It Was A Very Good Tuesday

 

"We begin to read each book, 

not knowing if we will see a peacock's feathers, or a baboon's arse."

~Kevin Ansbro

Hubby and I took a ride to Tracy yesterday, just to check out the range on the new EV, and while there we decided to check in at the Clifton Court Forebay, to see what new and wonderful birds might be lurking about. We first found about 100 or so swallows, cliff swallows I think, flying around the first bridge on the road. There may have been a couple different species of swallows, they were flying so quick I couldn't quite get a shot of them. I need to come back in the early evening, when they are slower and ready to roost. You can spot them on the telephone lines sometimes. Next, to my delight, we came across a flock of Caspian Tern. I love those birds, and I was afraid I wouldn't get to see one this year, but happily, there they were, flying on both sides of the forebay! I only wish they could have been a bit closer, my camera is feeling it's age, but still, I'm not really complaining! It was nice. And it was nice in general to get away from all the drama of worldly events. As irritating as those worldly events were, finding, photographing, and being able to enjoy the beauty of those beautiful birds erases a lot of bad! And to make it all that much better, I had a delightful dinner with my hubby, a Jersey Mike's sandwich, and a Habit Burger Garden Salad. Yep, it was a pretty good Tuesday!

Happy Halloween 2025

 

"There is magic in the night

 when pumpkins glow by moonlight."

 

  ~Unknown 

 Aren't these bears great? The big white bear, and his trick or treating pals, sit on a post at the corner of, Clifton Court Forebay, and the, Old Byron Highway, in Byron, California. They watch over the road, and keep us all safe and smiling. I am sure they got their start as a memorial, but now they greet us like we're old friends. The bear has been there for months, and kinda steps in for the driftwood moose that sadly fell apart earlier this year. I took these photos on September 30th, and held onto them until now, because I couldn't think of a better subject for a post devoted to Halloween. Personally, I've become attached, so I always look forward to them, no matter what day of the year it is!

Happy Halloween!

 

 

"Ghoul's just wanna have fun"

 

~Unknown 

 

 

An Autumn Afternoon's Black Phoebe

 

“There is something beautiful about autumn that makes things more beautiful. Out of all the seasons, it is the most honest about time. Summer and spring blind you to its passing with their colorful displays. Winter paints over everything in white. But autumn is not shy about things coming to an end. It welcomes it, waving leafy flags of red, yellow, and gold. It celebrates its sadness.” Hana Ishikawa”

 
― Samantha Sotto Yambao,

  Water Moon

 

That cute little bird is a Black Phoebe. It's one of the first birds I learned about after taking up birding as a hobby/way of life. Years ago, when I had the small cottage in the East Bay, I had one that liked to visit my yard, but I didn't know at that time what it was, it wasn't until I moved the San Joaquin Valley, that I had them permanently in my yard. Watching them delighted me. They are terrific little flyers, who hover at times over their meals. They are brave too. I watch one chase off a large Scrub Jay, when it came too close to invading it's home.  Phoebes are in much greater numbers, then they were in the East Bay, so it's delightful to get to see them every day. I enjoy them very much!

 

   

Halloween Countdown... #30 The Mephisto Waltz

 

October
I sit with braided fingers
and closed eyes
in a span of late sunlight.
The spokes are closing.
It is fall: warm milk of light,
though from an aging breast.
I do not mean to pray.
The posture for thanks or
supplication is the same
as for weariness or relief.
But I am glad for the luck
of light. Surely it is godly,
that it makes all things
begin, and appear, and become
actual to each other.
Light that’s sucked into
the eye, warming the brain
with wires of color.

 
~May Swenson 

 

Well, we didn't make it to Bodega Bay, but we are making another attempt today. Sigh. Cat dramas can be big, yet little sometimes. I don't mean to be cryptic, everyone is okay, it's just that we found out that Simon is terrified of spiders. Big or small. Last night he saw one, and bounced high and low, taking the stairs 4 at a time, and bouncing off the walls downstairs! We were afraid he was going to hurt himself, so we sat until he calmed down by himself, which took a couple hours. Finally, at 2:30 am, hubby went to bed. It seems the situation would be handled in shifts. About 45 minutes after hubby turned in, I was able to pick Simon up, snuzzle him, talk softly to him, and finally put him in his condo for the night. I was exhausted, hubby was exhausted, so we called it a night at 3:30. No trip, but at least our little guy is okay. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! 

 

Now, about the movie! The Mephisto Waltz was spooky as HELL when I was a kid, and you can say it's one of the movies that boils down to, FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT!" Alan Alda is perfect, as usual, as is the whole cast. I loved it when I was a kid, and I love it now! I don't want to give the plot away, so I will just say it is devilishly good fun! It's available to stream on Fandango, so if you haven't seen it, go watch it. 

 

But turn all the lights out first! 

 

Snowy Egret Then And Now

 

“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development,

 invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” 

~Edgar Allan Poe 

 

The Snowy Egret is my favorite bird, and here I bet you thought the Sandhill crane held that status! No, it's this gorgeous egret. It has been since I photographed my very first one, in the autumn of 2007, long before I took up birding. They are smallish egrets, and fairly common around the areas I tend to frequent when searching for birds, but they always catch my photographers eye, especially in winter. I always photograph them when I see them now, almost as good luck. And don't you just love those big yellow feet?

November 28th 2007

A Woman Who Stares At Ducks

 

“I once taught a duck how to swim.

 I'm such a good coach that in no time at all it learned how to fly.” 

~Jarod Kintz

  Eggs, they’re not just for breakfast

 

As uninspired as I have been feeling lately, I found a lot of happiness in photographing this gorgeous Bufflehead duck, at the Clifton Court Forebay. There was still a shocking lack of birds, but I still managed to photograph two new birds. The Shrike and the Song sparrow. That brings the total for January to 80! Not too shabby. The Shrike photo is blurry, so hopefully I will get a chance to redo that at some time later this year. I have seen one at the forebay on other occasions, so I am pretty sure it will happen. It's something to look forward to. Sigh. This lack of inspiration will pass, I just need to get there. 

 

By the way, this also happened yesterday...

 

The Oscar Nominations were announced.

 

Biggest snub... Margot Robbie. But Ryan Gosling was surely nominated. In case you didn't know, he played Ken. Don't get me wrong, I like Ryan Gosling very much, but holy HELL! I won't give anything away, but that whole dynamic sure drives home the whole point of the movie! If you haven't seen, Barbie, go watch it. You will enjoy it, I promise! See the full list of nominees here. All I have to say is, FUCK THE OSCARS!

 

 

 

And also, this happened...

 

Sigh...

 

 

The Last Love Of 2023

 

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...” 

~Alfred Lord Tennyson 

 

 

It's the almost last of the year 2023. Well, what I mean is, it's December 30th, and that means it's time to clean up my desktop, and put away the last of 2023. My files. My photos. My compilation of the trumpiness of Trump. And it's a last chance to put the past in, well, the past. The picture you see above is the last of the autumn leaves of 2023. It's raining now, and we are well on our way to storms that will rob me of any bit of autumn that endures, but hey, what a way to go! I kinda love the soggy cereal look of the leaves and I sorta look forward to that stage of things. You must solider through the work of the year, to arrive at a time of fun and splendor. Of autumn leaves and sweaters and hot chocolate. See, I am not mourning autumn 2023, I am looking forward to, and planning for, autumn 2024! But back to the photo portion of this post. Below you will find some final impressions of 2023 that I photographed. I hope they make you smile. 

 

 

Goodnight Autumn/Good Morning Winter 2023

 

 

“Autumn is a cunning muse who steals by degrees my warmth and light. So distracted by her glorious painting of colors, I scarcely realize my losses until the last fiery leaf has fallen to the ground and the final pumpkin shrinks. Autumn departs with a cold kiss, leaving me to suffer the frigid grasp of winter in prolonged nightfall.”

 
~Richelle E. Goodrich,

  Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

 

 

Beauty On A Dreay December Day

 

“I love the freedom of my wings. I love the empty space above the ground. I rejoice in my freedom. Freedom is my religion.

 Peace is my God. Love is my worship.”

 
~Banani Ray,

  World Peace: The Voice of a Mountain Bird

 

It was misty yesterday, but we went to the forebay anyway because there is a lot of rain predicted for this week, and that was our best chance to go. The Atmospheric River is opening. But the birds did not let me down. Present mostly were gulls, Ring-necked ducks and the gorgeous Snowy Egret, my favorite bird! It was the best way to spend an otherwise dreary December day.

 

 

 

An Afternoon With A Green Heron And His Friend

“I tell myself relationships are hard work. No one is perfect.

 There's no such thing as happily ever after.” 

― Laura Nowlin,

  If He Had Been with Me

 

 

I met this guy at the Clifton Court Forebay the other day. I went there to search for ducks and grebes, and I found some, but not in any great numbers. All I saw was a couple Bufflehead and some Ring-necked ducks. There was a few Egrets, but nothing in any great numbers. So I was pleasantly surprised when this gorgeous little bird flew over, and began fishing along the rocks. After a few minutes of searching he found a snack, and as intrigued and impressed as I was, I found I was equally sad for the poor little fish that was about to be swallowed whole. None of it gets any easier. Go for birding with the camera, hoping for an interesting photo that highlights a bird's life, and you many very well come home with beautiful but depressing photo of how all life really works. If only all animals, sea life, and birds were vegetarians! But then again, my friend Boris The Spider would end up a lot bigger! 

 

The Green Heron wasn't the only one fishing that day...

 

Western Grebe and it's lunch of Black Bass

  What a day at the Clifton Court Forebay!

 

 "Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?”

 
~Robert Frost,

   The Poetry of Robert Frost

 

 

An Osprey A Kestrel And A Cormorant

 

“His eyes reflected the open grey of the autumnal sky.” 

~Juliet Marillier,

  Daughter of the Forest

 

 I visited the Clifton Court Forebay yesterday, and unfortunately there is still very few birds to be found. During most years the forebay would be filled with all kinds of ducks, coots and gulls, in addition to many other birds, but yesterday there existed a few coot, a couple cormorants, and some raptors, but in single digits like the Osprey and the American Kestrel. I am going to check in on my friends at Cosumnes and Desmond road on Saturday, hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised and a beautiful noise a million birds will waiting for me. Cross your fingers. I need to see more beauty, and I only need 9 more birds to reach 170 birds for 2023!