Congratulations, U.S. Post Office

I want to thank the U.S. Post office for providing American Flag Stamps in books of ten. I wrote about that on my post of Feb. 22, 2013 titled, Post Office.  Today, as I was mailing a package at the Midway Post Office in San Diego, the clerk asked me if I needed stamps. I thought about it and decided to purchase a small book.  Imagine my surprise as I said that I knew I could not get a stamp with an American Flag on it because they only come in books of twenty.  I then asked if she had any stamps with the Purple Heart on them.  The clerk quickly responded to me, stating that she had American Stamps in books of ten.  The clerk then advised me that the small books go quickly.  Maybe the Postmasters should order more of them.

Congratulations to the Post Office Executives.  This not only enables me to exhibit my patriotism in a small way, but makes me think that maybe they got my message.  Thanks, again.

Butterfly Exhibit

Paper Kite

Common Blue Morpho and Giant Owl

This past Sunday, My two local daughters and my two San Diego grandchildren accompanied me to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.  On Friday, I had seen an advertisement for the Park's "Butterfly Jungle."   This was my first visit to the Safari Park.  The others had been there before.

A few years ago, I visited the "Butterfly House" at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and enjoyed taking photos of the butterflies.  I expected to be able to do the same thing yesterday.  While the Bronx Zoo's exhibit was certainly a great experience, the Safari Park Butterfly Jungle had many more butterflies. It reminded me of an evening in San Diego about six years ago, as I returned home from work. I rounded my apartment building to enter my residence and literally met a swarm of Monarch butterflies.  Of course, I had no camera that evening.

Postman

 
Since Sunday was the second day of the Safari Park's Butterfly Jungle, which seems to only be on exhibit from April 5 through April 27, it was very crowded.  We were practically shoulder to shoulder and seemingly immersed in butterflies that lit on peoples' hats, shoulders, and even my arm.  See photo below.  It stayed on my arm for at least five minutes, if not more. 

Giant owl

Orange Julia

I've labeled the photos with the name of the butterfly in instances where I could clearly identify them. 

If you are in the San Diego area, I definitely encourage you to visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Butterfly Jungle.  I think that it would have been less crowded earlier or later in the day.  You can probably check with the Park to find this out.

Thanks to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for this extraordinary experience.

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Tecolote Visit

Yesterday I visited Tecolote Canyon in San Diego.  I spotted flashes of yellow as birds flitted from tree to tree.  I tried to stand very still, but they knew I was there.  They would actually stop in mid-flight, as though they were applying their brakes, and then change direction.  It was as though the birds realized that there was something foreign in their territory.  My on-line research revealed that I had encountered a group of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Yelllow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler

Then, I saw a bird travelling across the dirt.  It was a California Thrasher doggedly pecking, I suspect, for insects.  This bird didn't care that I was near.  Its quest was more important than the spectator.

California Thrasher

               

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The Book of Micah (on Kindle and on the Nook) 

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Perhaps (More)

Today, I published my e-book called, Perhaps , on the Nook. It is Political Fiction and relates how a Cardinal deals with the loss of religious freedom through a new healthcare mandate and how a President responds.

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The Book of Micah (on Kindle and on the Nook) 

Perhaps  (on Kindle and on the Nook)

Perhaps

Yesterday, I published a new e-book called, Perhaps , on Amazon's Kindle. It is Political Fiction and relates how a Cardinal deals with the loss of religious freedom through a new healthcare mandate and how a President responds.

Check it out.

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The Book of Micah (on Kindle and on the Nook) 

Perhaps  (on Kindle)

 

Tecolote Canyon Revisited

This afternoon I returned to the Tecolote Canyon Visitor's Center and entered the garden to see if I could get better photographs of the Cedar Waxwing.  Yesterday the Center was closed so the photos I took did not do the bird any justice.  Hopefully, the collage shown above will provide a greater appreciation.

Yesterday, I did find a green and yellow bird.  I researched it and believe it to be a Lesser Goldfinch (shown below).  This was a bird that greeted me as soon as I arrived yesterday.  Its brilliant yellow color was very uplifting to someone ready for blossoms on the trees.

I also found a bird in a large bush near the entrance, but could not see the whole bird.  What I did find interesting was that it had a curled bill.  I gave up on the bird, but found it or another bird just like it in on the side of the trail.  It was a California Thrasher.

California Thrasher

California Thrasher

 

 I noticed that I seemed to have company as I traveled up and down the trail.  I find it difficult to identify hummingbirds, but always try to get a good photograph.

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Tecolote Canyon

Cedar Waxwings

This afternoon I visited the Tecolote Canyon Visitor's Center, which is located off Morena Boulevard in San Diego.  As I was approaching the Center, I spotted a crow chasing a hawk.  I think it was a Cooper's Hawk and I suspect it may have been bothering the Crow or its nest.

As I reached the Center, I heard some songs that I thought were from multiple types of birds.  Then, I remembered that when this happens, you should look for a Mockingbird.  That's what I did and I found a Northern Mockingbird, just hanging out. I had walked about a quarter mile up the trail.  On the way, I did spot a Western Scrub Jay (shown on the left)

Western Scrub Jay

Northern Mockingbird

Late last month, I heard that someone reported seeing some Cedar Waxwings there. When I was six years old, I received a gift of a large sticker book with pictures of birds.  As the years ensued, I never saw one of the birds, which was the Cedar Waxwing.  I was attending a monthly bird tour when I heard the leader speak about Cedar Waxwings.  I asked where and when she had seen them.  She responded, "Oh ... over there. It was a number of years ago," pointing to an apartment complex parking lot. So, when I read an email stating that Cedar Waxwings had been spotted at the Tecolote Canyon, I decided to visit that area as soon as possible.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

This was a good afternoon for finding birds, including some that were new to me.  I have some research to do before adding more pictures.

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