The tree, like all apricots, has been an exuberant grower and is now, after 7 years, a large, well-shaped tree providing good shade at a corner of the house.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Early Giant
Waiting for the pelicans
Unusually, at the cusp of June our crescent of slough - a backwater of the Cosumnes River - is still brim-full and providing a rich habitat and food-source for a wide range of birds and aquatic mammals. Numerous fish - from the large, lumbering carp to smaller minnows - are visible below the surface.
Yet to come is the almost-annual spectacle of the American white pelicans descending to forage on the densifying population of fish as the slough shrinks. Pelicans, with a body weight of 20 pounds and a wing span of 8-10 feet, are North America's largest bird after the California condor. The flocks of pelicans fish like a chorus line, herding the fish to the water's edge in a very coordinated fashion, often under the watchful eye of groups of highly animated great egrets - seemingly sensible of the loss but ill-equipped to challenge the invaders.
Large, roving flocks of pelicans must have been a common and predictable feature of the Central Valley in late spring and early summer, cruising in as the rivers receded and left isolated backwater ponds full of tasty protein.
The white specks in the photo are clumps of cottonwood seed, some aerial and some floating on the water. With a good wind, they'll be pushed to a shore, and with luck - and direct contact with moist soil - germinate and become fast-growing trees.
The white specks in the photo are clumps of cottonwood seed, some aerial and some floating on the water. With a good wind, they'll be pushed to a shore, and with luck - and direct contact with moist soil - germinate and become fast-growing trees.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Fruit-full Mulberries
Mulberries are of the genus morus and the white and black varieties are native to central Asia. The leaves of the white mulberry are the sole food source for the silk worm, bombyx mori.
The fruitless mulberry was developed from a clone of the white mulberry for the purpose of supporting a US silk industry. The industry never developed but the tree is commonly used in landscaping.
The berries are delicious, the white ones mild and honey-like and the blacks have a richer, fruity but still sweet flavor.
It's obvious why this is not a widespread commercial fruit. The berries ripen slowly and sequentially across the entire tree. The ripeness window is narrow - probably about a day - so daily pickings are required.
When I head for the mulberries with a small container, the chickens race to get there first, jockey for position, and fight for the few that slip through my fingers or fall as I jostle the branches.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Two two-syllable visitors
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
On the top, a Brewer's blackbird has made a nest in a satsuma mandarin.
Below, a mallard duck has snagged a spot near a persimmon tree.
The Brewer's will do fine. The mallard, not so sure, since it's within a fenced enclosure with no access to water.
Monday, May 3, 2010
A kingbirds' eye view of the neighborhood


In March I took a first flight in an ultralight, with California Sport Aviation, out of the Lodi Airport in Acampo, CA, about 10 miles away from Kingbird.
Just me and the pilot, in a couple of seats suspended by cables, engine above and behind our heads, propeller pushing from behind.
The aircraft felt secure and the pilot competent. The ascents were steep, and the pilot claimed a "stall speed" of about 5 mph and the capability of landing in as little as 100 feet of space.
A great way to see the neigborhood.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)