It has been a long hiatus since my last entry. Now that it seems summer is on its way, much has been changing in the local ecosystem that confirms this postulate. The Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalu) has arrived in full force (actually, their first siting was near the end of April), along with a myriad of humming bird species. And, there has been a large raptor, which I believe is a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) that has been dotting the local sky.
Three additional sitings include the Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), the Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula), and the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata). The birds have not been the only activity. The usual suspects of wild flowers are now blooming too! Hundreds of Sierra Blanca Bladderpods (Lesquerella pinetorum), Perky Sues (Tetraneuris argentea), Cutflower Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum) and, what appears to be, a bountiful crop of James Penstemons (Penstemon jamesii) (the Penstemons are not yet in bloom). There are an incredible number of James Pentemon plants numbering in the tens, if not one hundred, along the Forest Park Trail.
