It’s easy to see the beauty of larger avians like the Bald Eagle, the Great Blue Heron, or the Snowy Owl. A lot of times I miss the small birds because they are more shy, they move very quickly, and at a distance the intricacy of their plumage may not be visible.
North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It’s one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in […]
The day after the rainstorm, the ocean off the Mendocino County coast looked calm and the sky was a serene blue, but the waves still pounded the shoreline, throwing foam high up onto the cliffs. We stood back and admired the sea from a safe distance!
With the Folsom Lake water levels so low at this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see more old structures appearing along the shore. At Sweetwater Creek the difference between now and my previous visit last spring is pretty dramatic. I was pleased to find evidence of historic water diversion during my hike, but it was also fun comparing […]
Doran Regional Park on the south end of Bodega Bay has long been a regular stop on our trips to the coast; when the tide is out we can usually gather plenty of ghost shrimp to use as bait for perch, rockfish, and cabezon. Of course, we humans aren’t the only ones attracted to this quiet shoreline. We joined a […]
It didn’t take long for the springtime high water levels at Folsom Lake to drop, as the runoff from snow diminished and more water was released from the reservoir. These days it’s a much longer hike to the waterline, and if you’re hoping to stay in the shade, you may need binoculars to find the lake. As of Sunday August […]
Acorn Woodpeckers are so abundant in my area that sometimes I tend to take them for granted. But they truly are one of my favorite little birds, with a bright red cap and white-spotted wings, as well as their strategy of storing away acorns in trees and constantly rearranging them.