Yes, it’s still only February — but to walk along the Lake Natoma bluffs on a morning like this, you would never know it wasn’t the middle of April. For me, it was literally a bluebird day; these beautiful Western Bluebirds seemed to be in tucked into every tree and working busily in the grass along the trail. The sparrows […]
It’s been a dry start to the year in Northern California, with spring-like days and very few clouds in the sky. While the weather is great for getting outside, we keep hoping that the rain will return before much longer. The last time we saw rain here was late December. Here are some images from our hike at Rattlesnake Bar […]
It normally takes quite a lot of patience, concentration, and good timing to produce the best photos of small birds in the wild. I’m sure I’m not the only photographer who has shot many, many not-so-great pictures in search of one decent one. Of course, if just anybody could easily do it, those truly great nature photos we all admire […]
I had the strange feeling that someone was watching me as I made my way along the path at Phoenix Park this morning. I had been on the lookout for small birds in the trees — but I nearly missed this bright-eyed Fox Squirrel gazing alertly down at me from on high. Well, maybe not completely alert. That morning sun […]
I’ve seen these dark purple flowers many times before but only recently discovered their name. I’m not sure why they are called hound’s tongue, unless it has to do with the shape of the leaves.
One of these mornings I’m going to get myself back over to the vernal pools at Phoenix Park to visit the birds — and hopefully spend more than 45 minutes, which was all I had on my last trip. Even in that small amount of time, I saw Crows, Ravens, Canada Geese, Goldfinches, Black Phoebes, and a handful of Killdeer. […]
I love to explore small side trails as I’m hiking, assuming I have the time and energy. Sometimes I’ll find unexpected surprises along those lightly worn paths; and on this particular day, hiking near Brown’s Ravine, I came upon a forgotten stacked stone wall on a hill overlooking Folsom Lake. The lone strand of rusted barbed wire curling along its […]
I’m so close to home — and then this happens. ETA for tow truck: unknown. Update: All is well! One of the big advantages of marrying a mechanical engineer/auto mechanic. The tow truck driver was kind enough to follow him home just to make sure everything was okay. I think the car will need a bit more work to make […]