Looking out from the nest

  

Some of you might recall when we followed a couple of Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) nests last winter.  Well, we've been checking the same area during the last few weeks and tonight (13 March 2025) we spotted a female incubating in the exact same spot as the first nest last year!

The timing is later than last year, but we'll check on her every now and then to see what happens.

Last year's nest had lost a lot of material during the past year and it was barely visible.  But recently I noticed the nest cup was being built up and renovated with more mosses and lichens, so it was clear a hummingbird had decided to use the site again.

Here's another view from a different angle:

 

 

We'll keep our eyes open for any signs of chicks!

P.S.  You have probably noticed that I'm not posting as often right now.  A few things have come up that make posting a little more challenging, so I'm just including a reminder that you can sign up to receive e-mails when a new post is available (so you don't have to keep checking the website).  No pressure at all, but if you'd like to receive NHBH e-mails, just go directly to the NHBH website here, scroll down to the very bottom of the page, and then enter your address to subscribe.

Spring on the rocks

  

Quick shot of one of my favorite spring wildflowers on Bodega Head -- Coast Rockcress (Arabis blepharophylla).  Photographed on 11 March 2025.

Pile of pups

  

Thanks to a visit with Paul, we took a quick trip out to Point Reyes today and encountered some nice views of Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups. 

Click here for more information about viewing elephant seals at Point Reyes.

In like a lion?

 

Did you notice this, too?  

The wind really picked up near sunset tonight (1 March 2025).  

Fun to see the clouds racing across the sky...

 

 

 

Soaking up the sun

  

Lucky day at work today (25 February 2025)!  We were headed outside to eat lunch on the deck when I noticed a very large hill of freshly dug soil...and an American Badger resting right next to it!

The badger mostly spent time lying in the sun, but it looked around a few times, so here are a couple of different views (below).  Note: We watched the badger from far away, so these photos are a little misleading.  I took them with a large zoom lens and then cropped the photos heavily.

 

 

Hooray for coastal prairies and mustelids!

Horseshoes washing ashore

  

A nectophore from Hippopodius on Salmon Creek Beach.  Although this photo is from late December 2024, we saw quite a few of these nectophores on the beach tonight (21 February 2025).

For more information about these structures, check out earlier posts:

"Hippos" on the beach from 16 April 2015

Little hippos on the sand from 21 February 2021

P.S.  My eyebrows always go up when there's an exact match between today's date and a previous date with the same topic, e.g., today's post on 21 February 2025 and the earlier post on 21 February 2021.

White and gold

  

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) in our backyard in Cotati on 19 February 2025.