I love the wildlife here in North Park.  It's great to live in such an urban neighborhood and be able to enjoy nature at the same time.  San Diego has more biodiversity than any other county in North America.  We also have a vast number of threatened and endangered species residing here, many of which are native to our area and found nowhere else in the world.  We're in a special place.

Today I admired this pretty Mourning Cloak butterfly in our yard.  It was enjoying the orange nectar.  For a couple years now we've been trying to attract Hooded Orioles.  So far this is the only creature who has actually been interested in the oranges.  But eventually we'll have an Oriole follower; they're all over North Park and they love nectar.

Another common bird in North Park is the Cooper's Hawk.  Anyone who feeds finches and sparrows is also providing a feeding site for Cooper Hawks, as they often prey on smaller birds.  Here are a couple of the Coopers who have visited our finch feeders. 
       

One of our favorite birds to watch in the yard is the Scrub Jay.  They've got big personalities.  They typically forage in pairs.  They'll come grab large peanuts in the shell or as many meal worms as they can hold, and then fly off with their load.  A few days ago we watched as one Jay took a long and enthusiastic bath in our backyard.  He totally soaked himself.  I was surprised he wasn't too heavy to fly away.



Of course there's always the proverbial squirrel doing gymnastics to reach the birdfeeder filled with sunflower seeds.

There are lots of Mourning Doves with their distinctive and comforting coo-woo-woo-woo calls.  In flight, their wings make a fluttery whistling sound, especially when taking off.

We used to see an amazing little coyote every night around 10:00.  He liked to eat the dates underneath the Date Palm at the end of our block.   They're resourceful survivors.

There was a big fat raccoon that emerged from the city drain at the corner of Dwight & 33rd on a regular basis; we'd often see him between 9:00-10:00pm if we happened to be driving by.  Cars and people did not seem to faze him.

I hope you're enjoying the nature in North Park as much as we do.  It's a fun and therapeutic diversion from our otherwise busy and complicated lives.

Ever been curious about all those names & dates stamped into our concrete sidewalks in and around North Park? 

Here's a website with a little more information about this phenomenon.  As pictured & discussed on this website, some present day developers are making an attempt to preserve these little pieces of history.

http://www.efgh.com/np/sidewalks.htm

These photos are of two company names in the sidewalks of my bl0ck; Griffith Company (9-26) and DR Daley (11-24).  Apparently the sidewalk on the east side of our street was laid 2 years after the sidewalk on the west...at least in certain areas.

I look at these names nearly every day, yet don't know much about who they represent.  While I couldn't find much out about Griffith Company, I did find a website for the Daley Corporation, which says the following;
"Daley Corporation is a General Engineering Contractor based in San Diego California with company roots extending to the early 1900’s, including a significant contribution to the early building of San Diego’s roadway infrastructure."

Hmmm...if sidewalks could talk!