Blue Heron, Gone Fishing

 

"Creativity is the Blue Heron inside us waiting to fly;

 through her imagination all things become possible."

 

~Nadia Janice Brown

 

 Meet the second bird in my series of posts about the gorgeous birds of 2022, the Great Blue Heron. I have seen a lot of them so far this year, which is in contrast to last year when I only saw perhaps 4 or 5. It's nice to see that their numbers have increased here in the valley. Great Egrets seemed to be increasing in numbers as well. I have no idea what that means for the upcoming Pacific Flyway for this year, but it will be fascinating to watch!

 

 

~Me

September 3rd 2022

 

105 To 87

 

"The month of August had turned into a griddle

 where the days just lay there and sizzled."

 

~Sue Monk Kidd

 The Secret Life Of Bees 

 

August sizzled, with many days hovering around 100 degrees, and now September is beginning around the same. I hate the summer, and never bought into the "fun in the sun" nonsense. Do I like the beach? Absolutely! I LOVE the beach, but I love the beach in May and October, otherwise it can be beautiful for other reasons, like winter sunsets and photographing incoming storms. Photographing lightning coming off the Pacific ocean can be beautiful and challenging. I tried it many times when I lived in the Bay Area, but as I was discussing in my last post, the delta is drying up, so those opportunities are not presenting themselves as before. Is there any good news on the horizon? Yes! As with most Septembers, autumn will be shoving summer out on it's treacherous ass (see my favorite quote by Stephen King) soon! The projected forecast for 10 days from now is a high of 87 degrees! Hope is on the way! I love autumn!

~Me

September 1st 2022

 

 

Cobbler Crust

 

"It looked like the world was covered

 in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon."

 

~Sarah Addison

First Frost

 

I know I push autumn to start early every year, but as I looked around at the YOLO Bypass Wildlife refuge yesterday, it really seemed that autumn had crossed the seasonal threshold sooner than usual. Not that I am complaining, mind you, I was simply pleasantly surprised. I always enjoy the arrival of my favorite season, but global warming has me terrified, and I know that what I saw yesterday was not a matter of the seasons having a bit of rivalry, but rather a matter of the earth saying "fuck you humans, you're causing my early demise, so here is a visual." Yolo was dry, and devoid of plants and birds. I only noticed one dragonfly, and I was there for over four hours! Everything is changing, rapidly, in the valley. My usual go-tos for birding opportunities along the delta were all dried up early this year. It's not going to take long before California won't be California anymore. 

 That all being said, we had a good time visiting the refuge. There were some lovely residents still keeping a watchful eye until their friends return. The Pacific Flyway returns in about a month, and hopefully we will see some natural correction in the weather soon too.

 

~Me

August 30th, 2022

 

 

 

European Starling

 

"On the single strand of wire strung, to bring our house electricity, grackles and starlings punctuated an invisible sentence."

 

~John Updike

 

Yesterday, while traveling along Woodbridge road, I spotted what I thought was a new bird, well, a new bird for me anyway, but as it turns out it was simply the juvenile phase of the European Starling. Birds are so interesting. I love learning about them, and seeing their different patterns. The Starlings are a particular favorite of mine. I can't wait for winter when they will be back in great numbers. I love watching them fly together in their strange and beautiful smoky sky dance. It's downright magical. 

 

~Me

August 28th 2022