Green-winged Teal

 

"Birds were created to record everything. They were not designed just to be beautiful jewels in the sky, but to serve as the eyes of heaven."

 

~Suzy Kassem

Rise Up and Salute The Sun: The Writings Of Suzy Kassem

 

Click To Enlarge
 

I was delighted to see a fairly large paddling of ducks at the Cosumnes River, the other day, and not just any duck, it was the small, yet mighty, Green-winged Teal. I had seen some in the waters off Desmond road, but at the Cosumnes River visitor's Center, I was able to walk right up to the waters edge. The Teal were being quite accommodating, in fact they were perfect little models! I wish all birds were that easy to photograph. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Bullock's Oriole are probably the most difficult for me to photograph, both are even more difficult than the Cedar Waxwings, which have given me more than one headache while trying to get a photo. With the waxwings, it's the difficulty of getting a photo of the bird with it's wing and tail tips featured. It is universally believed that waxwings hide those special markings on purpose.LOL. They don't, of course, but it does seem at times that birds have a plot to make the photographer work as hard as possible to archive a photo good enough to enter the Audubon photo contest. I am not sure if I have ever gotten a photo good enough to win, but I might try to enter the contest next year anyway, just for the experience of it. Shrug. We'll see. Right now, I am just focused on Christmas, and New Year's, although, birds are always a welcome distraction.

 

 

 Tomorrow... the Cedar Waxwings

~Me

 

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #44

 

"If of all the seasons, there is a season in which a person completely forgets himself and constantly watches the magical environment, it is undoubtedly autumn!"

 

~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

 

This is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I looked most of last year, and a fair amount of this year, for this tiny creature, and then finally gave up thinking it was nothing more than an urban legend. LOL. Then yesterday, dear hubby caught a glimpse of it when it buzzed right at him, practically giving him a kiss, while he was sitting in the car at Cull Canyon Park. I was off photographing leaves, and as I returned to the car, I saw this gorgeous little bird, about the size of a hummingbird hanging around, buzzing really fast around my car. Isn't that always the way? And I left home without my SD card for my camera, and when I finally did find one in my purse, I snapped it into my camera and the camera broke! Yesterday was quite the adventure! But I finally have a Ruby-crowned Kinglet for my file, and with that bird I am at 122 for the year, with about 7 weeks left. What will my final number be? I don't know, but I do know I am going to see a lot of beauty between then and now, and hubby and I will help each other get there. Life is pretty good.

 

A Tale Of Two Roads And #11

 "September days have the warmth of summer in their hours, but in their lengthening evening a prophetic breath of autumn."

~Rowland E. Robinson

 

Desmond road

Galt, California

Spring, 2022
 

I speak a lot about Desmond road, and the Woodbridge Wildlife Preserve in, Lodi, California, so I thought it would be nice to give them their own post. I have enjoyed them very much this year! I saw, and photographed, my first bald eagle on Desmond road, last spring, and another moment I will never forget was seeing was a small flock of Sandhill Cranes flying in circle over my car on Woodbridge road, on the very day they returned to Lodi. It was so soul stirring I think I aged backwards at least two years! Birding has been good for me, I hope I can see all the birds on my list this year, but it's okay if it takes me ten years to find them, because it will always be the ones you didn't count on being there, that fill those little parts of my heart that needs healing the most. That's the way it is with bird watching. It's kinda like a treasure hunt. Even if there are no birds to be found, there is always a beautiful pier, park, forest, or just a gorgeous road, in the middle of nowhere, that's discovered along the way, and if you are lucky, you just might see a bald eagle, or a Sandhill Crane!

 

Desmomd road

Galt, California

September 2022

 Woodbridge road

September 2022

Woodbridge road

September 2022

 

And...

 

 

 

 ~Me

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

 

It Is Said That...

 "It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before your eyes. That is true, it's called life."

 

Terry Pratchett

The Last Continent

 

Okay, here is yet another new post, I am making progress. And a new photo as well. Well, actually it's a new photo in the sense that it was never posted previously. And, in continuing with the theme of "new", I am writing this post from a band new computer. My old computer was damaged last summer from a sudden power surge that blew through the house. How? Well, it was all tied to the move so I am going to just not discuss it. It is all in the past. I am trying really hard to just pick up the pieces from it and Covid. Life can't swing back upwards if I don't. 

 

Anyway, the new computer is awesome.

 It's an HP Pavilion desktop, TP01-2xxx. It's specs are as follows...

 

AMD Ryzen 5700G w/Radeon Graphics GFz

RAM: 16.0 GB

64-bit operating system, 64-based processor

Windows 11 installed. 

 

Windows 11... blech! I would rather have Windows 10 back, but lets be honest, that's just because I was so familiar with how it worked. Windows 11 has a lot of new features, and the interface is completely different. In my opinion, it's just not as attractive as previous Windows systems, but that's not everything I suppose. Anyway, we purchased a separate drive for all the files and images I stored on my old computer so if I need anything it's still close, but the last 7 years isn't in my face every time I sit down to the computer.

 

So, off we go. I have some plans for the computer. Some classes perhaps. Lots of birding, means lots of editing, and photography in general means lots of experiences that will get me outside of the depression. Although, I have always maintained that once life notices you having any fun or contentment whatsoever, it will kick you in the nuts, just to see you cry, but I am willing to see what happens tomorrow. I'll give life one more try. But if you hear a distant scream, and hear an unnerving amount of wailing, that would probably be me. 

Just kidding.