Dabble and dribble
California birds
Over my lifetime I’ve seen — and heard! — so many scrub jays and magpies as I grew up in this part of California that I usually pay little attention to them and have never bothered to photograph them. Still, these two birds, both corvids, are intelligent, inquisitive, and mischievous, not to mention noisy. The California scrub jay actually ranges […]
Under the palisades
Yesterday morning I noticed a large group of swallows swirling above my head as I walked along the base of the bluffs by Lake Natoma. They were moving so fast I had trouble catching them with my camera — but this morning I cranked up my shutter speed and went back for another try. I was also surprised that they […]
Happy bird day
When I can walk from my house down to Lake Natoma early in the morning and see this kind of bird activity, I call it a very good day!
Sacramento Bar birding
I didn’t go to Sacramento Bar yesterday to look for birds, but I found quite a few. The Great Blue Heron was a surprise — not because I didn’t expect him to be there, but because I couldn’t believe how close he let me get while I shot pictures. Eventually, he flew away, but he didn’t go far, as we […]
Say cheese!
Wings
Today was a very good day for spotting birds — plus one dragonfly. This morning I also realized that very often when I’m hearing the sounds of birds I’m not truly listening. The rufous-sided towhee (above) was practically yelling at me, and I would have never even seen him if I hadn’t chosen that moment to pause for a drink […]
Morning bells
I never know what new surprises I might find on my morning walks! Today it was these bright red-orange flowers, looking a bit like small bells. They were growing in the shallow water along the edge of Lake Natoma, among the tall grasses and reeds. Wading in the water might have given me a better perspective, but I wasn’t up […]
Black phoebe
