I was getting concerned that my free WordPress site was displaying ads that might not fit the philosophies I try to live by or the image I want for page. So, I am moving to a paid plan that will eliminate the ads.
The content of my blogs will not change, only the presentation format.
I am inviting all of you who now follow me on earthwatcherphoto.wordpress.com to begin following me at earthwatcher.photo.blog.
Thanks you for following me
Regards,
Larry.
On our recent trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada, we watched a quiet and beautiful sunrise over Pyramid Mountain and Pyramid Lake near Jasper, Alberta, Canada.
On this morning we had an almost perfectly clear, blue sky. The alpen glow on Pyramid Mountain made it glow in gold, orange and red. A large portion of the evergreen forest at its base was colored a rusty red; sad and unfortunate damage caused by the mountain pine beetle. But it added depth and color.
Looking across Pyramid Lake in another direction, we saw a row of snow-capped mountains, also glowing in the sun.
The lake itself was a deep emerald green from the glacial meltwater and the positioning of the early morning sun. The reflections off the water were deep and mystical.
I tried my best to capture moment. Please kick back and try to imagine yourself there. Visit it sometime; it is well worth the visit.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution:
These and other images are available to purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting: larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
My wife and I just completed a road trip that took us through several national parks in the US and Canada. The trip focused on the northern Rocky Mountains. There was a lot to see and to photograph so it will provide many posts in the weeks ahead.
Today, I’m starting with two of my favorite animals; bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Though we found signs warning of bighorn sheep in many places we only found them in Yellowstone along with a small flock in an impossible place to photograph at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. We saw the mountain goats in Glacier National Park, MT as well as Banff National Park. Interestingly, we found the mountain goats near “goat lick” areas; areas of clay soil with high concentrations of minerals necessary to their health.
It was a real treat for us to see them. I hope you enjoy them also.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
These and other images are available for purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
Twenty Nineteen is the third season a pair of Bald Eagles has nested on a bluff above Lake Natomas near Orangevale, CA. This year, as well as the last 2 years, this pair of eagles has produced 2 offspring. According to the volunteers that monitor the nest, the eggs were laid in late February and they hatched approximately March 26. One baby hatched 3 days before the other. This year, I decided to visit the nest weekly and post a set of images showing them as they grow. It’s been a great experience because I got to know some people who have been observing eagles for a long time. They were very happy to share their knowledge with me.
My first visit was MAR 31. On that visit, all I was able to see was a tiny patch of down just above the nest edge. At week 2, I could see a head. Although, it looked more like the stereotypical gray space alien with its long head and neck. By week 3, the yellow down had been replaced by a gray down that will remain as an underlayment for feathers throughout life. From week 3 to week 4, the eaglets had grown substantially. One image shows some sibling rivalry. At week 5, feathers are emerging. On the image, you can see the pin feathers on the wing. By week 7, the feathers had filled in substantially, but the flight feathers aren’t developed enough to support flight.
Mother and father eagle feed the oldest eaglet first and do so until it is full because if it is not satiated, it will kill the younger one. But, when they feed the younger one, they make sure it gets food by preventing the older one from stealing it.
The babies will fledge by mid-June. By the end of June, the babies will reach adult size. They will not fully mature for 2 – 5 years. It takes about 3 years to get their distinctive adult plumage. Mom and dad will leave the nest about July and leave the babies to fend for themselves. They will return about November to prepare the nest for next year. When they do, the babies will be invited to leave and told never to come back.
I will try to follow-up with some more images as the summer progresses.
A Trip to Joshua Tree National Park
On a recent road trip, we spent a day at Joshua Tree National Park near Twentynine Palms, CA. The trip was, in part, motivated by a chance to photograph the Milky Way over the park. It was our first trip to Joshua Tree NP and we really did not know what to expect other than it was a desert landscape with Joshua Trees. It was indeed a desert landscape typical of the American Southwest. It has beautiful eroding, rolling hills covered by talus – piles of rocks eroded from the hillside. There were large, weathered boulders throughout the park that people used for climbing. We learned that it is a very popular rock-climbing location.
The desert was in bloom with ocotillo, cholla, desert senna, Mojave mound cactus and many other plants. But, the signature plant of the park is the Joshua Tree. The Joshua tree is a large tree like plant with hard spiky leaves. Despite looking like both a tree and a cactus, it is neither. It is a plant in the Yucca family (Yucca brevifolia). The oldest one in the park is about 350 years old. Because it is not a tree, it doesn’t have the woody structure to bear all of its weight, so, when branches get to big, they bend and fall to the ground. We missed seeing them in bloom on this trip, but they were developing their seed pods. I like them so much; I’d like to have one in my backyard but they only grow in the Mojave Desert between 4,000 and 5,000 feet in altitude.
Our night sky photo shoot was spectacular. The Milky Way didn’t rise until after midnight. It was a pleasantly warm evening and we had to scramble over some boulders, in the dark, to get to a ledge on another large boulder. That location was picked because The Arch was directly in front of us and our goal was to shoot the Milky Way over The Arch. I hadn’t done a night sky shoot in a very long time, so it was great to knock the rust off my skills. The only disappointment in the shoot was light pollution. When you look at the Milky Way image, you’ll see the sky has a greenish cast along the horizon. That cast is the light rom the Palm Springs and Indio areas of Southern California. Indio is 25 miles from the park.
I want to give a shout out to Casey Kiernan of Joshua Tree Workshops for guiding us in a great night sky workshop and fun time.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
These and other images are available to purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
Images of several birds I’ve seen over the past 2 months.
Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
These and other images are available to purchase at my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
Burrowing Owls are interesting little creatures. Unlike most owls, these 8”-10” owls forage during the day and they live in burrows in the ground that were abandoned by ground squirrels, prairie dogs and the like. They spend most of their time on the ground or on low perches. They eat insects and small animals. I’ve even red that they will carry dung near the burrows to attract insects.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
These and other images are available for purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
Swallows are those little birds we see with their distinctive back swept, pointed wings and their forked “swallow tail”. They maneuver through the sky at high speed, in a seemingly erratic pattern, catching and eating insects in flight. They will also eat mollusks, spiders and sometimes fruit.
In the spring, along the American River, in the Sacramento area, I commonly see two types of swallows: Tree Swallows and Cliff Swallows. When I am lucky, I’ll see a Bank Swallow. I have been told we also have Violet-green Swallows but I haven’t seen any.
The most common swallow that I see is the Tree Swallow. They are called Tree Swallows because the nest in cavities in trees. It is a beautiful iridescent blue on its head and back, white on its breast and underside and blackish color on wings and tail. These birds live along the gulf coast, southern Mexico and Central America in the winter and move north throughout the US in summer.
The Cliff Swallow is a multi-colored bird with off-white underside, gray-brown wings, blue-gray back and head cap and a brown-red neck. They are quire beautiful. They make nests of mud that appear precariously perched on a cliff face. They also build nest in man-made structures like bridges and buildings. They are very social; many birds build nests near one another and hunt together. They also live along the gulf coast, southern Mexico and Central America in the winter and move north throughout the US in summer.
The bank swallow is a bird with different names in different parts of the world. In Europe, it is the Sand Martin while on the Indian subcontinent it is called the collard sand martin. They make a nest, lined with straw or feathers, in a hole they burrow into sand or gravel. They have mostly white underparts but have a gray back, wings and head. They will sometimes have a prominent grey collar at the base of their neck. They winter across they southern 1/3 of the US in winter then migrate north in the summer.
Here are some images of these beautiful swallows.
Please click on caption to see these images in higher resolution.
These and other images are available for purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
In our area, we have a few rookeries; communal nesting areas for herons, egrets and cormorants. There are other birds that nest in rookeries but I am not aware of any I our area.
Rookeries are interesting. The two I see most often are in a small cluster of tall trees along side of a river. The birds nest high above the ground. Each bird tends to their own nest. But the colonies can contain two dozen or more nests. The herons, egrets and cormorants will even nest in the same tree. Many believe protection drives their desire to nest communally. More roommates make it easier to spot and chase away predators.
I visited both rookeries last week and it appears to me that the birds are sitting on eggs. If I am right, we should have babies soon. So, I’ll keep checking back and when I can, post pictures. I can’t get close to the nets; I am about 75 yards away. So, I won’t be able to photograph the chicks until they are big enough to pop their heads above the sides of the nest.
Here are a few rookery images. Take note of the male Double-crested Cormorant. He is displaying his orange patch and the crest of feathers on his head. For me, its rare to see the crests displayed.
Here are images of a some animals that I’ve taken over the last few weeks; the Coyote, the Black-tailed Jackrabbit and the California Ground Squirrel.
Take notice of the coyote. His eyes face front. That is a trait of predators. The ground squirrel and the jackrabbit need to keep their eyes open for predators while they forage, so their eyes are on the side. Remember the adage: “Eyes in the front, the animal hunts. Eyes on the side, the animal hides.”
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
These and other images are available to purchase on my website: www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.
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