.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, September 6, 2010

Laboring on Labor Day

National holiday or not, the Visitor’s Center must open, so you know who worked on this Labor Day.  :)  Actually, I enjoyed having the place to myself without all the office goings on, and since this was still part of the holiday weekend, I actually had 29 visitors today!  That was a big improvement over the measly 7 I had last Thursday.  It helps make the 8 hour day move along a little faster.
_MG_4806I had quite a bit of time in between visitors, so I did a little birding around headquarters.  This nice family of California Quail came sashaying through the grounds with Mom in the lead, and…
_MG_4813Dad covering their rear.  :)   There are quite a few of these quail families that hang around the visitor’s center, and I really enjoy watching them with their little top knots.
_MG_4853Of course, birds aren’t the only things that reside on the refuge.  Much to Emma’s delight, there are an abundance of cottontail rabbits.  This little guy has been lucky so far to stay out of the reach of the hungry coyotes and hawks.
_MG_4862Speaking of hawks, this pair of Red-Tailed Hawks put on quite a display of aerial acrobatics this afternoon in the air right over the VC.  They were up there circling and circling, and screeching and screeching just above the tree tops!  As the story unfolded, it turns out that a third hawk had invaded their “air space”, and was sitting in one of the big trees in their territory.  Before long, these two simultaneously swooped down into the same tree.  After much vocalization, this pair managed to chase the intruder far away.
_MG_4831 _MG_4921 
Besides the mosquitoes and deer flies, there are also a gazillion dragon flies on the refuge.  These are just two of the many varieties.  ( I know squat about dragon flies)  As you walk the path to the parking lot, hordes of these insects take flight with each step. 
_MG_4849One of my favorite birds to watch in flight are white pelicans.  They remind me of B-52 Bombers.  Every day they get up into the air and just soar around. 
_MG_4852The only sound you hear when these birds are overhead is the collective whoosh of the air as they simultaneously flap their wings.  Unlike Canada geese, they never let out a peep.  Like I said yesterday, synchronized swimmers and fliers.  :)
_MG_4885 _MG_4908 _MG_4909
As the afternoon began to wind down, I made one more trip to the old trees around the VC, and discovered a new life bird for me…the Lewis’s Woodpecker.  Try as I might, I just couldn’t get this bird to pose in the sun.  :(  He has a green back, pinkish belly, and red face.  You sure couldn’t tell that from these pictures.  So now I have another challenge to liven up my time working the VC…the quintessential Lewis’s Woodpecker picture!  :)

Since things are kind of slow working in the Visitor’s Center, I bring along my laptop and camera everyday.  I’m sure glad I had the camera with me today.  I think I’d be crazy bored without those two distractions.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

13 comments:

  1. That's what "Labour Day" is all about....working isn't it????
    I am glad you have the camera because your pictures are very good and enjoyable to look at.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the pictures. I might just paint that cute little cottontail or papa quail. Thank you for the great pics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pelicans are wonderful and your pics proved that today. Nice.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Once again great pictures, Pelicans are one of my favourites also.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Judy, I'm not really a bird person. . . childhood bird attack trauma. However, I look forward to your posts every day. Your attention to detail in nature is teaching me so much about looking and actually "seeing" what's there. Thank you. LG

    ReplyDelete
  6. what a good 'working bird day!'..love the pelicans!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ha, working is for the birds...or in your case, volunteering is for the birds! Thank you for volunteering at Malheur and thank you for sharing your photos.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Having an interest in photography is such a great & rewarding hobby in many ways. We camera people are so fortunate to have been able to develope an eye over the years for seeing things that many others miss.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love the photo of the flying pelicans. I love the black on the underside of their wings.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great pictures again, I always look forward to seeing what you have captured. Like Al said photography is so rewarding and you have a natural eye for things with wings.Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

    ReplyDelete
  11. As always, I enjoyed the pics of nature and the animals of nature. Photography is a lot of fun and a great hobby to have. You have a good eye for things.
    Thanks for the post and pics.
    Mike & Gerri

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you have to work on labor day, you certainly have a great place to do it and looks like there was still a lot of fun in your day.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those pelicans are amazing!

    And dragonflies eat mosquitos, so they are a Camper's Friend for sure---

    And thanks for your great photos

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete