More from the Wildlife Refuge

It's really hard to decide which pictures to post. This picture shows the Snow Geese in flight. If you look very close, you will see that the entire background is filled with birds.

 

I did a little calculation. Supposedly there are 128,000 Snow Geese (plus 490,000 Ducks) at the Refuge. The geese weigh about 6 lbs each. So we have 768,000 lbs of geese in flight. The town of Fairfax (CA) has a population of 7,300. I figure the average weight (men, women and children) to be about 140 lbs. That's about 1,000,000 lbs. Thus the geese weigh roughly 3/4 as much as the population of Fairfax. But the Fairfaxians can't fly. Thought you'd like to know.

 

Fly Me To The Moon

Snow Geese At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

 

After you're done ah-ing and oh-ing click on Frank Sinatra.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhujM7T1_fQ&feature=related

 

Magic

Just returned from a memorable, magical, trip to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex. There I saw thousands of birds, mainly Snow Geese, in the beautiful wetlands. As the sun began to set, the geese took off, a spectacle hard to describe. I took almost 200 pictures and will bore you with some of them in the days to come.

 

Blackbirds

I love to watch the blackbirds on the wires at the LGVSD Ponds. This morning I stood there for half an hour, observing their behavior. Their orderly spacing is what fascinates me most, and I have often wondered as to how they do it. Today I found the answer. When a new bird settles on the wire, the birds on either side do a sort of shuffle away from the new arrival, and this shuffle is repeated by the birds next to them. The further away from the new bird, the shorter the shuffle. It's an amazing and very peaceful procedure, with the result being a rather orderly distribution along the wire. Something today's "me, me, me" generation of humans would do well to imitate!

 

Van Bo

File under 'Portraits by Hans'.

 

This one is of Sausalito street artist Van Bo, whose picture I may have post before. You'll find him next to his van, parked next to Dunphy Park. Watch him paint, buy a picture from him, chat with him. His paintings are popular with the house-boat crowd. And with me, proud owner of one of the masterpieces (it took three weeks for the paint to dry)! Did he pick 'Van' as his name because he lives in a van? Or should his name be reminiscent of Van Gogh? You decide!

 

Kelso and Danika

Once in a while I ask for your indulgence and forgiveness. Such a moment has arrived, as I present a picture of my two granddaughters, Kelso (21) and Danika (12), taken shortly before Thanksgiving dinner. Obviously, I firmly believe that they are not only beautiful, but also highly intelligent and gifted. My modesty knoweth no bounds!

 

No, it's not a Turkey!

Some of you may have noticed that I'm something of a birder. And an animal lover in general. Consequently I'm also a vegetarian (for the last fifty years).

All of which brings me directly to today's picture. I saw the pigeon at Sausalito's Dunphy Park a few days ago, and thought that it was especially beautiful. So there you are!

 

And by the way ~ doves were another of Picasso's favorite subjects.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

Shades of Picasso?

Here's another one from the Bolinas seawall. I am reminded of Picasso's bulls, one of his very favorite subjects.

 

Seawall

I'm very fond of the seawall, with all its murals, in Bolinas (Bobo). My favorite section may well be the leaping rabbits. This is probably due to my penchant for repeating patterns.

 

Next visit planned for July 4, 2012!

 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A visit, this morning, to the Point Reyes Bird Observatory (aka Palomarin Field Station), yielded some nice pictures. Here's a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. After being measured, weighed and banded, it was released, none the worse for the procedure.

 

Hummer

After a two-year hiatus, I have again hung a hummingbird feeder on my deck. After one week the first bird appeared. How they find the feeders is a mystery. And yesterday not just one, but two hummingbirds appeared. Long story short, here's a picture I took yesterday. I think it's an Anna's Hummingbird but I'm waiting for my team of ornithologists to confirm my finding. Regardless of what they determine, I think he/she is beautiful.

 

San Francisco's Finest

Occupy San Francisco was happening at Justin Herman Plaza. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, tight-lipped San Francisco's Finest had gathered around the corner. Just in case a drama unfolded.

 

One More!

Jes' cain't git enuff of that wunnerful Occupy SF stuff. The City has produced its own Occupy flavor. No hesitation, it was as though the script was written in the Sixties, and encapsulated, to be opened in 2011!

 

More Occupy SF

Here is one of two artists who were painting the scene at Justin Herman Plaza yesterday. He was part of the movement.

 

Occupy SF

Rena (spel?) in her tent at the Justin Herman Plaza "Occupy San Francisco" encampment early this afternoon. I took a ton of pictures, including some of about fifty motorcycle cops sitting on a side-street, and unwilling to disclose their mission to me. There are many porta-pots at the camp, and I saw several people sweeping and picking up what little garbage there was. I wonder what all this will lead up to.

 

Should I move to Justin Herman Plaza?

 

Not a Happy Sight

My computer crashed a few days ago. I bought a new one, took a day to install it, and SHAZAM, here we are again!

 

I shot the attached picture at Point Reyes this morning. I noticed some Turkey Vultures fluttering around, about 50 feet from the Earthquake Trail. They were partly hidden in the tall grass, but I figured they must be working on a dead animal. I carefully approached, trying to not fall on my face! A few vultures flew off. Finally I spotted the dead deer and two vultures that insisted on holding their ground. As you can see, they allowed me to get quite close.

 

Not all pictures can be of happy scenes.

 

Mount Tamalpais

If you look closely, you will see a tiny dot on top of the mountain. This is the Gardner Fire Lookout on East Peak. It was built in 1936. Many paintings of the mountain were created well before the advent of photography. Once it was invented it was years before color entered the picture. And today we are in the age of digital photography. All I can say is "wow"!

 

GRASS

GRASS

Helix Aspersa

The first Garden Snail I have seen at the Ponds. To some a food, to others a garden pest, to me a beautiful creature!

 

Perhaps A Little Cheesy!

This afternoon at the Ponds.

 

Much maligned Canada Geese, with much admired Mount Tamalpais and clouds in the background. And yes, the geese were honking! All this for my more conservative friends!

 

Handsome Dude

Here's. your rare opportunity to see your favorite, intrepid, photographer in the flesh. The occasion was a photo-shoot of a rehearsal for the upcoming dance-performance "Les Muses" by Stage Dor in Sausalito. The more astute among you will have figured out that I was shooting into a mirror. And, unfortunately, the young lady next to me, was not looking at, nor even noticing, moi.

 

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons are real hams and have an uncanny talent for finding a flattering perch on which to stand and pose. As you can see, this was the case once again, a couple of days ago, at Lake Lagunitas.

 

Sculpture

Others have called me a Renaissance Man, but for me to do so might be a tad presumptive. Be that as it may, I submit that I am not just a photographer (albeit of little fame), but also something of a burgeoning sculptor. The attached is a picture of my latest creation, "Worried Woman", measuring just under seven feet. Sorry, but the piece is on view, but not for sale.

 

Beauty

Few things are more beautiful than a spiderweb, weighed down by the morning dew. To prove my point, I present Exhibit #1, photographed yesterday morning at Point Reyes National Seashore.

 

There's Nothing To It!

It's easy when you know how! This morning in Point Reyes.