Not quite in time for #Caturday but our kitty Theia is 15 yo today 🎉 What has happened to your black whiskers, young lady?? #tortie cat 🐱

I’m used to photographing a lot of small birds where we live, so I was hoping to see some bigger ones on our trip to South Africa. This one qualifies! Ostriches can be 9 feet tall, and this male seemed to be well aware of how impressive he looked! #Birds #photography #wildlife

Good morning, moon! 77% illuminated waning gibbous phase as the moon fades to the New Moon (totally in the earth’s shadow) in 10 days. #bluesky #moon over Southern California

Checking feeders around the yard this morning - 1- oh, hi Ravi! He was making his way toward the patio. Oops better get the snack bar ready 2- thanks for waiting Ravi

"IT YOU!" 🪶

It’s the second week of November and not much is blooming but this little Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) is representing! 🩷 #NativePlants California

A different angle on a favorite feeder, 15 seconds. 🪶

10 seconds of the currently favorite group of feeders. Kind of a wide shot but six feeders. 🪶

I’ve given this some thought, why aren’t they called clickingbirds or squeakingbirds? 😂 Ok, once in a while one goes humming by. Anna’s and Allen’s are seen. 40 seconds of action at a favorite feeder. 🪶

Hey Boxer! I’m not too surprised to see you. Yeah, it’s November, but it’s also in the 80s and warmer for the weekend. I am a little surprised to see you in the Desert tortoise yard. But now I see how you go back and forth. Snacks? I’ll bring mealworms and blackberries. Three-toed box turtle #herps

Ms Mantis has been located to our lime tree. She climbed up near an egg case left by another mantis (unless they can produce two of these big egg cases within a month or two). #invertes SoCal

Three shades of Sulfur (again) 1- all yellow young one eating yellow bloom 2- yellow w/stripes eating yellow blooms 3- green w/racing stripes eating green leaves Cloudless sulfur butterflies 🦋 SoCal #invertes host plant (senna) 🍿 cassia

Crepuscular rays as the sun is about to rise over hills to the east.

1- valley below filling with fog 2- Aack, somebody close the valve!! 3- slowly receding Starting at 7am, ending at 8:15, by 9 fog is gone leaving just haze

I kinda figured that is what the mantis was after - a sweet treat. This guy is too small to be a threat to the hummingbirds (though I’m watching 👀). A honeybee makes a good snack. #invertes

Hi 👋 Ravi! Greater roadrunner Geococcyx californianus I’m crazy for a cuckoo 😁 They have recently extended their range eastward into Missouri and Louisiana, per allaboutbirds dot com!

No Ravi yesterday so I figured a good chance today. He was in a posing mood 🥰 At the snack bar then a while after. 🪶 1 of 2

First study of its kind finds deep-sea mining waste threatens life and foodwebs in the ocean's dim 'twilight zone' phys.org/news/2025-11...

My last couple photos of the current super moon from this evening, just rising over the trees on a hill to the east. The moon is blown out to get the trees, it’s dark out there! Some very thin haze halos the moon. 1 of 2

The little Western Giant swallowtail caterpillar is still safe thanks to its bird poop camo! 1- yesterday, talking a break from eating 2- busy eating today, same leaf (you can see it getting smaller). The larger dark end of the 🐛 has the mouth. #invertes

One of two regularly visiting CA Scrub jays is proudly proclaiming “I has the BEST peanut!” to the neighborhood from the top of a tree for all to see. 💙

Several shades of sulfur? Three different Cloudless sulfur cats 🐛 seen today on their host plant. 1-lime green from eating leaves 2-lemon yellow from eating the bloom see last photo 3-in betweener from eating both. If you zoom in you can see the silk threads at the head end of the pupae #inverts

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Good morning!

It’s big, it’s bright - but only a tiny bit of crater detail on the bottom edge as the Beaver Moon is 99.5% illuminated as seen from San Diego county tonight. I missed my premium shot of the moon just breaking the tree covered hills to the east, darn.. 100% Full 5am tomorrow morning.

Our very regularly visiting Black phoebe has decided half the time to perch almost at the top of our Desert Willow and request a snack. That’s about twice as high and a harder toss so it can catch the mealworm in the air as when phoebe lands on the back fence. 🪶

Yummy snack! Ravi the roadrunner #birds

I was out restocking snacks, Ravi stopped by and Connie got a nice video. Ravi: Should I jump? Hmm, maybe not. Or maybe yes. Ok, YES! Snacks are had  #birds roadrunner #backyardbirds

Owlet trying to give herself a pedicure on a windy day.🪶

It seems the San Pasqual valley has been filled in by a river of white cotton candy this morning. San Diego north county

A pretty classic San Diego view as I leave work today. Moon rise between the palms.

Our only Fall foliage in the yard - a potted hibiscus 🌺 is still blooming. San Diego county 🌿

Almost full moon rising over the hills to the east. 96% illuminated. A little crater detail on the lower left edge. Seen from Southern California. 🌕

A HUM HUG (take that, Sunday scaries!) 🤗 🪶

A couple more since Ravi is hanging out. 1- Ravi knows 2- floofy Ravi loaf, and he still has the halo 😇 , also a floofy back 🥰 After about an hour, he has hopped out of the bowl, gone thru the fence to do roadrunner things. See ya, buddy 🪶

A morning visit by Ravi. He cleaned out the bowl. I refilled it, I got you buddy! 🪶 Roadrunner SoCal

A brand new Ms Monarch warming in the sun this morning preparing for her first flight. Fly far, little one! 🦋 Western population #invertes SoCal

Come on BlueJays ⚾️

Today’s waxing moon , the first seen from the west coast this month! First is around 5pm, the second is almost 8pm. 84% illuminated. It will be much darker tomorrow at 5pm, I am not a fan of the time change.

Lots of White-crowned sparrows and Lesser goldfinches in the yard. I wonder what else? A Bird of Paradise aglow! And the big hornworm is way up in the Desert Willow looking for leaves. I’d say it needs to move again! 🌿🐛

Cat-faced spider (and magnificent shadow), out for a walk this morning.

There's a massive hatch of wooly aphids right now and the Robins are here for it! This Ms. knew the seeds on the Oregon Ash would make a picture perfect frame. #birds #becurious

It was a ‘shroomy morning next to an occasional creek in a riparian area at the local Park. Seek believes these are Shaggy Ink Caps - Coprinus comatus. The two mushrooms are a couple inches apart. Southern California 🌿 🍄‍🟫

A large helium balloon with an observation basket hanging below is rising from the fog.

Not a great photo (phone) but a large kettle of Turkey vultures soaring at the edge of a fog bank. Maybe 25-30, not impossible that there is a Zone-tailed hawk in there - too far away.

My supervisor while volunteering at the local Park this morning. A good listener 😉 #mammals Mule deer San Diego county

A medium sized Praying mantis is keeping guard on one of the Ant Moat 2.0 talenti jars above a hummingbird feeder. I thought it might jump on my head!! It didn’t #invertes

Not the scariest but here’s the Halloween moon rising this afternoon. 74% illuminated waxing gibbous phase in a #bluesky

Evolution is a marvel. I would like to have been in Nature’s head when : “I think this caterpillar needs to look like bird poop. Ok, that’s close but if I smear some white in a couple spots to mimic uric acid stains. Perfect!” Western Giant swallowtail 🦋 #invertes

Happy Owloween friends! 🦉🎃👻 #birds