Santa Ynez Skies

Santa Ynez skies have cleared. One of the special things about Ridgeline Ranch is that I can see almost 360 degrees. We have panoramic views of the sun rise and the sunset. It truly is a rare property.

Looking out to the west, like this shot, I often see fog rising up from the Santa Ynez River in the morning. Its course is 75 miles long, running from the Santa Ynez Mountains near Divide Peak through Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, Solvang, Buellton and Lompoc, emptying into the Pacific Ocean at Surf Beach.

Santa Ynez Birding

Lazuli Bunting
Originally uploaded by idahobirder

Santa Ynez skies are clearing. The birds are starting to sing, ready to emerge from their shelter under the foliage of the oaks and sage.

Yesterday I saw a lazuli bunting, a bird which migrates here from Mexico during the summer breeding season. Here's a picture of one of these beauties. I think I can hear one singing now, waiting for the rain to end. The song is a high strident series of warbled syllables.

Each male Lazuli Bunting sings just one song made up of a series of different syllables that is unique to him. Young males fly into on the breeding grounds without a song of their own. Shortly after arriving, a young male develops his own song. It might be a unique rearrangement of syllables, combinations of song fragments of several males, or a copy of the song of one particular older male.

Many, many people here in Santa Ynez Valley enjoy nature. There are always opportunities to learn more. I've mentioned the docent training classes at the Sedgwick Reserve. Lake Cachuma has docent training as well. Also, it features weekly birding cruises. Visitors are often treated to the sight of bald eagles who nest on the northern shore of the lake. It's thrilling to see these majestic birds in flight against the panoramic view of the mountains.

The eagles visit us in Woodstock Ranch occasionally. One afternoon as I was driving home I spotted a large bird on the ground. The bend in the road interruupted my view. When I turned the corner, there was a bald eagle feasting on a ground squirrel!

The Wildling Art Museum sponsors two multi-session of bird watching classes each year. They are taught by Fred Emerson, an MD who went back to school at Cornell to become an orinthologist. He's a marvelous teacher.

I have taken his classes at different times of the year to see different migratory species. The spots we visited included Zaca Lake north of Los Olivos to Lake Cachuma to Goleta to the Santa Ynez River as it runs through Solvang.

Santa Ynez has its own Natural History Society as does Santa Barbara. Both offer lectures periodically. Santa Barbara has a wonderful museum of natural history which is only thirty minutes away from Ridgeline Ranch.

All in all, I think this is a great place to live.

Santa Ynez Conversation

Santa Ynez and its natural beauty sparks many conversations. If I could put bubbles over these pictures, I imagine Anke saying, "Wow! Lupine smells good - just like sweet peas!" Fritz replies, "I don't care. I just want some water. When is she going to be done taking our pictures?"

Anke is right. Lupine does smell like sweet peas. Cinch's pasture is thick with lupine. When I walk past it the fragrance perfumes the air. It's wonderful to be so close to the shops in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Solvang and still live in the middle of fields of wildflowers. And we're only thirty minutes from Santa Barbara!

It feels like I live within reach of civilization's fingertips in a tranquil post at the edge of the wilderness. Ridgeline Ranch is a rare property indeed!

Santa Ynez Tranquility

One of my favorite times of the day is morning when I sit on my patio with a mug of coffee. The panoramic view of the Sedgwick is so serene. I feel as if I'm on a retreat.

The deep silence is broken only by the call of birds. Until I left the buzz of the city and moved here, I could barely tell one bird from another. Now I know their names as well as their migratory patterns. The arrival of the red-breasted house sparrows and bright lesser goldfinch tell me Spring has arrived. The yellow-billed magpie stays with us all year because its habitat is quite limited. I must admit that with their raucous squawk and flashing black and white wings they are my favorite.

As I watch the house sparrows build their nests out of twigs and bits of lichen, I think how right it is that this house was built according to exacting green standards. It feels organic, like part of the surroundings on this rare parcel adjacent to the Sedgwick Reserve.

Although we had thought of taking advantage of the vineyard potential of the large flat area abutting the Sedgwick, I'm glad we didn't. I love walking down the old ranch road and picking wildflowers that blanket this parcel. There is a riot of yellow violets, lupine, poppies and more that I can't name.

It's hard to believe that this tranquil retreat is only ten minutes from Santa Ynez, 15 minutes from Solvang and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara.