I often want to hide my head in shame after posting about the weather here in California. We get such little weather that when it does happen, as I've mentioned, we kind of lose our minds. As I also stated a couple of weeks ago, every few years we get torrential rains which makes us sound like babies, "Oh, it's going to rain a lot in this storm." But the reality is that while the rains that come might be few and far between, they really are quite powerful. Storm Lucifer has been talked about all week. It was predicted to bring a lot of rain and wind and with that some damage. Below are some snippets of the news spliced together. The most fascinating are the two sink holes.
It did rain VERY hard and it was so windy. Luckily, due to the four day Presidents' weekend I didn't have to go anywhere. And I didn't. We mostly stayed holed inside the house listening to it, and again hoping that the very tall palm tree across the street that was blowing wildly in the wind didn't uproot itself and fall onto my house (which is a regular rainy day worry). Anyhow, about midday it was time to coerce Rigby outside before she exploded. Before opening the door to the yard, something moving on the grass caught my eye. At first I noticed it was a bird, but then I soon realized that there were several. They kept landing on the grass area and jumping around in the bushes and the fence. I counted upwards of 10 at any given time.
They're terrible pictures, but if you enlarge them you can clearly see some of them. I've never seen birds that look like that before. We have the little brown sparrows, the mourning doves, and the mockingbirds that come out in droves, but these colorful ones were a mystery to me.
I tried to go outside without the dog to get a closer look, but as soon as the door opened they all flew up into the nearby trees.
I asked around and learned that they are American robins. I had no idea we had them here! I also learned that they usually are sighted in the spring. Which makes me chuckle. Of course they would arrive in my backyard on the most non-spring day we've had this year.
Not having the best of luck when it comes to wildlife in my backyard, I was a bit worried they were planning on making my yard a place to birth or die (neither have been successful in my yard) and I really wanted them to take their business elsewhere. The dog went out shortly after that and so I didn't see them the rest of the day. This morning, there were a couple in my yard and when I got home this afternoon, there were several flying around and singing in my trees. I'm still hoping they realize I have a dog and they'll plan whatever they are planning at one of the neighbors' instead. It's not looking that way, but my fingers are crossed.
We have so many robins here in PA. I think they might be the most common bird. I am glad your rain is going away. Those sink holes were crazy! I was thankful the people in the cars could be rescued.
Look at all those robins! I haven't seen any here yet. I bet they're just milling around and hunting worms in your yard. I seem to be covered up in Goldfinches and Purple Finches right now.
I've been watching that weather and thinking about you!
Thank you. Yes, all is well here. Other than some minor flooding in the yard (due to little bitty leaves clogging the drain) all is well. Been trying to get a bookclub book "The Snow Child" read before our get together on Thursday. Made a dent over the last two days, so could put it down and respond tonight.
What will happen in the deserts near you is they will bloom. And it's utterly lovely. I've seen photos of Joshua Tree NP. I expect the birds are about all the time but have no reason to lodge on your lawns. But now there's likely a flush of insects making metamorphosis in the upper reaches of the soil. They are lovely looking birds, very tropical. I'd watch out for snakes and scorpions. They might come out of the garigue near you.
Can you tell me why they didn't close that freeway south to SD when that fire engine fell of the side of the carriageway. That seemed careless on a monumental level.
I'm really looking forward to the poppies this year. They've been very disappointing recently, so I'm hoping the rain will help with that in late March. The birds have been here a bit, but nothing excesive...the dog helps with that I'm sure. Although, I hope they get the snakes and carry them elsewhere.. I'm not sure why they did't close the freeway where the firetruck fell. The only thing I can think of is that our freeways are 4-6 lanes wide and maybe they were sure the left lanes were in better shape? But that's only speculation. Closing a freeway causes such a clusterf@#& that they don't do it often. I know from the angle I saw it was hard to see how much of it was open. It could have been closed off on the right with a couple of lanes opened on the left. But I'm just speculating.
I don't think it is the strength of the rain that is the difference as we get very strong rains here as well. It is what happens to it when if falls on the ground. In large urban centers with lots of impervious concrete, it causes lots of problems which we definitely don't have. I have seen lots of flat plains with shallow rivers out there as well which doesn't give the water much room to exit unlike here where we have hills and deep rivers in valleys to contain it all. Finally, our geology is such that sink holes don't occur. Between our bedrock and soil we have about 50 feet of the thickest clay that is like a giant sponge. Another thing that is foreign to me here are mudslides. I think that would scare me the most living out there.
At the end of the day, I've been wondering if all this rain will stick and the water problems of recent years will be a thing of the past or if it will mostly run off and a few months later it will be back to being parched with falling reservoirs. I really haven't heard anyone on the news address this yet.
Yah, you're probably right. Those sink holes are something. Kind of mind blowing! There was water flowing in this one on Laurel Canyon. Clearly, they didn't build a road right over that. How does that happen?!?! We joke here that mudslides are a whole season here. The season that follows fire season. We had some bad fires this summer and those areas just got pummeled by the mud and rain. As for the rain, we haven't had anyone come out and say we are out of the drought, but the snowpack on the mountains has increased tremendously...that's what we'd been missing to get us through the hot dry summers. I think we are doing well on that aspect, as of now. The thing that kills me is knowing that we go through periods of these droughts we don't do nearly enough to save the rain water. Most of it goes down the drain and into the ocean. I wish we, as a state did more to collect it.
We got a lot of rain.. I hate to go out in it.. but sometimes I just have to. Our yard is always full of birds..and squirrels. We have a bird feeder and toss bread remnants and love to watch them.
We have so many robins here in PA. I think they might be the most common bird. I am glad your rain is going away. Those sink holes were crazy! I was thankful the people in the cars could be rescued.
ReplyDeleteYes, the cars in the holes and falling off the freeway were vey scary and so dangerous!
DeleteLook at all those robins! I haven't seen any here yet. I bet they're just milling around and hunting worms in your yard. I seem to be covered up in Goldfinches and Purple Finches right now.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching that weather and thinking about you!
Thank you. Yes, all is well here. Other than some minor flooding in the yard (due to little bitty leaves clogging the drain) all is well. Been trying to get a bookclub book "The Snow Child" read before our get together on Thursday. Made a dent over the last two days, so could put it down and respond tonight.
DeleteWhat will happen in the deserts near you is they will bloom. And it's utterly lovely. I've seen photos of Joshua Tree NP.
ReplyDeleteI expect the birds are about all the time but have no reason to lodge on your lawns. But now there's likely a flush of insects making metamorphosis in the upper reaches of the soil.
They are lovely looking birds, very tropical.
I'd watch out for snakes and scorpions. They might come out of the garigue near you.
Can you tell me why they didn't close that freeway south to SD when that fire engine fell of the side of the carriageway. That seemed careless on a monumental level.
I'm really looking forward to the poppies this year. They've been very disappointing recently, so I'm hoping the rain will help with that in late March.
DeleteThe birds have been here a bit, but nothing excesive...the dog helps with that I'm sure. Although, I hope they get the snakes and carry them elsewhere..
I'm not sure why they did't close the freeway where the firetruck fell. The only thing I can think of is that our freeways are 4-6 lanes wide and maybe they were sure the left lanes were in better shape? But that's only speculation. Closing a freeway causes such a clusterf@#& that they don't do it often. I know from the angle I saw it was hard to see how much of it was open. It could have been closed off on the right with a couple of lanes opened on the left. But I'm just speculating.
I don't think it is the strength of the rain that is the difference as we get very strong rains here as well. It is what happens to it when if falls on the ground. In large urban centers with lots of impervious concrete, it causes lots of problems which we definitely don't have. I have seen lots of flat plains with shallow rivers out there as well which doesn't give the water much room to exit unlike here where we have hills and deep rivers in valleys to contain it all. Finally, our geology is such that sink holes don't occur. Between our bedrock and soil we have about 50 feet of the thickest clay that is like a giant sponge. Another thing that is foreign to me here are mudslides. I think that would scare me the most living out there.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, I've been wondering if all this rain will stick and the water problems of recent years will be a thing of the past or if it will mostly run off and a few months later it will be back to being parched with falling reservoirs. I really haven't heard anyone on the news address this yet.
Yah, you're probably right. Those sink holes are something. Kind of mind blowing! There was water flowing in this one on Laurel Canyon. Clearly, they didn't build a road right over that. How does that happen?!?! We joke here that mudslides are a whole season here. The season that follows fire season. We had some bad fires this summer and those areas just got pummeled by the mud and rain.
DeleteAs for the rain, we haven't had anyone come out and say we are out of the drought, but the snowpack on the mountains has increased tremendously...that's what we'd been missing to get us through the hot dry summers. I think we are doing well on that aspect, as of now. The thing that kills me is knowing that we go through periods of these droughts we don't do nearly enough to save the rain water. Most of it goes down the drain and into the ocean. I wish we, as a state did more to collect it.
We got a lot of rain.. I hate to go out in it.. but sometimes I just have to. Our yard is always full of birds..and squirrels. We have a bird feeder and toss bread remnants and love to watch them.
ReplyDelete