Thursday 10 November 2016

Quail, flowers, Catalina Island Fox (20161019) A target specie found!

Well, my primary target for Catalina Island was the local indigenous Fox which had only recently been taken off the endangered specie list. So I did some inquiring and found out that the Botanical Gardens was the only place around town that I might be able to spot one. So I headed off on a walk to do some exploring. Shortly after entering the Gardens I had a chance to grab a quick shot of this California Quail.
There were three or four Acorn Woodpeckers flying about and I spent about 20 minutes trying to get a decent shot of one in the air. This is the best that I could do. If I lived down here I am certain I would be able to get better images.  I like this one as it shows the white on the wings and base of the tail.
While I was up in Mr. Wrigleys Memorial I had the opportuity to capture this beautiful Says Phoebe. I doubt I'll have a better encounter.
Next I grabbed this little Orange-crowned Warbler. While they are supposedly all around, this is the only one I managed to capture.
The walk back to the hotel netted me this lovely Mockingbird along side the Golf course.
The hillside that our hotel was on kept the local vegetation. There were several specie of Cacti. I thought a shot of the environment would be nice.
Even though it is October there are flowers in bloom everywhere. When we lived in New Brunswick we actually had a Hibiscus that we were able to get to bloom.
Of course the flowers need polinators when they are in bloom and that is where the Hummingbirds come in and perform a service.
The bride and I headed back up to the Gardens with the hope of being able to spot a Fox in the evening. The Gardens are full of all types of Cacti and trees indigenous to the region. This is Catus flower that reminded me of a Rose.
Then just 70 yards further along I spotted this little beauty. I couldn't believe out good fortune.
We probably got to spend a whole 2 minutes with this wildlife gem.
As we headed out I was able to capture two of my "lifers" of the day with the Quail in the foreground and the Fox near the entrance.
As the light faded I grabbed a final shot of a female Quail. This wrapped up a fabulous day on a fabulous Island, with fabulous weather.
Take some time out of your day and put a little "wild" in your life!
Turbo

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