To boldly paddle…
This curious little explorer decided to venture off on his own, leaving Mom far behind.
Mississippi Bar mornings
Even though large portions of Mississippi Bar are rocky, flat, and treeless — and sun-baked during the hot summer months — it’s still possible to find nice shady spots, even on a warm day in June. Still, it’s best to get outdoors early so you don’t melt on the hike back to the car! Once the spring rains dry up, […]
Osprey
I was very lucky this morning to spot this osprey while exploring around the ponds at Mississippi Bar. And special thanks to the Big Guy for helping me identify it when I showed him my photos!
Double duty
Devoted parents — one on either side of the nest. (Instagram didn’t seem to like my image, so I’m posting it here!)
All in a row
Little brave one
Someone wasn’t very happy this morning when Mama Eagle perched in this pine tree above Lake Natoma. He seemed to be saying, “Hey — go perch in your OWN tree; this one is mine!” Alas, all his fancy dive bombing didn’t do him a bit of good; Mama definitely gave him some serious side-eye, but she stayed right where she […]
Dry season
The morning sun was already bearing down at 8 AM today as I paid a visit to the vernal pools at Phoenix Park in Fair Oaks. Not surprisingly, all of the visible water is long gone, along with those briefly blooming beauties like the downingia, goldfields, and fivespot. Walking the mile-long circuit, I saw tons of purple vetch and hawkbit, […]
Small town feeling
Every year at this time, Orangevale hold its local fair; the official title this year is Orangevale Town Fair — A Pow Wow Days Tradition. I admit I’ve never actually visited the site of the fair, but I do love to get out early on Saturday morning and photograph the yearly parade. There’s always so many different groups represented and […]
Proud singer
Sometimes even with a small point-and-shoot camera (like my Fujifilm Finepix AX655) you can get very lucky with the wildlife around Lake Natoma. I shot this rufous-crowned sparrow in late May 2016 — he was so intent on singing that he didn’t even mind me camera-stalking him!