either not feeling like it's a threat or taunting it.  I take out my camera, but when I reach the alley, it has flown.  I look up and I see it in the tree above me.  Talking, very vocal.  I watch it for a moment, it looks down at me, and I leave because I don't want the neighbors to think I'm looking in their windows. 

They show up in my life periodically.  We're currently in an upward cycle of convergence.  I've been seeing them every couple of days now: hearing their voices, catching a glimpse as I look up and they fly past, coming across their feathers on the ground.  Then I won't see them again for months or years.

Low tide

Mucking around in the eel-grass beds at the low tide, water deceptively warm, I guess the vegetation trapped the heat.  Later stood in the sand near a beached jellyfish to see how it became free again, tides coming in from two sides until the sandbar was inundated, water incredibly cold, above my knees at one point.  Jellyfish was eventually freed, a very passive process, completely by the action of the crossing waves. I couldn't tell if it was still alive or not, the incoming waves battered it back and forth.  I wasn't sure what type of sting it had, so at that point I got out of it's way.

Here is a picture of a moon snail egg case, followed by a moon snail.  This is the first live moon snail I've seen.  Someone had handled it, so I'm not sure if survived after this point.  Apparently, they are too big for their shells.  The red crab is also alive, eventually tried to hide under some turkish towel seaweed.

Moon snail egg case, July 13/L Herlevi 2014

Live moon snail, July 13/L Herlevi 2014

Red Crab, July 13/L Herlevi 2014

Bird baby

Here's a picture of a baby gull.  It was hanging out in the penguin exhibit at the zoo, yesterday.

Baby gull, July 5/L Herlevi 2014

Hawks

Just as I was nearing the door into work this morning, a bird calls out, like a squeaky toy. I look back and see a mess of crows separating outward in flight, and one bird shoots forward, then a second into the chestnuts.  The squeaking calls continue, one to the other, as one flies further off, and one remains.  I don't get a good look, it's high up in the leaves.  Either Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) or Sharp-Shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus.)  I'm going with the former from listening to the calls of both, and they are common enough around here.  Don't usually have the pleasure of seeing more than one though.  I wonder if they are nesting here?

At lunch I wander to find somewhere to sit in the shade, find a nice patch of clover.  Above me, two hummingbirds chirp aggressively for almost the whole duration.  Walking to the library to drop off a play, I hear a gull cry out and look up to see it chase a bald eagle above me, a crow close behind, but quiet, all of it rather languid: it's almost 90 degrees out.

Think this calls for ruling out weeding tonight.  Too warm for me.