Manzanitas bloom, American robins head west

Manzanita Shrubs are starting to bloom this month in the foothill areas of the Cleveland National Forest. The various manzanitas, characterized by smooth, reddish bark and tough, leathery leaves, bear myriads of tiny, white to pinkish-white, urn-shaped blossoms. Large (decades-old) manzanitas can be seen around Julian and in parts of the Cuyamaca Mountains. Along the coast, a similar, but less attractive variant thrives: Mission manzanita.

A large number of American Robins are in Southern California, the third largest ever, according to the annual San Diego Christmas Bird Count. They’re usually here in small numbers, but because of still snowy conditions in their usual habitats, experts believe they have made their way to Southern California in search of food. Robins are migratory songbirds in the thrush family and can be found all over the North America, including west of the rockies from Southern Canada to Central Mexico.

Tree Heights can be easily measured this week if the sun shines at midday. On or near Friday, February 18, at or very near 12 noon, the sun as seen from San Diego County stands at an altitude of 45 degrees above the horizon. Under those conditions, the length of a shadow cast by a vertical tree trunk on a horizontal surface equals the height of that tree trunk. Even if you lack a measuring tape, you can still use your own feet to pace the distance heel-to-toe: the length of an average adult male’s shoe sole, for example, is very close to one foot... The moon, just shy of full phase, rises dramatically into the late afternoon eastern sky Thursday, February 17, at around 5:20 pm -- some 20 minutes before the time of sunset.