Diario de ouzel

We both wore headlamps to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes while walking the dogs. Joanna saw little pairs of twinkle sparkles on the ground and asked me what they were? @ first I couldn’t see them. I adjusted the light beam and sure enough- I began to see them too. I got down low to see if they we’re reflective gemstones or not. Turned out to be the glint reflection off spider’s eyes! Wolf spiders...the ground spider that rest in their silk lined well tunnels. When they are hungry they emerge from the well and hunt in the leaf litter. @ night our headlamp light reflected off their eye’s tapeta revealing their presence throughout the preserve.

I saw a California thrasher beneath the pallid manzanita. They are an uncommon secretive bird with a great songbook of melodies. I’ve never heard them sing whilst in the manzanita grove. I think they wanted it to be a secret that they love to eat manzanita apples!

Does their bill get polished with all that swooshing and swishing about in the duff?