SPRING VALLEY LAKE, CA

This area is in the high desert of Apple Valley/Victorville area.    I'm too use to mountains and lots of green trees so the desert looks especially hot to me.

I now know where all the gulls go when they are not around our lake.  I was amazed (the same day I was at the other lake where the pelicans were) to see this many here at Spring Valley Lake.

And adding a photo of a couple beautiful geese.

A FEW MORE PELICANS ....NOT PENGUINS....

Today's pelican pics ..

I really enjoyed watching these guys and I love the first pic - it looks like he is already setting the stage for a little mating to go on - ...he's bold and beautiful and I'm guessing the one he has his wing around might be a female ...or male... who knows but it is mating season for them or then again ...I just caught him stretching which he probably is doing.

The structures below I think are some kind of high desert museum but I have never seen any access open to go into them 

THIS PAGE WILL SOON BE OVER RUN WITH PELICANS - LOTS OF THEM.

So yesterday i went to a lake in the high desert near Apple Valley/Hesparia area.  I hadn't been there in a long time and it's one of those lakes that for me, i don't go to often because I'm more use to the lushness of the forest in the mountain lakes near me so I find it less appealing at this lake.  But, the thing is, there are more ducks, seagulls and other shore birds here than I usually see at our lakes in the mountains.

I was so surprised (thanks Mike for the suggestion to go there yesterday)...  to see about 30 pelicans at the lake.  I took a WHOLE lot of photos and it was so exciting to just observe them in action.  There were two cormorants that appeared to be showing off to the pelicans trying to get their attention and one of the gulls was loudly voicing his disdain about the cormorant.

There are lots more pelican pics in the line up that i'll be posting.  I did learn that BOTH the male and female pelicans develop a bump on their beak during mating season.  Up until i just checked google this morning, I thought it was only the males that formed that bump on the beak.   In March and April the birds travel to their breeding grounds so I guess this is either a stop over for them on their way to somewhere else or this area is a breeding ground area.  I will be making a few more trips over the next month just to see if they are still around.

It was a great day and I enjoyed so much the warmer temps in the high desert .

IT'S SO OFFENSIVE

Says the pigeon - who is sometimes referred to as a flying rat.  They don't like it much and they beckon one to look closer at the iridescent feathers around their neck and their beautiful eyes rimmed in red eyeliner.  They are quite a sight to see up close.   They are just hungry and always waiting for opportunities to eat what we reject.

SOMETIMES YOU ARE HERE
AT OTHER TIMES OVER THERE
ALWAYS SEARCHING FOOD

RIVERSIDE BOTANICAL GARDENS

We visited this place a few days ago on the 1st  and the weather was only in the low 80s but coming down from the mountain felt like it was in the 100's.  Whew!  I could have stayed in the shade all day.

It was a high contrast type of day - not my favorite light to take photos in but I like the light in this top photo ...here are a few from that day.  The cactus and succulant gardens are always my favorite area to visit.

SPOTTED TOWHEE

Hey you black orange bird
With those white spots on your wings
Are you a Towhee?

Well, yes I sure am
definitely a towhee
I love attention

Oh I see you now
Keep pointing that camera
Now I'm done posing

WESTERN MALE BLUEBIRD

Perched on snowy branch

In western regions he flies

Males more colorful

HAPPY BIRD

Sun is shining bright.

It's a new year and a good year ...so far ..for six days it has been a good year.   I trust tomorrow the 7th day will be a good year too.   Do you?

PISMO BEACH GULL

I stopped to watch this gull for a bit while on the pier at Pismo Beach.  He tried to ignore me but I persisted in communicating mentally with him to see if he would react.

Literally I was standing there for about three minutes telling him to turn around.  Finally he did but wasn't all that impressed with my attention.  He went on about his business of looking for his next "victim" who was carrying something that he could swoop in and steal from them.   While standing there watching him I was reminded of the time in San Francisco at Pier 39 when a man walking with an ice cream cone was the victim of a sea gull seeking ice cream.

Actually I could have just said in fewer words this:

Where is my next meal
A child with ice cream perhaps
Hmmm...  I'm being stalked

HELLO AND GOOD TO HAVE POWER AGAIN AND BE BACK ON LINE WITH THE INTERNET

It's been a long span of days.    The first part was great - we were spending part of Thanksgiving week with our family up at the central coast and it was gorgeous!!  We enjoyed every minute of it except for a problem we have with the "Pet Hotel" regarding our cat ...which turned out okay.

But while there are mountain area was hit with a snow cyclone (which I have read is now affecting the midwest and parts of the east .  Most of the small communities up here experienced power outage still ongoing in some areas after six or seven days.  Trees are down everywhere and it's a mess but we got home and got power finally yesterday and internet today.  I'm behind visiting all my favorite blogs - which I will catch up on in the next few days.

While in  Arroyo Grande - a sweet pretty little town up the coast we stopped by to visit the AG Roosters as they are called.  They run the town and I wouldn't be surprised if they have their own mayor.  The colors were amazing.  Here are just a few of the many photos i took of them.  They roam freely in the town and like to hang out around the creek which is on the other side of this fence they are perched on.  We stop by every time we go to the coast and they always cooperate and seem to love seeing people. 

See you soon!