Mating Dance

 

"October, crisp, misty, golden October,

 when the light is sweet and heavy."

 

~Angela Carter

The Magic Toyshop

 

Another beautiful group of Sandhill crane, along Desmond road. But this time I was in for a treat. Alan and I pulled over to check GoBird and I was adjusting my camera, when a fellow birder altered us that there was a mating dance going on, a little further up the road. We got there in time to see a bit of it, and now I hope to be able to observe it again. It was fascinating. The males splashed in the water, and then flew up into the air, flapping their wings in a grand style. They were out to impress the only female I saw there. The bird with the outstretched wings clearly impressed the young lady, and the other males took to flight. A little while later the male and female left for their Saturday evening day, and hopefully, some serious necking!

 

 I love birding!

 

 

~Me

Old Picture New Autumn Leaf #24

 "It's like summer wear the world out,

 and by October everyone is just ready for a nap."

 

~Ta-Nehisl Coats

The Water Dancer

 

That's about the best explanation as I can think of to describe it. The summer, with temperatures that rage in the triple digits for days, and sometimes weeks, can only be described as the anger of a year, wears one out, and isn't that just the way it feels after you get angry? Tired. Maybe even sad that it had to come to that? It's only the 15th of October, not even one-third of autumn has gone by, and I am already mourning it's passing, because I know I am going to have to face all the color drain from the year, followed by a burst of spring color, that not only am I am not ready for after months of darkness, but which has always been just a little too giggly for my liking. It's like having someone tell you, "get over it" before you are really ready to.

 

 I know when all is said and done, having all that light around will do is force me back into my summer seasonal depression. My emotional, heartbreaking anger, where I carry my regrets and mourning, and all the sad negativity we humans aren't supposed to share in the open, will live inside of me for 6 months like a parasite. Loneliness lives there too. As does fear. But right now, in this October, I am okay, I will just need to stay on track. Frankly, I am surprised I am doing as well as I am doing! After spending most of the year unable to eat, I am finally getting back on a more normal path to eating properly. The birds will help, and have, as tools to my recovery, as will the movies and my reading. The tools are are here, it's just a matter of taking the old picture, and putting it in a new frame. Not very many frames have worked in the past, mostly it's just been trial and error, but that's the road to recovery isn't it?

~Me

Looking Deeper Into The Photograph And #12

 

"It was one of those perfect autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life."

 

~P.D. James

A Taste For Death 

 

 

Clifton Court Forebay

I photographed this amazing Osprey on September 22nd, just hours before autumn was to begin officially. I was giddy with pure joy at the promise that the long, stupid, hot summer was finally over. The golden sun was shining in a cornflower blue sky and there was a surprisingly cool breeze blowing really gentle, it was just enough to cool you, but not to insult you. And there he was... a really big bird I had never seen before. The Osprey. And he was eating a fish, but I didn't notice until yesterday, while going through some photos, because I had been concentrating only on him.

 

His yellow eyes. His impressive size, especially when his wingspan (5 feet) is out fully. I NEVER saw the fish. There is a real lesson in that, as photographer must ALWAYS be aware of the backgrounds when doing a photo FULL STOP! I neglected to do that, so lesson learned! That was something Steven tried to impress on me, and I really try to do it, but in this case that bird was so amazing, so challenging, so wickedly beautiful that I was completely focused on preserving the moment that the osprey and I made eye contact. It's not an excuse, but it is a reason. Now, isn't it fun that a little autumn magic came into play?

 

And now a little more autumn magic...

 

 

~Me

 

 

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

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #2

 

"That old September feeling, left over from school days of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air... another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that autumnal beginning as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer."

 

~ Wallace Stegner

Angle Of Repose

~Me