Pink and Blue All Over

 

(This is a pink trumpet tree, I think, not a jacaranda or cherry...)

Isn't She Lovely?

 

This lovely little female yellow warbler (or immature male?) flew into our bedroom window yesterday. I heard the bonk, and there she was standing on the ground, obviously stunned. She then flew behind the row of vintage watering cans and huddled there. (That's why you can see cobweb on her head and beak.)

We let her be for a few minutes, but she was still there when we next checked. B. got her to climb up on his hand, and there she sat. She was calm as could be, and she let me remove the cobweb and stroke her little head and chest. 

Suddenly she flew into the pomegranate tree...she seemed fine! We checked later, and she was gone. Whew!

(We've now ordered window decals to prevent birds from flying into the windows.)

Oh, Boy: Orioles

 

Yay yay yay! I finally caught the male oriole on camera--these birds are incredibly fast and skittish.

Isn't he magnificent? (You can also see the female's tail at upper right...)

Look closely--his tongue is out!

Bird butt!

Peek-a-boo.

Leaning in...

This is a blurry shot of the girl oriole flying into the nearby tree. 

I. Love. Them!

P.S. Apparently I forgot to blog yesterday--oops!

They're Real, and They're Spectacular

They're baaaack! 
 

Hello, Sweeties

To my surprise, some sweet peas appeared amongst the welter of borage and gomphrena (globe amaranth). I have been bummed out at myself because I missed the sweet pea window this year, and these popped up, to my delight.

 

Finch One and Finch Two

A female house finch (I think).

A goldfinch, Lesser or American (I think).
 

Camo

 Do you see it? Look closely...

Mr. Lizardo, hiding and blending in to the color of the step.

Flan Flan

 This, my friends, is artichoke flan, made by my very own B. It is delightful! (This is another recipe from his "cooking through 1980s Gourmet magazines" project--and I heartily approve!)

Construction Workers

It's that time of year! This sweet dove couple was very busy gathering up sticks to make a nest...

Please ignore the looming tennis ball (it landed in our yard from the neighbor kids behind us). 

 Hello!

Splish Splash

 

Hello!

A super cute male Lesser Goldfinch in the fountain...

And here he and his mate are having a bit of a splish-splash.

Delphinium

I love flowers with surprises inside, and these delphinium blossoms certainly fall into that category.

 

Pink, Peek

 So sweet and delicate...love the water droplets.

Faux-Goyle

A San Diego gargoyle (a fake one [because it is not actually a water spout/drain], but still...).
 

O.M.G. Agave

This magnificent plant is Agave chrysantha (yellow-flowered century plant). It is absolutely spectacular! 

 

And the bees agree!

These are just outside the building where my cancer doctors are--they are a happy benefit!

Blues

Gorgeous agaves...(and BIG agaves).

 

Encore

It's unusual to have these dramatic sunsets as late as April--they are mostly a winter phenomenon here. So this was a lovely surprise yesterday...

 

Dah-Lovely

 

There is a reason that dahlias rank in my top three fave flowers (I really can't rank my faves--all three are on an equal footing!)

    

Belting It Out

 I'm not sure what bird this is, but he/she was singing up a storm--check out that wide-open mouth!