Happy Thanksgiving

Camellia Sasanquas

Camellia sasanquas begin to bloom in fall, the first of the camellias to bloom. 

The flowers are fragile and do not last long, but the shrub generally has a long succession of flowers.

The plant is native to China and Japan.

November Roses

November is a good month for roses in my garden.

This one is Abraham Lincoln.

Perfect Moment

Zepherine Drouhin

Medallion

Sterling Silver

Double Delight

Parsons Old China

November in my Garden

Certain November days feel like spring in my garden especially since some plants that normally bloom in springtime are blooming now, such as Hydrangea macrophylla,

Serbian Bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana),

Canna Lily,

and Gardenia jasminoides.  

More Feathers

These are feathers of birds of prey, I did not find them in my garden, but while I was walking nearby.  The first two are wing feathers from a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii).

Tail and wing feather from a Sharp Shined Hawk (Accipiter striatus).

Great Horned Owl (Asio otus) feather, the owl feathers are generally fluffier than the hawk feathers to allow the owl to fly silently.

Barn Owl feather (Tyto alba)

Birds of Prey

All the bird activity in my garden brings in the hawks, both juvenile Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and adults.  They are forest hunting  hawks and I have seen them chasing birds through the trees or in the hedges.

The adult Swainson's Hawk has red eyes, the juvenile has yellow.

At night the owls hunt, I hear them frequently, and see them more rarely, sometimes flying, sometimes perched in a tree, mostly the Great Horned Owl (Asio otus).

The Barn Owls (Tyto alba) are out too, although not so vocal and not so visible as the Great Horned Owl.

Feathers

I save feathers that I find in my garden. All of these are from passerine birds or perching birds. The two blue ones are from a Western Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica).

This feather is from a bird I have not seen in my garden, but proof that it was passing through: Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus), the Red-Shafted Flicker.

These feathers are from the Nuttall's Woodpecker (Piciodes nuttallii)

A tail feather from a Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus).

And a wing feather from a Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura).