Three Birds I am Surprised to See in My Garden

A pair of Hooded Orioles (Icterus cucullatus) must have a nest close by.  I spot the male as a bright yellow/orange flash at the top of the trees.  The male and female come into the citrus trees to hunt for insects.

A Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) and its mate rummage around in the mulch and throw soil out of the potted plants looking for insects.  

The Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) do not spend the summer here, only pass through. I have seen them on the lawn catching gnats in late spring.

The guidebooks say to watch for these birds in riparian woodlands and foothills which is a long ways from my small urban garden.

Garden Spectrum

Nesting Birds

In the spring a pair of House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon)

built a nest in the roof tiles.  

They dropped nesting material on the ground as they worked.

Another bird with a nest nearby is the Nuttall's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii).

The nest hole is in a sycamore tree.

Hummingbirds

My garden draws in an abundance of hummingbirds. They are possessive of the garden, scolding me when I come outside and even diving at my head.  I have seen them chasing other birds and  butterflies. Some of the flowers they feed on are: pomegranate,

salvia,

agapanthus,

and rosemary.

I saw a Costa's Hummingbird ( Calypte costae) feeding on the rosemary, with an iridescent purple head and a protruding belly.

Blooming Now in my Neighborhood

Kangaroo Paws

(Anigozanthos flavidus),

native to Australia (of course),

in a variety of colors,

Lantana camara,

Euphorbia martinii,

Sedum album,

New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax),

and Giant Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai).

Getty Center Garden, Part 9

The path continues on through

a grove of

sycamores,

until one

reaches 

the stairway back to

the entry

level.

The Getty Center Garden, Part 8

Taking the path

along the

stream,

running only 

a trickle of water now

because of

the drought.

The Getty Center Garden, Part 7

Now 

winding

back 

up

toward

the

bougainvillea

arbors.