February is a rollercoaster of weather with hot days, cold days, sunshine, rain, misty mornings, and clear skies. This also reflects my moods. I try to hold on to the sunshine, but the rain of the news keeps coming back. I always look to nature to brighten my spirit, but this month, a dear friend was birding in a popular birding hotspot when he was brutally attacked, left unconscious, and had his binoculars stolen. He is on the mend and the police recovered his bins, but this deeply saddens me. When I have talked with other friends, they too seem to be  reeling with the ups and downs of the world. My life is very good, and I am grateful for so much, but sometimes it seems so conflicting to hold happiness and sadness at the same time. Maya Angelou reminds us, “Every storm runs out of rain.”  

The daylight hours are getting longer, and after the rains this month, I have more first blooms of the season in my yard. One or two blossoms are peeking out to see if winter is over. More birds are singing their spring songs. I am so looking forward to spring.

So now, on to the joyful moments of nature.

Last month I had a nice moment with a Coyote on the Nature Trail in Lakewood. I started this month with a birding trip to San Jacinto Wildlife Area in Riverside County. Birding was nice, but my highlight was another coyote encounter. Coyotes are just puppies at heart. This one seemed to find something stinky on the ground and proceeded to roll around in it. I guess that's just what dogs do. In addition to the coyote, there were quite a few Sage Thrashers which provided nice photo ops.

I visited Cabrillo Beach a couple of times. In addition to gulls, Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a Willet dining on a Striped Shore Crab, I found a tree with termites swarming. A Northern House Wren, a Dark-eyed Junco, and an Orange-crowned Warbler were having a field day feasting on them.

A lovely way to end the month was with my Los Cerritos Wetlands bird survey. The morning started out very gray and misty. The birds were hunkered down in the fog. We had to do a lot of birding by ear. Pin-tailed Whydahs were not expected and it took a while to figure out who was calling. We then had that aha moment when we figured it out and shortly after saw them. The raptors were pairing up. Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks showed courtship displays in the air. We even got to see the the Red-tails seal the deal. Finally the fog burned off and the sun came out. Just a lovely day on the wetlands.

Happy nature watching. I hope you find moments of happiness!
 

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Watch the slideshows or click on the links to look through at your own pace. Links open in a new tab.

Local Stuff:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/new_feb-2025

San Jacinto Wildlife Area:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/san_jacinto_feb-2025

Los Cerritos Wetlands Bird Survey:    https://kimssight.zenfolio.com/hellman_feb-2025