More From the Mossy Perch

Yesterday I posted a simple image of a Dark Eyed Junco on a green lichen (mossy) covered perch. This morning I went out early to the photography blind and here are some more creatures on that same perch.

God's love and blessings to all,

chris

Guest appearences today by
Western Gray Squirrel
Stellers Jay
Dark Eyed Junco
Chestnut Backed Chickadee

Simple Beauty

This morning after working out at the gym I photographed a wide range of subjects from locomotives to two types of Jays. When I was editing my mornings images what held my attention the most was the simple beauty of a Dark Eyed Junco.


God's light and love to all,

chris

Usual caste of Characters

It's funny to have an entry today because I really didn't plan on doing any photography today at all. I threw my camera in the pick up out of force of habit this morning when I went to work out at Body Works gym. On leaving the gym I noticed some frosted Teisel plants. I thought, "Just a couple of images.." On the return trip home I missed my turn due to an oncoming car and I just kept going. I planned on turning on the next road when I spotted a few bucks feeding in a small frosty meadow next to the roadside. "Oh all right." I thought to myself. I pulled over and photographed them for awhile and then later on I found some turkeys. Then the view across the valley reminded me of the Smoky mountains. Last but not least Badger dog looked awfully happy lying in a patch of sun on the carpet when I got home. So there is how a no photography day turned into a photography day.

God's precious love and blessings to all,

chris

Trip Report: Blind #1 SNWR

Yesterday my friend Joe and I spent an awesome morning photographing out of one of the photography blinds at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. We arrived at the refuge well before sunrise because one of the requirements to use the blind is that you must be in the blind an hour before sunrise. While wading out to the blind I got a ways ahead of Joe and I stepped toward the side of the gravel path to wait for him. That was a big mistake becauese my right foot sunk into two feet of mud and I couldn't pull out my foot. I stood there stuck in the dark and waited for Joe to give me a hand. My foot came loose with a tug from Joe leaving my water sandal buried in the muck. There was no way I was even going to attempt to try and pull it out with the risk of my camera gear getting wet. I thunked along with one sandal to the blind.




After getting set up in the blind we sat and waited in the blind for the waterfowl to come. I commented to Joe that the blind must be afflicted with the plague as the ducks and geese were landing in our pond and not having a thing to do with our blind. They would swim up close to our resting logs and then turn and swim the other way. Finally around six forty five some birds showed up and landed. Blackbirds! They stayed around awhile and then the coots arrived. Later on some pintails finally arrived on Joe's side of the blind. They were really skittish and looked up every time you released the cameras shutter.


Later on there were several big lift offs around the refuge and the Snow geese and Greater White Fronted Geese began moving in around our blind util it got rather crowded and hard to photograph single birds. but only a few pintails and coots would use the resting logs. the geese all stayed out about fifty or sixty feet away. they did not like our blind!









Around ten thirty I gave up on photographing sitting waterfowl and focused on geese landing from some of the lift offs. I created some really nice flight images this way.










When we left the blind I figured the all the geese on the pond were going to lift off in one big burst of wings. I was amazed to see that only about a quarter of the geese lifted off and then it was in small waves outward from the blind. We trekked homeward and I have spent hours and hours editing images from the trip. I'm already looking forward to February when we go again.

God's love and blessings to all,

chris

Flehmen Response

This afternoon on my way home I spotted three bucks pursuing one doe. The dominate buck was keeping the smaller bucks away from her. One look or turn from him towards the smaller bucks was causing them to back off. When the doe urinated the buck went into the classic curled lip Flehmen position with his eyes rolled back in his head. He was checking to see if she was ready to breed. The Flehmen response is a of curling of the lips in deer which helps with the scent of chemicals into the vomeronasal organ. Stallions alao do it to see if a mare is ready to breed.

God bless,

chris

HSU

Yesterday I was up in Eureka for a doctors appointment. While I was up there I thought I would walk around and check out Humboldt State University as that is one of the schools my son Jay is applying to for this next fall.

I was really impressed how clean the campus was. There was an interesting mix of new buildings with some that have definitely seen better days.In checking out the Wildlife and Fisheries Building I found a really cool greenhouse next to it that was open to the public. Stepping inside was a nice experience. It was divided up into various rooms cactus, tropical plants ferns etc. I could see myself escaping there to study on a cold winters day.

God's blessings to all,

chris

A Visit to the Doctor

It's funny how hard it can be to get into a specialist when you have a medical problem. They are also usually in a bigger city than where I live in Mendocino County. My knees have been giving me a problem so they decided to send me to a specialist. I could either see one in San Francisco or Eureka. Hmmnn... San Franscisco, two and a half hours just to get to the Golden Gate, heavy traffic, long waits or Eureka, two hour and fifteen minute drive along the Eel River and Redwood Forests, little traffic, short waits.

I left early this morning for Eureka to do some photography. I went up to Arcata and also did little bit of photography along Humboldt Bay. Not the greatest lighting as I wasn't there really early but I did have fun. I photographed grebes,egrets, fungi, ravens, gulls and a Brown Pelican. My doctor visit went really well and I had a great time.

God's love and blessings to all,

chris