Birds and other celestial wonders

For a quick round-up of observed natural wonders around the land....

I discovered a bird I hadn't seen before down at the meadow. Several of them actually, which I subsequently identified as dark-eyed junkos.

Gerald and I also saw this red-tailed hawk not far from the house.

I did a quick inventory of the birds I've seen at the land and here's what remember besides these two: roadrunners, says phoebes, phainopeplas, mourning doves, white-breasted nuthatches, scrub jays, northern flickers, Western kingbirds, hummingbird (type as yet unidentified), house finches, pygmy owl, ravens. There may be more, but I can't think of any others.

We also had some great sunsets. This one, taken when the L.A. fires were in the news, looked like our own sky was ablaze.

This was more recent. Less dramatic, but also lovely.