Winter is
different in this part of the country and brings sights that we would not see
during winter months in the north. The
arid climate and countryside offers some beautiful sights and visitors for us
to enjoy when we spend time in these areas.
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| Desert blooms |
Desert
flowers have made their appearance but are a bit later than usual due to the
cooler weather and the rain but that was helpful in creating even more
blooms. We visited Joshua Tree Park when
the blooms were just beginning. Late
afternoon sun was coming quickly but gave us a chance to see some desert blooms
before we left.
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| Cholla cactus blooming |
I believe
this is the Teddy Bear cholla but it is very similar to the Silver cholla so
this could be either and is just showing buds. The Teddy Bear grows to be about 5’ tall and
is usually surrounded by a ring of discarded spines and flowers. One does not want to touch one of these, they
look fuzzy but they are not. They adhere
to anything and can be very difficult to remove due to the reverse barbs.
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| Blooms and windmills |
Lower
altitudes and a few more weeks offer a bit more warmth to contribute to the
bloom and these ones light up the field of windmills with yellow. Snow can still be seen on the mountaintops of
the San Jacinto Mountains and that adds to the charm of the scenery. The Coachella Valley and local area has much
to offer.
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| Hummingbird |
Winter months
does mean fewer flowers to feed on until the spring does arrive so the
hummingbirds that are here for the winter always appreciate finding a
feeder. They tend to be quite
territorial so once they decide this is ‘their’ feeder, there are few visitors
who won’t get chased away.
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| Cormorants |
Cormorants
are one of over 300 bird species that come to the Salton Sea, south of this
area on their Pacific Flyway during these winter months. They dive deep for their fish, which is
plentiful in the deep Salton Sea. I do
not know what would bring them to this pond as if there are any fish in here,
they’d be very small and I feared they might break their neck should they try
to dive, the pond is not deep, lol, but no injuries claimed. I have written information on the cormorant in an earlier post,
click here if you wish to read more.
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| American White Pelican |
Pelicans are
another annual visitor to the Salton Sea but this is the first time I’ve seen
one visit this pond. A welcome sight he
was and he’s been seen by others. I
think this pond is one of his stops while he tours around the valley. Others have usually been seen in larger
ponds.
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| Pelican fishes for food |
The pelican
swam around and scooped up whatever he fancied.
I don’t think he found much of a dinner but he swam the pond and was
able to find something. Pelicans are one of the largest birds that do much
soaring in their flight.
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| Decisions to make |
I’m waiting
to see him fly away, to see the big wing span and the black feathers he
has. It looks like he is thinking about
doing that now, he’s cleaned out the
pond as best he could, so I wait patiently to see it happen and it did.
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| Pelican has left the pond |
He wasn’t
here for long but I did watch him fly away.
The wing span can be up to 45” wide and the black on the wings is not very visible until they fly. He jumped from
the edge of the pond, made a couple of bounces and then was making his way to
his next stop. There is much more info
on a post I’d done on their visit to the Salton Sea. Click here to see more.
