Western waterfowl

There are so many different types of waterfowl to be seen around the Sacramento area and in various places up and down the valley. I still hope to make it up to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge to see Snow geese in the winter, and I keep meaning to spend some quality time in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. In […]

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Hello, blackbird

Red-wing blackbirds are one of my favorites, probably stemming from childhood memories of seeing and hearing them as I traversed the marshes between Sacramento and San Francisco. I’ve recently found them quite close to home at Sailor Bar’s Turtle Pond in Fair Oaks, but I always love spotting them around Clear Lake, especially in the spring. On this particular trip, […]

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Mendocino shores

Lake Mendocino is just a short drive away from Clear Lake, and spring is a great time to explore this Northern California reservoir. I didn’t get to hike as much as I would have liked, but I did see some really beauitiful wildflowers and a number of birds. The green hillsides and trails look so inviting — but watch out […]

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Cardinal rule

I had planned to do a bit of hiking on this trip, but since I managed to bruise my foot on our first night in Keller, Texas, those plans didn’t work out. Luckily for me, there are plenty of birds to be seen very close to our house — and of course my favorites are the cardinals. I shot most […]

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After the storm

We knew we were in for some rain when we left home on Monday and headed for the Mendocino coast; but we didn’t realize we had an “atmospheric river” bearing down on us. Earlier storms had already left the coastal areas saturated, and our first clue was the detour on the Valley Ford Road west of Petaluma due to flooding […]

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More from Monte Vista

Today I present some images from a couple of different October hikes in the same area along the American River’s south fork at Folsom Lake. The vibrant hues of spring may have been long faded, but there was still plenty of color to be found — in the Yellow Monkeyflower with its bright red spots, the scarlet Toyon berries, and […]

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Walking to Manchester

Mendocino County has such a beautiful coastline that it can be frustrating when we often find access blocked by private property and “No Trespassing” signs. I’m really grateful that the California Coastal Commission is always working to protect the state’s coastal habitats and to improve access to beaches and bluffs. Whenever we get over to the coast for a few […]

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