A northern flicker at Peck #northernflicker #birds

No Kings Pasadena! #nokings #nokingspasadena

Happy Friday from this very busy common yellowthroat. I had to skulk in the bushes to get this photo. 😆 #commonyellowthroat #birds

A western wood peewee perched on a high branch #westernwoodpeewee #birds

A kingfisher at Peck #kingfisher #birds

Baby peacocks #peacocks #peafowl #babybird #birds

Seal antics. I could watch them all day. #seal #mammals #wildlife #marinemammals

Orange-crowned warbler. I have yet to see the orange crown. #orangecrownedwarbler #warbler #birds

A Wilson’s warbler 💛#wilsonswarbler #warbler #birds

Not far from CatCon, Parrot Con. This one is a lilac-crowned parrot. I saw the yellow-headed parrot and many red-crowned parrots too. They intermingle and even cross-breed sometimes. #birds #lilaccrownedparrot #pasadenaparrots #parrots

Two herons at the Arboretum: black-crowned night heron and juvenile green heron. #blackcrownednightheron #greenheron #heron #birds

I went back to the parking garage to see the parrots again. There were only red-crowned parrots today, but it was fun to watch their antics. I’m not sure what these two were up to but it seems painful! #wildparrots #pasadenaparrots #lovebirds #birds

This morning I was at a parking garage in Old Pas when I heard the distinctive chatter of yellow-headed parrots. They were up high in a tree, almost at eye level. Later they were joined by a flock of red-crowned parrots. #yellowheadedparrot #parrots #birds

A Savannah sparrow with a bug in its beak #savannahsparrow #sparrow #birds

An osprey at Bolsa Chica #osprey #birds

A black-necked stilt at Bolsa Chica. Those legs look even longer reflected in the water. #blackneckedstilt #birds

Today I saw a family of Cooper’s hawks. I spotted the juvenile in the tree first, and then Mama swooped in, chasing a squirrel. Later I saw another juvenile perched nearby. #coopershawk #juvenilehawk #birds

Common yellowthroat with nesting materials. The leaf is almost as big as she is. #commonyellowthroat #nestingmaterials #birds

A bouquet of Plummer’s mariposa lily and California buckwheat. I always look for these lilies in the summer. I think they were a little later this year because January was so dry. #plummersmariposalily #mariposalily #californiabuckwheat #wildflowers #mountainflowers #californianativeplants #flowers

Western tiger swallowtail at Whittier Narrows #westerntigerswallowtail #swallowtail #butterfly #butterflies #insects

These western bluebirds would like you to recycle your fishing line #westernbluebird #bluebird #juvenilebluebird #bluebirds #birds

Humboldt’s lily, my favorite California native plant, just astonishingly weird and beautiful #humboldtslily #lily #californianativeplants #wildflowers #flower #flowers

Cloudless sulfur sipping from salvia #cloudlesssulphur #butterfly #butterflies #salvia #insects

Good morning from this little coyote checking out the native plant nursery at Ascot Hills #coyote #coyotelove #ascothillspark #mammals #urbanwildlife #californianativeplants

I think this is a juvenile Allen’s hummingbird. It’s hard to distinguish between rufous and Allen’s, but Allen’s are much more common around here. #allenshummingbird #hummingbird #hummingbirds #birdsandblooms #plantsforbirds #birds

Monarch in the herb garden at the Arboretum #monarch #monarchbutterfly #butterfly #insect #insects

Mama common gallinule feeding her baby 🥰 #commongallinule #babybird #birds

Baby ground squirrels near the Arroyo Seco 🥰 #groundsquirrels #squirrels

I always swear I won’t take any more pictures of bulbuls but this guy struck the perfect pose and it was hard to resist. #redwhiskeredbulbul #bulbuls #birds

A Wilson’s warbler hopping around energetically near the lake at the Arboretum. I’ve only seen this bird a couple of times before. #wilsonswarbler #warbler #birds

A pair of cinnamon teals. The male looks kind of plain until you see the flash of blue on his wings. #cinnamonteal #teal #ducks #birds

Some of the native plants blooming this time last year in Altadena. Our plants have evolved to be resilient after fires. Lately I’ve seen small patches of green on the mountainside, a small sign of hope. #californianativeplants #earthday #altadena #eatonfire

For Earth Day, photos of Altadena before the fires. There were so many California quail at Cobb Estates. They run so fast on their tiny little legs. I always think about them and hope at least some made it to safety. #birds #earthday #altadena #californiaquail #eatonfire

For Earth Day, pictures from Altadena before the fire. It was pure magic in the spring. Last April, I was walking on the trail, and four young mule deer came around the corner, just a few feet away. #muledeer #deer #mammals #altadena #cobbestate #eatonfire #earthday

A western tanager in a bottlebrush tree. I went looking for them today, and there they were. 💛 #westerntanager #birdsandblooms #birds

🦉A morning nap in the shade. I’m not very good at spotting owls, but people really love pointing them out. #greathornedowl #birds

A pair of cardinals in Gretna. They are common here, but special to me because we don’t have them in California. #northerncardinal #cardinal #cardinals #backyardbirds #birds

Green heron, one of many I spotted around the lagoon at City Park #greenheron #heron #herons #neworleansbirds #neworleans #citypark #birds

Mother mallard and her large brood at City Park in New Orleans #mallard #mallards #ducks #ducklings #birds

A yellow-crowned night heron at City Park in New Orleans. City Park has amazing birds. #yellowcrownednightheron #heron #herons #birds

Not an owl. 😆 I always see vermilion flycatchers near water. They like to fly around in circles and land on sturdy branches. Bright red with a narrow black mask. #vermilionflycatcher #flycatcher #birds

A great horned owl. #greathornedowl #owl #birds

A spotless spotted sandpiper at Whittier Narrows. (Their bellies are plain white in winter and spotted in summer.) They bob up and down as they forage in shallow waters along the water’s edge. #spottedsandpiper #birds

Common gallinule. The beak reminds me of candy corn, and like coots, they have ridiculous feet. #commongallinule #californiabirds #birds

I usually see these friends in grassy areas, early in the morning. From the back they look kind of plain but when they turn, you can see a flash of bright yellow. 💛 #westernmeadowlark #meadowlark #birds

California scrub jay, a bird I see every damn day. They have striking blue feathers and a loud raspy call. Not especially shy and honestly kind of obnoxious. 💙 #californiascrubjay #scrubjay #birds #backyardbirds

Look at this cutie! 🥰 A Lincoln’s sparrow, one of those birds I see once or twice a year #lincolnssparrow #sparrow #birds

My namesake. I see these guys every day, up high in the palm trees in my yard. Today they were down lower, screeching and squawking loudly. I always wonder what they are talking about. I love them except when they poop on my car. #backyardbirds #redcrownedparrot #birds

On my hike this morning, I spotted this rufous-crowned sparrow singing in a laurel sumac tree. Laurel sumac is a native plant that supports many different bird species. It’s not especially showy but vital to the ecosystem. #rufouscrownedsparrow #birds #californianativeplants

A busy day at the aloe buffet: orange-crowned warbler, lesser goldfinch, bushtit, red-whiskered bulbul. #birds