but caring for these guys while their parents work remotely,
is keeping me busy!
Gotta run! Cheers to you from The Holler~
Note: The Holler is being hit by a series of ‘atmospheric rivers’ of dearly needed rain that intermittently ices up our wi-fi antenna and shuts down our internet for days at a time. So please excuse me when I disappear.
It’s in a nature preserve and is named Rancho Lilac.
Rancho Lilac has a interesting history.
It was originally settled as a 2300 acre homestead in 1865.
It passed through several owners over time who turned it into a working cattle ranch.
In 1945 it was purchased by Col. Irving Salomon, an undersecretary to The United Nations who built an extensive rancho home where he hosted rural retreats for world leaders like Dwight Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Ghandhi, and Golda Meir.
This is the Salomon home ranch complex . There is an abandoned pool and tennis court and a caretaker living on the property. The rancho is currently preserved as an historical landmark.
There is a year round creek running through the property making the habitat critical for wildlife sustenance.
1600 acres of the ranch property have been set aside as a permanent nature preserve.
This is the old road that connects The Holler to the Rancho.
The Rancho is like a time capsule, unique, pristine, and full of precious and vulnerable wild life. We hope it stays protected into the future.
We have a community of roadrunners living inside our fences at The Holler.
They have become quite used to us, and shelter in our garages or patio when it rains.
This baby roadrunner showed no fear when I approached, but I didn’t press it by getting too close. I would like to stay his friend!
You can see he still has some baby down on his back.
Cheers to you from The Holler’s fearless baby beep-beep~
Note: For those with enquiring minds regarding the tricky controversy over ‘beep vs meep,’ wiki clarifies that although commonly quoted as “meep meep”, the current owner of all trademarks lists “beep, beep” as the roadrunner’s main sound. 😉
It’s a bit tricky to take a photo and feed a hummer at the same time!
Most of The Holler Hummers are packing on calories now to prepare for migration.
Black Chinned Hummingbirds, like the one pictured above, travel to western Mexico or the Gulf.
Rufous Hummingbirds (above) have one of the largest migratory bird journeys in the world, flying up to 3,900 miles each year. Rufous populations are in decline due to habitat destruction and they are now designated a threatened species.
Some Anna’s hummingbirds stay year round at The Holler.
Responsibly maintained backyard bird feeders have helped vulnerable hummingbird species thrive.
They have brought dwindling population numbers up and expanded the territory of many species.
During migration, hummingbird hearts can beat over 1200 times per minute, their wings can flap 80 times per second, and they often fly alone.
Cheers to you from The Holler’s magical flying fairies~