American Wigeon

American Wigeon. Yesterday at the Ponds.

 

Teeter-Totter Revisited

And then there were none.

 

Lotsa Fun!

Teeter-totter, this morning, at the beach in Fort Cronkhite.

 

Magic Flute

No, I'm not up to my old tricks. It's all the egg-carton's fault. Who would have expected Papageno to appear when I removed the eggs from the carton? And such an obvious likeness.

 

Snow

Yes, there's snow in them thar mountains. I took this picture from I-5, near Maxwell, while heading to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge a couple of days ago.

 

Impossible!

A group of geese on the ground is called a "gaggle". In flight they are called a "skein". In flight but in a "V" formation, they are called a "wedge". Yesterday at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge they were flying in an "X" formation. "Not possible", you say. "Yes possible" I say! Just look at the picture. A new moniker needs to be be coined.

 

Bald Eagle

What may be old hat to some, was very exciting for me. My first picture of a Bald Eagle, the national bird and symbol of the United States. Of course it is not bald, the word derives from the older meaning of "white headed".

 

I took the picture this afternoon on an excursion to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. My companions were Sandy T (our chauffeuse extraordinaire) and Bob T.

 

Black-necked Stilt

The sun shone brightly this morning at Ellis Creek in Petaluma. It was beautiful. There were Stilts, Coots and, of course, the ubiquitous Canada Geese!

 

Ponds Report

The Swallows are back, the Swallows are back.

Lotsa Canada Geese flying in formation and honking like mad.

Red-winged Blackbirds.

Mallards.

Mergansers.

Cormorants.

Sparrows.

But the highlight of this morning's solo visit to the Ponds -

A Snowy Egret and a Great Egret.

 

Bobcat

Not one of my best pictures, but proof positive that there are bobcats in Tennessee Valley. Or at least one! The bobcat was far away from me, and what you see is a major enlargement. Therefore lacking in detail!

 

By the way, gophers are a favorite Tennessee Valley bobcat menu item.

 

Tennessee Valley

Tennessee Valley

 

Rainy Day

Rainy day encourages indoor activities. Such as the Avocado and the Golf Ball adventure.

 

What to name the picture?

 

"What will they come up with next?"

"Steve Jobs made the Apple famous"

"Picture created by a Goofball"

"Imagine my Surprise!"

 

Avocados are fruits. The one in the picture contains about 275 calories. I don't know about the golf ball.

 

Andricus Kollari

Another picture from yesterday's walk with Bob H. at Bell Marin Keyes. Below is a description (much better than I could concoct) of what we saw. Neither Bob, nor I, have ever seen so many Galls on one twig.

 

The Oak Marble Gall (also known as 'Oak Nut') is caused by a tiny gall wasp, Andricus kollari. Clusters of Oak Marble Galls can be found on oak twigs. They turn brown as they mature and emergence holes, from which the asexual adults have escaped, can be seen from autumn onwards. The empty gall is left on the twig. The emerging females then lay eggs in the buds of Turkey Oaks which develop overwinter and emerge in spring as a sexual generation of males and females, ready to make the familiar summer gall.

 

Please remember that, though I am interested in content, I am perhaps even more interested in artistry.

 

Transmission-Line Tower

My friend, and Chief Consultant on Technical Affairs, told me that what I was photographing is called a Transmission-Line Tower. So be it, though to me it looked like a beautiful work of art.

 

This morning on a Bel Marin Keyes excursion.

 

Accentuate the Negative

Any of you out there old enough to remember the song "Accentuate the Negative, eliminate the Positive" (sung by Bing Crosby and Bette Midler)?

 

Anyhow, I saw a solo duck this morning (see attachment) and it was not a Mallard, not a Northern Shoveler, and not an American Wigeon. In this time of hybrids, that's what it probably was.

 

Chris

Bob T. and I have a new friend. His name is Chris and he is a Canada Goose. A member of the species that people love to hate. He lives at the LGVSD Ponds, completely separate from hundreds of his brethren and sistren (yes, sistren). Today was the third time that I have seen Chris. He was hungrily feeding on grass, but stopped long enough to approach us and pass the time of day. We named him Chris, short for Christopher, because Bob thought he should be named after an explorer. The question is "what gives here"? Could Chris be a reincarnate? Look at his portrait ~ doesn't he look intelligent? Doesn't he look as if he had much to say?

 

Crows

Crows in the Novato COSTCO parking lot today.

 

Self-Portrait

 Self-portrait

Staging by Your's Troo-Lee. Boots by Hi-Tec. Trousers by Banana Republic. Makeup by Fifi of Paris. Lighting by Ava La Belle. 

 

I beg for your indulgence. In and of itself, this is a humdrum picture of Mount Tamalpais. So let me explain.

 

I've lived in my apartment for about seven years. This year, for the first time, a combination of rented goats, devouring every leaf within reach in the summer, and winter weather shedding what was left, resulted in a clearing that revealed the fire-lookout from my favorite perch in the kitchen.

 

I am so thrilled that I will take up permanent residence in the kitchen.

 

Humdrum

I beg for your indulgence. In and of itself, this is a humdrum picture of Mount Tamalpais. So let me explain.

 

I've lived in my apartment for about seven years. This year, for the first time, a combination of rented goats, devouring every leaf within reach in the summer, and winter weather shedding what was left, resulted in a clearing that revealed the fire-lookout from my favorite perch in the kitchen.

 

I am so thrilled that I will take up permanent residence in the kitchen.

Spanish Moss

There is a slight possibility that this picture will not win any awards, but have you ever tried to photograph Spanish Moss? For some unexplainable reason, it is not easy. Here's my best effort, taken at Point Reyes a couple of days ago.

 

Spanish Moss is neither Spanish, nor is it moss. It goes by many different names ~ Grandfather's Gray Beard being one of the more popular ones.

 

Native Americans had many uses for it. It does not harm the trees it grows from, except for the very minor effect of its shade.

If I have aroused your curiosity, you may now go to Google.

 

L O V E

I just can't wait for Valentine's Day, still 34 days away! And that must explain why, yesterday, the display at Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station immediately caught my eye. I am ready!

 

Toby's Feed Barn

Oranges for sale at Toby's Feed Barn in Point Reyes Station. I liked the way the oranges commanded the eye's attention.

 

Hmmm?

Hmmm?

Waiting for Breakfast to Appear

Hawk, probably a Red-Tail, waiting for breakfast to appear. Note that the hawk is sitting on a bird box! This morning at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma. What a treat!

 

More Graffiti

Here's another example of graffiti on one of the water-tanks on the Glenn Fire Road.

 

Stairs

With a weakness for stairs, and a weakness for shadows, my heart skipped a beat when I spied the steps leading up to the top of one of the water towers on the Glenn Fire Road. And here 'tis.

 

Graffiti

This morning Bob H and I walked up the Glenn Fire Road in Fairfax. There we admired two huge water-tanks, adorned with graffiti. One of the pieces showed a trumpet-player. I had seen him before I believe, in "Exit Through the Gift Shop", the 2010 film by, and about, England-based graffiti-artist Banksy. To be correct, this work is not really graffiti, but rather a stencil.

 

Afraid that the musician would lose his balance while I took my picture, I asked Bob to support him.

 

Convoluted story, huh?

 

# end

This Morning

One of those beautiful moments when I come upon a perfect setting. I become one with my camera and there is nothing else. I wish I was able to compose a Haiku.

 

This morning at about 8:15 in Point Reyes.

 

A Happening

American Avocets coming in for a mass landing. The performance took place this morning at Radio Road in Redwood City.

 

Happy New Year!