Nature

Category

Plumeria blossom

Strange Times

These are strange times we’re living in, and not just because of the pandemic. Never could I have imagined living in a time where so many people behave in a way that is contrary to their own best interests. For example, many people in the US are refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19. It just makes no sense to me (or the rest of the world) – but then I guess that’s the point I’m making. People also refuse to...

The rain birds are here

There are always lots of things to learn when moving to a new area. Here in Jalisco we found that the rainy season is a few weeks away by the rain birds letting us know. At first they start with a lone one or two on the occasional evening at dusk and within a few weeks they are singing away pretty much day and night. What are rain birds? When we first moved here we read about them on the...

The Willow Tree

There is a huge old weeping willow in our yard here in San Antonio.  I have learned so much watching it. I sometimes wonder how many birds and other animals make it their home. It has been so interesting watching the family of what I think are golden fronted woodpeckers living in the willow.  When we first arrived I saw a pair flitting in and out and calling to each other in a screechy call.  I suspected that there were...

We are settling in to life at Lake Chapala

It’s been two weeks since we made the move to San Antonio Tlayacapan in the Lake Chapala area.  We’ve had some adjustments but all in all things have gone very easily and we are happy with the move.  Here’s our first impressions: The community – We had never really considered this area as a place to live until recently – but it has surprised us and likely will continue to.  Yes, there are lots of gringos here – and a...

Mazatlan’s Estero del Yugo revisited

You may remember that Paul and I visited Mazatlán’s Estero Del Yugo (Estuary) last December.  It was very dry and nothing was blooming. Many of the trees did have pods hanging from them, though, which of course are an essential food for many birds.  I thought the place was amazing (please click above to read about our previous visit)  and I knew I wanted to come back during the rainy season. The other morning Paul and I headed out to...

My tropical garden – Mazatlán hummingbirds

We have a new visitor to our garden this summer, a plain capped starthroat hummingbird!  (That’s a picture of him at the top of the post)  I knew right away it was a newcomer by the assertive way he flies and the white underside and patch on his back.  It took a little while to identify him – and I was grateful for the help of some birders at BirdForum.net. He’s a big bird, maybe even bigger than the cinnamon...

Estero del Yugo

Paul and I love birds and when I read about the Estero del Yugo in M! Magazine back in July I knew I wanted to visit. Why did it take us so long, anyway?  It is a place to visit every season of the year.  I plan on going back frequently, and could sit for hours with my binoculars watching the wildlife.  When you go, carry with you binoculars and a camera – and during the rainy season I would...

The plants took a beating…

Tropical Storm Rick really gave the vegetation in Mazatlán a beating.  Walking the dogs this morning I realized that the west  side of every tree we passed by was burned and blackened or bleached looking. A lot of the plants at our house are in pots, and those most affected by the storm were on our upstairs front patio.  Keep in mind that as the crow flies we are about 4 blocks from the water but we are behind Icebox...

windy, rainy, stormy — and now over!

Puerto Viejo took a beating! We survived non-hurricane Rick.  But wow, it was quite a storm.  So in terms of what storm categories mean,  we now have an understanding of Tropical Depression and a Tropical Storm. I don’t have any desire to get to know Hurricane! It started out Tuesday with rain pretty much all day long.  It felt like we were back in Washington – just the constant drizzle contrasted with periods of heavier rain. The Plaza de los...

Can’t stop thinking about….

Rick. That’s right, Hurricane Rick.  Below is a short video of the waves and sky at Olas Altas this morning.  (It’s a different one from the one I posted to Facebook) We are hoping that he loses steam and when he comes ashore it is just some stormy weather and rain. We are really, really hoping that. If any of you would like to see the sites that we’re using to track him, my favorite is eebmike.  I think eebmike...

The Hummingbird Hang-out

We have lots of hummingbirds in our yard.  I thought I’d share a couple videos with you.  The first is a hummingbird sitting in a nest she was in the process of building in our courtyard.  Unfortunately, a few days after this was filmed we saw a broken egg on the ground and the nest was abandoned.  It seemed to be a pretty precarious spot to us, and obviously Mama thought so, too.  (12 seconds) Last night I noticed a...

Bathtime in Mazatlan

Our patios are quite the playground for the local flock of hummingbirds. We feed them at a feeder, supply them with pretty flowers to sip from, and provide them with an all-important bathtub. Our climate is very dry for most of the year, and a bird can have quite a challenge finding water to bathe in that is safe from predators. Our fountain is very well used – and in the morning if we don’t turn it on quickly enough...

Meet Poncho and Lefty

Tiko If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you know that we had to leave our Yellow-shouldered Amazon, Tiko, back in the US with my best friend while we sorted out how to bring him into Mexico.  Unfortunately, it seems impossible to bring him into Mexico at this time, due to red tape relating to bird flu.  A picture of Tiko is above. (If you want to see a video of him talking and climbing around on his...

Back to normal here

Life is returning to normal at our house now that the birds are gone. We have food in the fridge, laundry is done, and I am only slightly behind in my Spanish homework. I have all day tomorrow, ha ha! We decided to head down to the malecon and have a beer while watching the sunset. It was a bit cloudy but the sunset was still beautiful....

Bye-Bye Birdies

Yesterday we returned the baby parrots to Conrehabit. We’d taken care of them for more than two weeks, and it was time for us to get back to studying our Spanish, which we’d been neglecting during their time with us. Not to mention laundry and other household chores. When we got back from dropping them off and were unloading the empty laundry basket/cage from the back of the car, guess what! One little scamp had hitchhiked back home with us!...