TOTALLY EXHAUSTED

One of my favorite photos from Wrightwood, Ca. (another mountain town I lived in a few years ago)

GOLD CROWN SPARROW

A year ago this month we were up in Mill Valley (near San Francisco) watching our grandkids while their parents were on a trip.  I remember waking up early one morning as I always do when I'm there and walking outside.  It was after sunrise when I took these photos.  (these might have been posted before).

I had always wanted to see a gold crowned sparrow in person and hadn't up until this trip.

PHOTOS FROM A VACATION IN JULY TO CENTRAL COAST

Which includes Pismo (where these particular photos were taken) and other little towns up to San Luis Obispo.

I always take a lot of photos of seagulls when I see them - I love watching them and also sketching them.

RANDOM SUNDAY PHOTOS OF A FEW OF THE MANY PHOTOS TAKEN LATELY

Thank you Lux for the reminder of this incredible song and your latest post.






1.  Turtle at lake.
2.  Unknown duck at lake - need to identify it still. This is a new one that I've never seen here.  What hasn't returned yet and should by now are the seagulls.  They are very late in arriving for the fall winter season.  I wonder if El Nino is to blame.  They have always arrived in September.
3.  Pigeon in yard.
4. American Coot.  They have returned in LARGE numbers.
5. Osprey in flight - 6 and 8. also
7.  First Monarch butterfly sighting.  

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A LOT OF BREWER'S BLACKBIRD PHOTOS

Blackbirds at the lake are always fun to watch.  They usually are intimidated by people so I can take a lot of photos.  I loved the lighting the day these were taken.  They were sitting on top of a wall and there were portapotties behind them which gave a pretty color as a background for their little black bodies.

I took a lot and later got quite a few of them bathing.  Of all the birds ( or lack of lately) at the lake the Brewers can always be found taking baths in shallow water near the shore.    There are similar poses but I didn't feel like weeding them out.  I put them up as a group..

I really think they are communicating about another bird that was nearby.  They seem to be deep into conversation - It appears they are a couple - female and male - female having the lighter brown feather on her head - the male being darker brown/black.

The bird on the post is a male.

HEY YOU - YEAH YOU LLAMA

Is it true you Llamas like to spit at people?

I took these photos in a place called Oak Glen home of the apple orchards.  I have seen videos of them spitting and I didn't want to get too close.  As soon as it copped an attiude I thought it was best to quickly snap the photo and then back up.

MORE WESTERN TANAGER

I've never seen this bird eat anything in the yard - with all the seed I put out "she" (I believe it's  female) doesn't seem interested.

But she often would come down for a drink and once in awhile a bath.

THEY HAVE LEFT BUT THEY LEFT ME WITH A LOT OF PHOTOS

Male Western Tanager - one of the most colorful birds flying in the air, flitting through the trees and once in awhile coming down for water.

I kept meaning to put these up since I took them in early August but will start the parade of tanager photos now (definitely will be more than what I posted).  I happened to go to a website where the photographer took pics of a Western Tanager migrating somewhere in Texas near the Mexico border which reminded me to post my pics.

I have seen this poem before and may have even posted the first part of it somewhere - seems like I did, but now I don't remember where.

The body a yellow brilliance and a head
Some orange color from a Chinese painting
dipped in sunset by the summer gods
who are also producing that twitchy shiver
in the cottonwoods, less wind than river,
where the bird you thought you saw
was, whether you believe what you thought
you saw or not, and then was not, had
absconded, leaving behind the emptiness
that hums a little in you now, and is not bad
or sad, and only just resembles awe or fear.
The bird is elsewhere now, and you are here.

Robert Hass
November-December 2007 Earth First!

Yes I definitely remember that poem - but I went back a ways in my archives and couldn't find where I had posted it - so I'll put it up again.

LOUSY PHOTOS but ADORABLE AMERICAN KESTREL

Saw this bird at Big Bear Zoo yesterday - she was inside a big glass cage which was reflecting lights and the glass was smeared - but anyway I am a big fan now of this bird.

I had one photo but it was even more fuzzy which she was cocking her head in a curious way at what I was doing so close to the glass with my camera.