The Fishing Fleet

A group of pelicans fishing is evidently called a FLEET. This group was not far offshore in Bodega Bay, and I was surprised to see them huddle up like this. It appeared as if one small group found their prey and the others quickly joined them to grab as many fish as they could.

These two were separated from the group for a bit and then joined them.

This might be my favorite of the three photos- because of the “bunny ears” on the right! There are at least six pelicans in the fleet. It looks like it was a good day for fishing!

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Awwwww…..

“What is this?” you may wonder, if you don’t live in Arizona.

If you do live here, you know all too well that this is a baby javelina (not a pig, but a collared peccary). The photo below will give you an idea of the size of the baby.

There is a steep hill covered with rocks above the retaining wall behind our patio, and it is usually down this slope that javelinas enter our yard. One side of the backyard has a gate (usually open) leading to the front yard, and the other side is ungated. We tend to leave the gate open, knowing that wildlife (mostly deer, coyotes, and javelinas) may be passing through. Normally the occasional group of javelinas come down the hill and walk around the house to the front, where they then head up neighbors’ driveways to the open areas behind the houses.

This morning, I looked out back and saw a mother javelina standing on the patio, calmly nursing her two offspring. The larger of the juveniles looked like a smaller version of its mother, but the smaller javelina was tiny and still had its umbilical cord attached! I took some iPhone videos and then grabbed my big camera to take a few quick photos through the glass door and screen. After nursing was over, the two larger javelinas then jumped up on the retaining wall, leaving the new baby behind. Realizing its plight, mama javelina jumped back down, and this behavior continued for about a half hour. Then suddenly a dog appeared at the top of the hill, barking at the javelinas, who then started squealing. I finally realized the gate must have blown shut and dashed outside to timidly open it, after first peeking through to make sure the javelinas weren’t right by it. In no time, the javelinas went through the gate and headed up a neighbor’s driveway. Drama over.

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Band of Gold

Here is one of the views along Hwy 395 between Mammoth Lakes and Bodie. The aspens were in their full glory during our visit, and wherever there was a viewpoint, we would stop and admire the splashes of gold set against the mountain backdrop. Others were stopping too, and we all would smile as we exchanged shooting positions and comment on how lucky we were to be there at the perfect time.

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Poppies!

Little darlin’, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been clear

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright

George Harrison

After a long dismal winter, we were beside ourselves to find this field of gorgeous poppies yesterday. It still seems like winter in Prescott- still having occasional snow and lots of flooding rains- BUT. . . down in Wickenburg, it is SPRING! We stayed longer than expected, just enjoying the scenery and eventually having a late lunch/dinner downtown. What a great day!

Melinda5 Comments

Life and Death in the Backyard

My husband spotted this beautiful hawk in the backyard this evening. He was perched on a low birdhouse- and was eating prey. I took photos through a window, but he was behind branches and, was, well . . . eating. I ended up sneaking out the back door and brazenly going out on the patio with my camera. He heard the door and flew to the top of one of the shepherd’s poles we have in the back. He looked at me, but didn’t seem to recognize me as the source of the noise. He looked all around, and I slunk back into the house. He is gone now.

My bird app tells me this is an immature Cooper’s hawk. I hesitate to post this, because I have had commenters argue back and forth about Cooper’s hawks vs. Sharp Shinned hawks. I will say we have had Cooper’s/Sharp-Shinned hawks in our yard many times over the years, but this is the first immature one I’ve seen.

Melinda3 Comments

Winter is Coming

Actually, winter is HERE- as most of the country can testify. Arizona has escaped the bomb cyclone of snow and below freezing temperatures, but rain and snow are now hitting the high country, with just rain here (so far). Fingers and toes crossed that the Phoenix area (where we will be meeting our kids) will be warmer and drier.

Good thoughts sent out to all those stranded due to flight cancellations!

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Beach Patrol

Watching egrets on a southern California beach was new to us. We were used to seeing them in the marshes of the Bay Area, but watching them march through the waves on Newport Beach was a whole different experience. I took many more photos than I needed!

Melinda3 Comments

Lunar Eclipse- Election Day

We were up late OR got up early…

Whatever we were… we saw it… and it was magnificent! These shots don’t nearly do it justice. I don’t know if these are my best shots- too many to look at.

Feeling very sleep deprived, but it was worth it.

Camera nerds: I didn’t even know I could push my ISO so high (20,000 at one point- this was 12,800 on the right).

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Leaves in Ice

A few days ago, the wind blew some beautiful leaves into our driveway. I remembered making some images a few years ago of flowers I had frozen and decided to try the process with leaves. I am currently working on creating abstracts using in-camera multiple exposures, and I find it interesting how the doubly exposed ice and leaves interacted with each other to create this abstract image.

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Fall Tapestry

Fall has arrived here with cooler temperatures, some rain, and a lot of WIND! We actually turned the fireplace on last night during Monday night football (okay, I was doing genealogy on my iPhone…). We haven’t made it up to Flagstaff to see the aspens- so here’s an image from last year.

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Show-off

Morning coffee these days means sitting on the front porch watching the monsoon rains or sitting on the back patio and watching the hummingbird show. Today it was the hummingbirds.

We have had more hummingbirds than usual this summer and often they are vying for dominance in their territory. This morning they were zooming around so fast it was difficult to focus. Although they were focused on each other (and the feeder!), I considered they might actually fly right into me as I stood taking photos. As I write this, they are back at it again after a forced respite due to heavy rain.

I was in the mood for a soft photo when I edited this image, so muted the colors and added a blur and a paint filter over all. This is a look I like in photography- but does NOT reflect the mood of these feisty hummers.

Melinda2 Comments