Urban peacock
Wall mural at Geary and Leavenworth, San Francisco.
Bird bath
I was exploring at Sailor Bar one morning last May, following a trail around to the more overgrown portion of the Turtle Pond, when I heard loud splashing sounds from up ahead. Creeping forward, I managed to catch this California Towhee in the middle of a bath. These little brown birds may be terrifically plain in color, but they are […]
Springtime at the river
Sailor Bar County Park on the American River, May 2023
Tiny wings
Not all my photos of insects were a great success on my most recent trip to Lake County, but I am pleased that I spotted my very first Lorquin’s admiral. According to Wikipedia, these handsome butterflies are very territorial and sometimes go after larger animals rather aggressively; luckily, this one was in a peaceful mood! On this outing I also […]
Desert details
I’ve learned (unfortunately, the hard way) that however weary I might feel after a long day of driving on the highway, it’s usually a good idea to find a place to have a walk around outside. No matter how much I would prefer to throw myself onto the bed and not move until morning, things go much better if I […]
Bee wise
This week, June 19th through 25th, is National Pollinator Week in the U.S., so I’m celebrating by sharing some of my most recent images of insects making themselves right at home in some wildflower blooms. While bees and butterflies are the most easily recognized pollinators, many beetles also play an important role in pollination. I shot most of these photos […]
New Mexico and Arizona
There’s never enough time to stop and check out everything that catches my eye — driving back through Texas I spotted a ton of historical markers along the side of the road — but because we’ve made good time, we’re able to slow down a bit now that we’ve arrived in Arizona. I find that doing a road trip is […]
A dramatic entrance
This morning I was lucky enough to see the arrival of a Great Blue heron at the Turtle Pond on Sailor Bar. Although I enjoyed his graceful entrance, it seemed to cause some irritation to one of the local Red-winged blackbirds — who fussed for a moment, just to make a point, before sulkily departing.
Sentry duty, Phoenix Park
When I was pretty young, I had two gray plastic animal figures that my sister and I called “Beat-up Eye” and “Beat-up Nose” because those parts had clearly been chewed on by, ahem, someone in the past. I never did figure out what type of animal they were supposed to be; and I can only guess what type of experience […]