The Salton Sea,
is quieter by April,
most of the wintering birds,
have flown north.
The still sea waits,
for the punishing summer sun.
A few stragglers remain,
not yet forced by heat to flee.
Cheers to you from The Salton Sea~
Tag: Salton Sea Photographs
Shrike the Impaler~
The Salton Sea in Southern California is home, at various times of the year, to 424 species of birds.
The Loggerhead Shrike is a song bird who is a tough ten inches of feathered lethality!
Listen to his song repertoire by clicking on the link (be patient, it takes him a bit to warm up!)
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike/sounds
Loggerhead shrikes sing beautifully, and kill quite effectively, resulting in a couple of common nicknames for them including, ‘the butcher bird’ or ‘the littlest bad ass.’
They kill prey like lizards by impaling them on thorns or barbwire fences. They are tough little birdies.
Despite their toughness, loggerhead shrike populations in California have declined 72% since 1967. They are designated a ‘California Species of Special Concern.’ Efforts by California’s Audubon Society are achieving some success in bringing California shrike population numbers back up. I was thrilled to see this very curious little guy who seemed almost as interested in me as I was in him!
Cheers to you from California’s oh so curious, and oh so beautiful, lethal-little-loggerhead shrike~
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Reflections on a Silent Sea~
The Salton Sea,
in summertime,
is scorching,
stark,
solitary,
and stunning.
No one here but you,
and the silent sea.
Good news for a change! California voters passed Proposition 68 this week which will allocate $200 million dollars towards saving The Salton Sea. The monies are earmarked towards rebuilding the wetlands that are so crucial to migrating birds and to conserving all the wildlife that depend upon the sea. Funds are also allocated to mitigate the harmful dust that is damaging human health. Everyday, amidst all the negativity, so many people do very good things! Thank you California voters for protecting our wild creatures and wild spaces.
Cheers to you from the soon to be saved Salton Sea~
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Standing Up For Yourself~
This little Yellowleg gave me quite a scolding for coming near him!
He may be little, but he’s tough and quite loud, and he stood his ground!
Eventually he settled down with me around.
I understand he feels territorial.
There’s lots of birdies at The Salton Sea,
and a little Yellowleg needs to hold his claim.
Cheers to you from the wintering birds at The Salton Sea~
