It’s easy to see the beauty of larger avians like the Bald Eagle, the Great Blue Heron, or the Snowy Owl. A lot of times I miss the small birds because they are more shy, they move very quickly, and at a distance the intricacy of their plumage may not be visible.
North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It’s one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in […]
The day after the rainstorm, the ocean off the Mendocino County coast looked calm and the sky was a serene blue, but the waves still pounded the shoreline, throwing foam high up onto the cliffs. We stood back and admired the sea from a safe distance!
High tide, Mendocino County.
It’s been many years since I spent time on the Sacramento end of the American River Parkway, but several times back in the 1970s I did ride what was at the time the entire length of the bike trail, 23 miles from Discovery Park to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. These days the parkway and bike trail extend for 32 miles, […]
With the Folsom Lake water levels so low at this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see more old structures appearing along the shore. At Sweetwater Creek the difference between now and my previous visit last spring is pretty dramatic. I was pleased to find evidence of historic water diversion during my hike, but it was also fun comparing […]
June 1979 — Back in August 2017 (beginning with Memory Monday, Week 39) I shared the photos I took during my family’s 1979 road trip through Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada. But missing from my collection were any images from our visit to Vancouver, B.C. — so I’m very happy that my mom recently discovered these photos that she […]
Winter has barely begun, and I’m already looking forward to spring! I shot these photos in 2017 and 2019.
If you’d like to get at least some hint of what the American River looked like prior to the building of Folsom Dam, try hiking the shore in the area between Sweetwater Creek and the New Salmon Falls Bridge (built in 1953) during the late fall/early winter season. The area is certainly more picturesque in the springtime; but if you […]