Wikimedia Commons/Becky Matsubara

In the Winter, the lack of food leads hummingbirds to become more aggressive in defense of their territory.

Hummingbirds are zipping around San Diego County’s backyard gardens, scrub-covered coastal hillsides, and the warming Anza-Borrego Desert. Seasonal hummingbirds are making their way back to Southern California in preparation for breeding season in early Spring. Resident hummingbirds like the Anna’s often dive bomb invaders to defend their turf. Male hummingbirds tend to patrol larger areas (up to a 1/2 acre) to defend mating territory. Female hummingbirds dive-bomb too, but tend to be localized around smaller nesting areas. Dive-bombing tends to be accompanied by a sound which the birds make by fluttering their tailfeathers while diving. Males will also dive as a mating “dance” to impress a female.

Sunset from Escondido

KimDeCew

The Sun Strides North in February, swinging higher across the sky on each successive day. Already quite noticeable is the change in the time of sunset, currently almost a minute later per day, and sunrise, currently almost a minute earlier per day.

Groundhogs are members of the rodent family. They are also known as woodchucks or whistlepigs.

Bahadir Yeniceri/iStock/Thinkstock

Groundhog Day comes Monday, February 2. If the sleepy woodchuck sees his shadow, so the story goes, he’ll hole up for another six weeks of winter cold. None of this means much in San Diego, where a February warm spell can easily push the thermometer into the 80s.