The sweetgum trees in my front yard provide lovely shade in the summertime and many layers of dead leaves in the fall; they also cover the yard and walkways with pointy, round seed balls — a perpetual hazard underfoot. But I now have a bit more respect for those ubiquitous pods, now that I’ve seen birds, like these Lesser Goldfinches, […]
When I first sighted this cute little bird last week, I tried and failed to identify it. I had been standing near the bluffs above Lake Natoma and didn’t get a very good photo as it darted about in the branches, but I did note the small size, overall gray coloring, forked tail, and what looked like a pointed crest […]
I always have a tough time staying in one spot long enough for wildlife to come to me; I feel better when I keep moving and appreciate it all the more when I’m lucky enough to stumble upon some wonderful surprise. But recently I’m learning that if I can manage to sit still in my backyard for more than a […]
I was out in my back yard earlier this evening when I happened to glance up and noticed that our next door neighbors were enjoying the colorful sunset. Although I didn’t have my big zoom lens, I was still lucky enough to get a few halfway decent shots of this pair of house finches. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of […]
Looking back to September 2019 and some beautiful little Lesser Goldfinches along the shore at Lake Natoma. I shot these pictures with a Nikon D3500 borrowed from the Library of Things at my local library.
I’m quite used to spotting Rufous-crowned Sparrows along the bike trail at Lake Natoma; and apparently they are also used to seeing people using the trail, given their fairly bold behavior and willingness to pose for pictures. Out at Folsom Lake, along the north fork of the American River, the birds are much more shy — so I was pleased […]
I’ve visited this same area of Folsom Lake twice in the last two weeks, and both times the skies were mostly dull and overcast. Today, the sun came out, and I couldn’t resist going back to do some more trail exploration. There’s so much to discover along a number of different trails and plenty of cool details that I missed […]
Fortunately, you don’t need to buy an expensive mansion overlooking Folsom Lake to take in the natural beauty found within the state park. Even on a dreary day in the middle of winter there are scenic views and colorful surprises just waiting to be discovered.
Since we’re now under lockdown and the pandemic is hitting California very hard right now, it may be quite awhile before I get back to the Sonoma coast. That’s one reason why these images mean so much to me; they’re the last group of photos I shot at Gerstle Cove last month.