Some Photos from the Alabama Hills in Eastern California

A photograph of the Alabama Hills in Eastern California at sunset.  The foreground of the photo is a desert landscape with clumps of green foliage on gray-brown and white sand. To the left side is a large mass of brown boulders of irregular shape. There are more boulders, foliage, and gray-brown soil to the right of the boulders. The middle ground is the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In this picture they appear blue with white snow. One of the peaks on the left and two on the right are gold, highlighted by the sun. The sky is light blue. A large portion of the sky is highlighted by thin clouds that are creamy gold colored, caused by the reflection of the sun.
An Atypical Sunset ;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.

A photograph of a portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains at sunrise from the desert valley of the Alabama Hills of Eastern California.  The foreground is the desert landscape of the valley. It is mostly clumps of green foliage on tan soil. It is strewn with gray boulders. On the right, set further back, is a steep slope of brown boulders. The middle ground is the snow-capped mountains. At their base is the dark brown alluvium eroded from the mountains which is dotted with dark spots of foliage. Rising, the mountains are mostly blue, mottled by white snow. The peaks are a red orange, mottled with snow. This color is the Alpen glow as the rising sun paints the top of the peaks. The upper section of the image is the blue sky.
Sunrise in The Alabama Hills;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023
A photograph of a portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at sunrise, from the desert valley of the Alabama Hills of Eastern California.  The foreground is the desert landscape of the valley. It is mostly clumps of green foliage on tan soil. The left two thirds of the foreground are brown clumps of irregular boulders tapering to the ground on their right side. To their right of the boulders is a slope of brown boulders with soil at its base. The middle ground is the snow-capped mountains. Their base is dark brown, mottled with snow and some nearly indistinguishable dark clumps of foliage. The peaks are a red orange, mottled with snow. This color is the Alpen glow as the rising sun paints the top of the peaks. The upper section of the image is the blue sky.
Sunrise in The Alabama Hills;
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Lone Pine, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Mono Lake – A Winter View

A photograph of Mono Lake with four snow covered volcano craters directly across the lake and a ring of snow-covered mountains further in the background. At the bottom of the image is a snow-covered band of land bordering on the near side of the lake. Because of shading, the snow has a blue tint. There is a line of trees, dark in color, stretching from left to right across the land. From this perspective, the trees are very small. Beyond the land is Mono Lake. Most of the lake has a bluish, satiny sheen from ice covering it. But there are some more reflective areas where the water is not frozen. The volcanic craters are on the large hill across the lake. The craters are the four distinct hillocks on the top. The hill is mostly snow covered but mottled with brown from the dirt and vegetation where the snow is melted. In the far background, on the left is a brown colored mountain ridge with snow covering its right flank.  In the background is a series of snow-covered peaks. Above the mountains in is a soft aqua colored sky with some dark clouds on the right side.
Mono Lake Early in the Golden Hour;
Mono Lake Vista Point, Lee Vining, California, USA; APR 2023

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

A photograph of Mono Lake featuring an island in the mid-ground area and surrounded by snow covered mountains. The bottom 1/3 of the picture is snow-covered land along the shore of the lake. The snow has a bluish tint due to being shaded. The background is lake shore and hillocks. The hillocks are mostly snow covered, mottled by the tan colored dirt where the snow has melted. The far background is snow-covered mountain peaks. There is a gray cloud in the blue sky. The lake is in the middle. It is predominantly light blue where the lake is frozen and a darker blue where it is not ice covered. In the middle of the lake are two large islands. They appear connected from this perspective. Negit Island, the smaller one is on the left side of the islands. It is mostly dark colored mottled with some snow. It has a small crater on its right side. Pahoa Island behind Negit and is considerably larger. It is mostly tan colored mottled with white snow.
Mono Lake Early in the Golden Hour;
Mono Lake Vista Point, Lee Vining, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

A Few Birds from Our Recent Trip

Photo of an adult and a juvenile Great Horned Owl at the opening of its hillside nesting cave. The hillside is a sedimentary mix of mud and ovoid river rocks. The background color isa sandy beige. The rocks are a mix of grays and browns. In the lower right corner is green foliage with yellow flowers – California Golden Poppies. There is some other green foliage dotting the hillside. The 2 owls are standing side by side at the entrance to their cave. The adult is the larger bird standing on the left, the juvenile is the small gray bird with gay beak standing on the right. Both birds are facing front with their head bent down, partially obscuring their eyes. The adult’s breast is mostly white, but orange in some areas, all with gray horizontal stripes. The top of the adult’s head is triangular patch with the point at the top of the beak. The patch is gray, outlined by a white stripe and further by a gray stripe. Its face is gray, outlined by a black stripe that makes it almost heart shaped. Its beak is gray.
Nimbus Fish Hatchery,
American River Parkway, Rancho Cordova, California, USA; APR 2023

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Photo of a Snowy Egret perched on a fallen tree in a pond. The fallen tree is two large main branches projecting from the water in the lower left of the picture. They project upward, across the picture toward the right at about a 30-degree angle.  There are supporting branches on each of the main branches that project back into the water in the lower right quarter of the picture. The branches are dark gray, streaked with light gray on the top by the sunlight.  The water is green in the lower third of the picture then changing to a greenish gray as it progresses to the opposite side of the pond. The bird is in the upper right quadrant of the picture. It is bright white with a black beak, black legs and yellow feet. Its eye is a small black dot where the beak meets the head. There is a small yellow patch on the end of the beak at the eye. There are many smaller branches in the water around the fallen tree. The river bank on the opposite site is out of focus river rocks capped with out of focus brush.
Snowy Egret;
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023
Photo of a Snowy Egret perched on a fallen tree in a pond. The fallen tree appears as several medium gray to light gray, twisted, large branches. They appear to project from the lower right corner of the picture, curving upward; one into the middle, the other to left side. The bird is perched on one leg, on one of the branches, in the middle, vertically and one third of the way from the right side of the picture. The bird is white. It has a black beak and leg with a yellow foot. Its feathers are fluffed from the wind. Its eye is a tiny black dot at the base of the beak. There is a yellow patch on the base of the beak and around the eye. The background is the pond. The water is green in the lower third of the picture. It is mostly blue with greenish brown streaks in the rest of the picture.
Snowy Egret;
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; MAR 2023
Photo of a Black Oystercatcher standing on a rock along the water’s edge.  On the left side of the image is a triangular shaped, granular looking rock, sandy brown on type grading to dark gray.  Across the bottom of the image, is a flat-topped rock which is light beige on the left and golden brown on the right. The water in the background is blue with some brown, shimmering rocks just below the water’s surface. The bird is standing upright atop the flat top rock, facing left. The bird has a black body, pink legs and a red beak. The bird is holding its prey, a black circular object, likely a shellfish, in its beak. Its eye is yellow with a red ring around it.
Black Oystercatcher;
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California, USA; APR 2023
Photo of a Black Oystercatcher on a rock along the water’s edge. Across the bottom of the image, is a flat-topped rock which is light beige on the left and golden brown on the right. The water in the background is blue with some brown, shimmering rocks just below the water’s surface. The bird is standing hunched over, atop the flat top rock, facing left. The bird has a black body, pink legs and a red beak. The bird is holding its prey, a cream-colored circular object, likely a shellfish, in its beak. The shell from its prey sets just below the beak on the rock. Its eye is yellow with a red ring around it.
Black Oystercatcher;
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, California, USA; APR 2023
Photo of a Canada Goose on its nest which is on a hillside. The hill side is a dark, sandy beige color. The upper third is rock, the lower two thirds is dried mud. The dried mud is dotted with green foliage and yellow flowers. The bird has a black head, neck and bill. There is a small white patch on the right side of its head. Its breast and under parts are white. Its wing feathers are brown. The wing feathers are folded and extend to the length of its body making a “V” between the wings and underbody.
Canada Goose on Nest;
Nimbus Fish Hatchery, American River Parkway, Rancho Cordova, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Sequoioideae

Photograph of the lower portion of giant sequoia and pine trees.  The pines are the two trees on the right side. The trunks of the giant sequoia are reddish-brown. The trunks of the pine are also reddish-brown but lighter in color. The ground is flat but with a slope sweeping right up a hillside. It is covered in white snow striped by gray shadows. Between the trees are their branches with their green coniferous leaves. Behind the trees is a background of green forest.
Giant Sequoia and Pine in Early Spring;
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Arnold, California, USA; APR 2023

In our recent visit to California, we stopped at Muir Woods National Monument and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Both of these places are homes to giant redwood trees. Muir Woods is home to Coastal (AKA California) Redwoods; the species that is the tallest trees in the world, some reaching nearly 400 feet tall. Calaveras Big Trees is home to a large grove of the Giant Sequoia, the biggest trees, in bulk, in the world. The largest in the grove has a diameter of 30 feet. They are wonderful to behold.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

Photograph of a small segment of a creek. The water is pale grey-green capped with streaks of white foam. The lower part of the image is in shadow and is dark. Across the river are yellow-green moss-covered trees and rocks.  In the upper left corner, the tree is standing and leans to the left. In the upper right corner, the tree has fallen across the creek. Between the trees are gray rocks that are partially moss covered as well as some green ferns. The upper edge of the image is scattered brown forest debris.
Early Morning on Redwood Creek;
Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California, USA; APR 2023
Early Morning on Redwood Creek;
Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California, USA; APR 2023
Photograph of four giant Sequoia trees surrounded by snow and a moat of meltwater.  The reddish-brown trunk of one tree dominates the left side of the image. Following along the bottom of the image is the snow-covered ground. Above the snow is the meltwater moat. It is dark and reflects some of the snow. Above the moat is a group of three, dark reddish-brown, giant sequoia tree trunks with a pile of snow at their base. To the right side of the image are gray tree trunks. The background of the image is the green of the forest beyond and some blue sky.
Giant Sequoia in Snow;
This day, they are surrounded by a moat of meltwater.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Arnold, California, USA; APR 2023
Snowmelt Stream Meandering Through the Giant Sequoia;
Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Arnold, California, USA; APR 2023
Photograph of the lower portion of two coastal redwood trees, both dark reddish-brown. Between the trees is a background of pale green foliage covered  hillside receding upwards with more reddish-brown redwood tree trunks. In the foreground, at the base of the trees, are sprouts from the tree on the left. They are the green foliage sprouting from brown foliage.
New Coastal Redwood Sprouts around the Mother Tree;
Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California, USA; APR 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Riparian Landscapes

Image of a forest alongside the boulder strewn Chattahoochee River, under a blue sky. The forest is primarily spring green with darker green trees in the background. The river is darker brown-green in the lower left transitioning to blue then to some silvery reflections from the ripples on the right. The boulders are irregular dark gray mounds in the river.
Early Spring Morning Along the Chattahoochee;
Cochran Shoals, Chattahoochee NRA, Marietta, Georgia, USA; MAR 2023;


Two landscapes; one from this week and one from last October.

Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.


Image of a waterfall in Autumn. The waterfall is white, broken by some green. The white river projects from the bottom of the water fall, widening to the bottom of the frame. The boulders along and inside the river are light gray and strewn with golden brown and yellow leaves as well as some green moss. There is green foliage along the side of the river and some green, red and orange foliage above and to the back of the waterfall.
Yellow Creek Falls Tail,
US Route 129, Robbinsville, North Carolina, USA; OCT 2022

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

 

Birds of Merritt Island – Part 1

An image of a Blue Jay perched on a brown fence that is adorned by white bird droppings. The bird has a white face, breast, and belly with a black stripe above the beak, through the eye that continues diagonally down along the neck.  Its cap, back of neck and wings are light blue. The wing has a white wing bar. The beak and legs are dark gray. The eye is black.
Blue Jay;
Hobe Sound, Florida, USA; FEB 2023

A few weeks ago, we visited Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, Florida, USA. We saw fewer species than we have seen during other visits. But we did see some of our favorites.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.

Image of a pair of Common Gallinules on a pond. The background is water colored mostly brownish green. At the top of the frame, the water has jagged stripes of white, gray and brown. The birds have a gray cap, neck, and breast. Its tail feathers form a triangle at the back of the bird. It is predominantly white with a black stripe at its top and bottom. Its wings are brown with a white stripe at its base. It has a black eye patch.  The beak is red orange with a yellow tip.
Common Gallinule, aka Common Moorhen;
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA; FEB 2023

An image of a female belted kingfisher on a tree branch. The background is blue sky. At the bottom of the frame is the somewhat blurry green tree to. The tree branch is gray and is adorned with a gray, spaghetti like bindle of sticks. The bird has a dark gray head and black eye. At the base of the head, is a white neck ring. The beak is long and pointed; its color is dark gray. Its neck and belly are white and is bisected with a rusty orange stripe. Its wings are dark blue gray.
Female Belted Kingfisher;
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA; FEB 2023
A pair of Pied-billed Grebes floating on the water. The golden-brown pond water is the background. The head, neck and area below the feathers is light brown. The cap on its head and its back is gray. Is tail is the white tuft on the back of the bird. There is a white patch behind the beak, The beak is brown on type, white on the bottom with a black stripe circling it. Its eye is brown.
Pied-billed Grebe;
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA; FEB 2023
An image of a Red-winged blackbird sitting atop a shrub with leaves. The background is green with a light gray stripe, caused by the water, at the bottom. The shrub’s leaves are green, highlighted with yellow. The bird is all black. It has a patch of red feathers at the top of its wings. The patch has a yellow border at the bottom. The beak is gray, and the eye is black.
Red-winged Blackbird;
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, USA; FEB 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

 

Lovely Avian Ladies

Female Northern Cardinal perched on a small, gray, tree branch protruding from another branch. The background is a medium gray. The bird has predominantly golden-brown body with a red crest. The wings are a medium-dark gray with red stripes. There is a black patch above the beak, around the eye and on its neck. The eye is black. The beak is red. Its legs are gray with a faint reddish cast.
Female Northern Cardinal;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; DEC 2022

I was taught that male birds were bright and beautiful while female birds were dull and drab. They were made that way so that the males could distract predators from the nest. I wasn’t taught so well. In some birds, the male and female look alike. In others, even though the female is drabber, she is absolutely beautiful in her own right. Here are a few examples.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

A female Eastern Towhee perched on a tree branch against a background of green leaves and brown twigs. The bird has a gray head, back and tail, a white belly and orange between the wings and belly The eye and beak are black.
Female Eastern Towhee;
Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary. Asheville. North Carolina, USA
Female Eastern Bluebird perched on a medium gray tree branch. The background is dark with a few medium gray twigs interspersed. The bird has a gray head and neck. The primary feathers on its wings and tail feathers are blue. Its other feathers are black with white wing bars. Its neck and breast are orange, and its underparts are white. Its eye, beak and legs are black.
Female Eastern Bluebird;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; DEC 2021
Female Common Merganser, a species of duck, perched on what appears to be a section of a fallen tree that appears black. The background is blue and gray water with somewhat out of focus branches protruding above the surface and behind the bird’s head.  The bird has a yellowish-white breast, white neck and white underparts. It has a gray upper body and tail feathers. The wings are gray with a black and white patch. Its head is a dark reddish-brown with a white patch behind the lower side of the bill. It has a black eye and a red bill. Its legs and feet are orange.
Female Common Merganser;
Arboretum Waterfront Park, Seattle, Washington, USA; JAN 2023

Female Hooded Merganser, a species of duck floating on the water. The background and foreground is water in stripes of white, gray, blue and gold. The bird has a gray body and head. It has a brown crest, or hod, atop its head. The wings are dark gray with a small white patch. Its eye is a dull golden color. Its beak is black and is surrounded by a small white patch.
Female Hooded Merganser;
Arboretum Waterfront Park, Seattle, Washington, USA; JAN 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

 

Birds Going About Their Daily Lives

Red-shouldered hawk perched, leaning over while eating prey, on a gray tree branch. The background is green leaves. The bird’s head and legs are a rusty orange color. The wings are dark gray with white spots. It has a rusty orange colored patch on its wings at the shoulder. It has white stripes on its under parts. Its beak is yellow with a back tip and its legs are yellow. If you look closely, it has a stringy piece of its pray in its beak.
Red-shouldered Hawk;
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, California, USA; APR 2021


Assortment of birds going about living their daily lives.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution!

A Tufted Titmouse in flight with its wings spread viewed from its underside. The background is a blurred light colored tree trunk and blue sky. The bird is gray with black beak, eye and stripe above its beak. Its underparts are a mid to dark gray. Its tail feathers are dark gray. Its wings are translucent through gray. Its legs are black.
Tufted Titmouse in Flight; Island Ford;
Chattahoochee NRA, Roswell, Georgia, USA; JAN 2023


A Tufted Titmouse perched on a tree branch with a seed in its beak. The background is a gray tree trunk with a stripe of blue sky. The foreground has a small, gray, tree branch. The bird has a gray crest, neck, back and wings. It has a gray-white patch around its eye, breast and under parts. Its eye and beak are black. It has a black stripe above its beak.
Tufted Titmouse;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; DEC 2022
A male Eastern Bluebird perched on a tree trunk at a circular hole that is a potential nesting cavity. The background is the gray tree trunk. The bird has a blue head, neck wings and tail feathers, the wings have a black patch with white stripes. Its eyes and beak are black with a gray patch on its neck.
Male Eastern Bluebird at Potential Nest Cavity;
Roswell, Georgia, USA; DEC 2022

American Crow;
Arboretum Waterfront Park, Seattle, Washington, USA; JAN 2023

Please visit my website, www.earthwatcher.us to see my collection of landscapes and wildlife.

These and other images are available to purchase by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

If anyone would like a copy of almost any picture in my library, for educational or research use, please contact me and I will happily share a digital copy with you.

Happy New Years

Image of the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains bathed in the orange-red of the alpen glow, Picture taken from the crest of the White-Inyo Mountains.
Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California, USA; OCT 2012

I hope that 2023 looks as bright and promising as a morning sunrise.

An Owl’s Story

Photograph of a Spotted Owl perched on the branch of a Coastal Redwood Tree in Northern California. The owl has very light gray breast. The remainder is gray with white spots on its back and some white spots on its head.
Spotted Owl on Coastal Redwood
Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County, California, USA; SEP 2013

I’m sharing these pictures because of an interesting relationship.  

I took the image of the Spotted Owl about 9 years ago. I believe it is especially poignant because the owl is on a Coastal Redwood.

This Owl was placed on the endangered species act in 1990 because of habitat loss. It lives in old growth forests like the coastal redwoods of California and Oregon. It sparked a battle between conservationists and the US Government against Loggers who wanted the right to log old growth forests. The Spotted Owl and its habitat won the battle. However, the Spotted Owl may be losing the battle; its numbers have not grown since it was placed on the endangered species list. One possible culprit is the Barred Owl; is encroaching on the Spotted Owl’s habitat and driving it out.

Notice how similarly they look.

Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.

Photograph of a Barred Owl perched on a tree branch with green and gold leaves in the background. The owl has a very light gray breast with some darker gray feathers intermixed. It has a band of feathers between its head and branch that give the appearance of wearing a dark gray and light gray stipes.
Barred Owl
Big Creek Greenway, Alpharetta, Georgia, USA; OCT 2022