Mushrooms Possibly Identified

I received a response regarding my questions about the mushrooms spotted on my daily walk. My source, Jack, says that they could be Redding Lepiota (Lepiota Americana). He didn't think that the Red-Crowned parrots were responsible. I did a search on the Internet to see if I could find a picture to compare with mine. When I keyed in "Lepiota Americana picture", sure enough, there it was. Also, further research told me that these mushrooms can be found on lawns. Jack advised me not to eat it unless I had it tested to make sure it wasn't poisonous. He can rest easy because I am not that adventurous. So, my great scientific find was not "one for the textbooks." Oh, and thanks Jack.

Red-crowned Parrots

Last Friday, on a return trip from the grocery store, I discovered a wild green parrot in a tree on the edge of my apartment complex in San Diego. I rushed home and got my camera. Usually these birds, called Red-crowned Parrots, fly high and fast, squawking very loudly in flocks of up to more than two dozen (I lost count several times).... ergo, my difficulty in photographing them. They fly across the complex every morning between 7 and 8am, returning between 4 and 7pm. Some of the neighbors don't like them because of the noise. I believe they spend the night somewhere in Ocean Beach (a neighboring beach community). Where they actually spend their days is a mystery to me.

When I returned, camera in hand with the shutter sound turned off, I took several pictures. However, they were not good because of the shine of its feathers. Then another parrot spotted me (maybe the glint from the silver colored camera) and squawked, alerting the birds. About five or six swished off in one group, passing just over my head with a rush of sound and wind. I had not seen them since they were buried in the tree. Just when I thought I lost the opportunity, I heard a nut fall from the tree. There among the leaves was one lone parrot. I suppose he was just too hungry to follow the others.