For the Birds

The red-shouldered hawk fledglings have learned to fly. They are off hunting the hillsides with their parents. The Bewick’s wrens have fledged. A tidy compact oval, delicately lined with black dog hair, tucked on top of a bed of sticks is all that remains in the nest box.

We recently discovered the California towhees nesting in an oleander bush. Despite our rude trimming of a few branches, the pair is still keeping house in their somewhat less hidden nest.

The summer days are long and hot. Nearly every day is over 100˚F. Birds of all shapes and sizes are stopping to drink and bathe in the birdbath. (Some of them are furry and brown with a long fluffy tail. Fox squirrels are also drinking from the bath.)

To hear more about how your backyard habitat can be an important oasis for wildlife, check out the third installment of the interview I did with Douglas Welch of “A Gardner’s Notebook.”

We hope to start our own podcast in the near future, beginning with our adventure on Santa Rosa Island. We stood beneath a stand of Santa Rosa Torrey pines, some of the rarest pine trees in the world. Stay tuned.