Each spring when I visit Clear Lake I normally can’t wait to head out to Rodman Slough Park for a look at the ospreys there. This year, for a change, I decided I’d focus less on ospreys in favor of other stuff. Yet somehow this year I ended up with more osprey photos than ever before. I’m still not quite […]
Secret Ravine is not actually a river but a somewhat seasonal creek running through southern Placer County. It’s connected to Miner’s Ravine and, eventually, to Dry Creek (formerly Linda Creek), a smaller tributary of the Sacramento River. It’s not necessary to know all this, however, to be able to enjoy a quiet morning in the shade beside the creek, listening […]
My favorite part of spring-like weather this time of year is the appearance of many types of birds, each sporting unique and colorful plumage. I shot most of these images along the Hinkle Creek Trail; the bluebird, magpie and mallards were seen at Phoenix Park. Above, not a perfect capture, but I like it because this female Lesser Goldfinch seems […]
We are now in the midst of summer, and while the sizzling temperatures have eased — for the moment — every day seems to bring warnings of new wildland fires somewhere in California. Per my weather app, the nearest active fire to me this afternoon is 44 miles away. Yesterday though, the Sac Metro Fire Department responded to two separate […]
After having spent the majority of the morning going through my recent images of spring wildflowers, trying to firmly identify each of them, I can tell you without a doubt that I would have never amounted to anything as a botanist. I’ve been using three books and two computer apps, and I’m still not completely sure I’ve got all of […]
The vernal pools appear dry, but the wildflowers are popping up everywhere. On my visit the other day, I saw mostly purple Vetch, yellow Hawkbit, and White Hyacinth. But as I continued to look, I also spotted Vernal Pool Goldfields, Little Quaking Grass, Checkerbloom, Valley Tassels, and even Downingia. The signs of life are definitely there to see, if you […]
It’s starting to look and feel more like spring again here, so these spring backyard blooms from the photo album are a perfect fit! In fact, most of the remaining pages are dedicated to colorful flowers, and I’ll do my best to identify them — but no guarantees that I’ll get them right. I believe most of the pinks this […]
I realize 2019 isn’t that long ago, but I’m sometimes surprised as I go back through my image files at the photos I’ve never used. Of course there are plenty of images that aren’t good enough to use (I have loads of those, and I’m sure I’m not the only one). But my pictures this week are ones that seem […]