Cloudy skies at Pope Creek
Early May offered up intriguing cloudscapes along the western shore of Lake Berryessa and Pope Canyon Road.
Wild waters
At this fairly isolated spot just across the river from the fish hatchery, a small island blocks the view of the main stream of the American River. Still, I thought the current looked pretty boisterous when I visited Sailor Bar two weeks ago — but on today’s visit I found the rocky shore where I stood that day is now […]
A dramatic entrance
This morning I was lucky enough to see the arrival of a Great Blue heron at the Turtle Pond on Sailor Bar. Although I enjoyed his graceful entrance, it seemed to cause some irritation to one of the local Red-winged blackbirds — who fussed for a moment, just to make a point, before sulkily departing.
Sentry duty, Phoenix Park
When I was pretty young, I had two gray plastic animal figures that my sister and I called “Beat-up Eye” and “Beat-up Nose” because those parts had clearly been chewed on by, ahem, someone in the past. I never did figure out what type of animal they were supposed to be; and I can only guess what type of experience […]
New phobia unlocked!
I was all alone, standing in a shady spot along the empty trail beside Turtle Pond, watching the Red-winged blackbirds and shooting pictures with my big lens. I’m not sure why, but I happened turn my head and glance back up the path to my far right — and found this duck standing there, just… watching me. I wouldn’t say I’ve suddenly developed anatidaephobia; but let’s just say Gary Larson’s cartoon is starting to make a lot more sense!
At the Turtle Pond
I did see a couple of turtles, but the stars of the show on this morning were the many species of birds — especially the Red-winged blackbirds. They were continually swooping and perching, calling and battling in mid air while a few brownish females watched from the sidelines. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I decided to explore this […]
Gray day at Coyote Knolls
When the day is overcast and gray along the shores of Lake Berryessa, any little pop of bright color is a welcome sight for the eyes.
Birding at Sailor Bar
There’s an old saying that it’s hard to soar with the eagles (or red-shouldered hawks) when you’re surrounded by turkeys. But this turkey hen at Sailor Bar near the American River was busy doing very important work on the ground, carefully tending to her enthusiastic flock of five or six as they scampered in and out of the tall grass […]
Lake County ranch
Staying in a small house near Middletown (south of Clear Lake), we knew to expect cats roaming the property. Now, I’m not sure anyone informed the cats we would be arriving; but luckily our furry landlords allowed us to stay, as long as we kept to ourselves and didn’t make too much noise.