Another native Californian. We used to use the phrase “go to the snow.” Meaning drive up to the mountains to play in the snow. An out of state friend thought it was a weird thing to say, but, then, how else do you say it?
I hear flatlanders (folks from Phoenix and other parts of the Valley of the Sun) call it “going to see the snow”.
This reminds me of a thing I saw in SoCal many years ago. A young pair had bought a big block of ice, which they rode down a steep hill the way us Northerners would ride a sled (sledge), food tray, or toboggan. They called it “ice sliding”. It was a very odd concept to me.
Since I last posted, we’ve had a tremendous hailstorm and then a prolonged snowstorm. It came down in big fluffy flakes and stuck just a bit, but then quickly melted off. Love it.
My dove is back for round 2. About two months ago, a dove took up residence in one of the hanging planters by my front door, and raised two cute little dove babies there. They eventually left, although the camera I have on the ground near there catches one poking around for food occasionally.
The dog and I walked by the planters this afternoon, and I hear a loud flutter. A dove flew away, and landed on my neighbor’s roof next to another dove. We went for our walk, and came back via another entrance to the house. I carefully looked out front, and sure enough, there is a dove sitting in the planter again. There is at least one egg there.
Ground Doves are known to reuse nesting sites, and can have 5 or 6 broods in a season. So it’s pretty likely that this is the same momma dove as last time.
It makes me happy to see this wild animal chose my front door as a safe place. And I’m sure the chicks will be just as cute as last time.
Today I saw a mother fox and baby foxes in the backyard. Their home is next to our shed, on the side facing away from the house.
Now to keep the dog away from the area.
A moth, possibly not quite as well camouflaged as it thought (on our garage door) but very happy to pose for photographs:
I think that’s a pale eggar, but if anyone wants to put me right, please do.
On the subject of snow, may years ago (30-ish?), the place I where I worked regularly had overseas students doing an industry year. One winter afternoon we had (for the south of England) real heavy snow - maybe 20 cm in an hour. Our young student from Africa* had heard of, but had never seen, snow - her reaction was wonderful. She was astonished, literally squealing with delight; she made us all put on coats, come outside, and throw snowballs at her.
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- sorry, sounds bad but I can’t remember which country - it was a long time ago.
How far north? Here locally, we have a hill where that happens all summer long. Makes me shudder though, its a fairly steep hill that ends right at the edge of a main road that is the only access for all the homes in that area. The sledding during the winters when there is snow…ugh! not my kid thank you very much.
Not north at all. Huntington Beach. But I grew up and live in Minnesota so we know sledding (and tubing, and more), ice sliding is weird to me. It never occurred to me to ride a block of ice down a hill because I never had to. Though icing up a hill and sliding down that is a blast.
I had some friends who lived close to a levee. We would slide down the levee on cardboard.
Saw a black necked stilt yesterday but couldn’t get a decent photo. Sharp looking little birds though. I don’t recall having ever seen one before.
Once in high school (on the west side of L.A.) it started to hail. All us kids ran outside and were jumping around in it. The hailstones were only about the size of jujubees – so tiny. But it’s so rare, it was a treat for us.
I’ve seen this reaction from both Californians and Australians. The latter ran out of their hotel room to prance about in a November flurry at 2 A.M.
Eaglets are too big to hide under parents any more. I just saw a parent fly off the nest and the young’uns started looking around but stayed in place. It’s darn cold for April and there’s even a bit of snow in today’s fierce wind.
A neighbor of mine took this photo of a softshell turtle. It must be a lady turtle because she was laying eggs at the time, but you can also tell by her pretty face!
Another red shoulder hawk has been lounging outside my home office window lately. This is a different bird from the one I posted last May upthread, it’s maybe 2/3 the size of the other one. Probably male, where the previous one was probably a ladyhawke.
I love how s/he’s giving me a little stinkeye in the second photo 
“I vant to be alone!”
Avocets, on the north Norfolk coast near Scolt Head. Very handsome birds.
Also Brent geese, oystercatcher, redshank and more black-headed gulls than you could shake a stick at.
Horse Fight!
A clean and refreshed nest for the eaglets. They are looking hungry and parent is on the watch for a meal delivery from either the partner or GrubHub.
There’s also at least one peregrine egg, but oddly, no nest in the nesting box. I’m worried because avian flu is a big problem here this spring.
Peregrines are minimalists and don’t really make nests. As you can see in this occupied nest the strata consists of…gravel. They scrape a little depression at best and sometimes not even much of that.